By: Aaron Morse 5/11/22
A couple of individual standout seasons have led UWL to the WIAC tournament once again, with a legitimate chance at a NCAA tournament bid. After a loss from Oshkosh on Monday, the final day of the regular season for the WIAC, the Eagles jumped from into third place and will avoid a first round match-up with top-seeded UW-Whitewater. Now, they will take on UW-Stevens Point in the first round. Still, a very difficult opponent. Those three teams lead the way in the WIAC and Eagles Head Coach Chris Schwarz saw it that way as soon as the WIAC schedule began:
Coach Schwarz is going to need guys like Jack Olver to continue to step up if he wants a shot at that WIAC championship. Olver had another incredible season at the plate hitting for a .442 average. That number is good for the sixth best single season batting average in Eagles history! By the way, Olver also has the highest batting average ever at .491 last season. Olver also leads the team in doubles, on-base percentage and sacrifice hits. He is second on the team in runs scored, home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. Coach Schwarz knew that he could hit since high school, but it was just about finding a spot for him:
The only reason why Olver didn’t lead the team in the categories above is because of a guy named Mac Born. Born leads the team in runs, triples, homers, RBI, and slugging percentage. He is also second in average, doubles, and sacrifice hits. Born’s 14 home runs this season is good for second all-time in a single season in school history. He trails ex-Milwaukee Brewer Vinnie Rottino’s record by just a single homer. Born has also collected 60 RBI this season which is also second all-time behind Justin Anderson’s incredible record of 83 back in 2016. Born, like Olver, is a second-year freshman and now has 110 RBI in his career. That number is already 12th all-time. He is just 44 behind Taylor Kohlwey’s career record.
Of note: Born and Olver still have a chance to improve on these numbers as they count postseason stats in the record book. Which means they have at least two more games to add to their totals.
Maybe the most important thing about these two players- they are the only ones to play (and start) in all 39 games this season.
Now they will have to lead their team into a double elimination gauntlet. They will kick off the WIAC tournament on Thursday at 10 am against Stevens Point. The tournament is at Whitewater this year with the Warhawks winning the regular season title. If the Eagles lose game 1, they will face elimination later that day. Win or lose, it is a quick turnaround that will make or break your season.
