University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Athletics
STEVENS POINT, WI (UWSP-WSAU) — For the second-straight year, the No. 15 UW-Stevens Point baseball team (32-12) will travel to a fellow WIAC opponent for the NCAA Tournament Super Regional round with a bid to the Division III College World Series on the line. The Pointers this season will face No. 13 UW-La Crosse (34-10) in a best-of-3 series beginning on Friday.
The Pointers advanced by winning the Regional Round on Sunday with an 11-5 win over Webster in the decisive game 7. Senior Payton Nelson (Wausau, Wis./West) walloped two home runs and had three on Sunday to up his team-leading total to 13 for the season. Trent Van Ess (Two Rivers, Wis./Two Rivers) also hit two home runs in game 7 of the Regional, and Bradley Comer (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) belted one as well.
Comer leads the team in hitting at .379 entering Super Regional weekend. His 52 RBI, 67 hits, and 12 doubles are also tops on the team. He has 10 home runs as does freshman Kamden Oliver (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua).
UWSP’s pitching staff features five All-WIAC selections all with a sub-4.50 earned run average. Starters JD Schultz (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH), Nick Paulsen (Balsam Lake, Wis./Unity), Mason Weckler (Belvidere, Ill./North) and Casey Pickering (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) are a combined 23-5 on the year and all have more than 45 strikeouts. Paulsen leads the staff with 53 strikeouts.
Sidney Ferry (Paw Paw, Mich./Homeschooled) once again led the WIAC in saves this season. He racked up eight on the year entering this weekend and the junior already holds the school record with 23 career saves. Senior Austin Syvertson (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) made his 65th career appearance on Sunday, tied for second-most in program history.
This season, the Pointers and Eagles split a four-game series in La Crosse in April. UWL took the opener and game four of the series. UWSP posted double-digit runs in the middle games, both wins. Overall, UWSP outscored the Eagles, 37-24, over the four-game series. UWSP won the WIAC regular season title and UWL captured the WIAC Tournament title. The teams did not meet in the WIAC Tournament.
This weekend’s games are Friday (May 26) at 12:00 p.m. and Saturday (May 27) at 11:00 a.m. If the teams split the first two games, a decisive game three will be played approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of Saturday’s first game.
All games will be played at Copeland Park in La Crosse. Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $6.00 for youth, seniors, and students each day. All games will be live-streamed as well for fans unable to travel to La Crosse.
The winner of this weekend’s series will advance to the Division III College World Series in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, beginning on June 2.
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