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UW-Oshkosh’s Westphal and UW-Stevens Point’s Koback Headline All-WIAC Baseball Team; Bloom Named Coach of the Year

MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Luke Westphal and UW-Stevens Point’s Cody Koback were chosen the Pitcher of the Year and Position Player of the Year, respectively, to lead the individuals selected to the 2011 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Baseball Team by the league coaches.  Pointers head coach Pat Bloom was tabbed the Coach of the Year.

Westphal was a honorable mention pick a year ago and is the fourth Titan to earn the conference’s pitching prize.  He leads the WIAC with a 1.34 earned run average and a .184 opponent batting average, while placing second with 64 strikeouts, fourth with seven wins and fifth with 60.1 innings pitched.

Westphal allowed only one run in six of his eight starting assignments and surrendered only six extra-base hits all season.  He had a career-high 16 strikeouts against UW-Stout April 22 - a mark that ranks as the fourth-highest in WIAC history.

Koback was honorable mention selection in 2009 and is the seventh individual in program history to capture the league’s position trophy.  This season, he leads the conference with a .696 slugging percentage, seven triples, 68 runs scored and 112 total bases, while ranking second with a .518 on-base percentage, 46 runs batted in, 68 hits and seven home runs, third with 16 stolen bases and fourth with a .422 batting average.

Koback has recorded at least one hit in 36 of 40 games this season, including eight three-hit performances.  He is currently in the midst of a 15-game hitting streak after amassing a 13-game string earlier this year.  Koback has scored at least one run in 34 contests with a season-high five against Edgewood College (Wis.) March 30.

Repeat selections on the first team from a year ago included:  UW-Oshkosh’s Nolan Fadness, UW-Stevens Point’s Joel Delorit, Justin Jirschele and Scott Williams and UW-Whitewater’s Rob Coe, Jeff Donovan and Riley Tincher (Pitcher of the Year).  Williams and Coe also captured first team recognition in 2009, while Fadness added first team recognition in 2008 and 2009, and Donovan in 2007 and 2008.  UW-Oshkosh’s Jeremy Rubens was a first team choice in 2008.

Bloom, in his eighth season in charge of the Pointers, also claimed the coaching honor in 2005.  This year, he has directed UW-Stevens Point to a 32-8 record and the ninth WIAC regular-season championship in program history.  The Pointers also won the WIAC tournament crown for the sixth time in the last seven years.

An All-Sportsmanship Team was chosen for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season.  It included one member from each school.

Position Player of the Year:  Cody Koback of Stevens Point

Pitcher of the Year:  Luke Westphal of Oshkosh

Coach of the Year:  Pat Bloom of Stevens Point

Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete:  Riley Tincher of Whitewater


2011 All-WIAC Baseball Team
Name, School, Year, Position, Hometown (High School)

Rob Coe, Whitewater, Senior, Catcher, Appleton, Wis. (North)
Adam Cordova, La Crosse, Sophomore, Outfield, Merrill, Wis.
Joel Delorit, Stevens Point, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (Southern Door)
Jeff Donovan, Whitewater, Senior, Utility, Wauwatosa, Wis. (East)
Jeff Donovan, Whitewater, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Wauwatosa, Wis. (East)
Dan Douglas, Stevens Point, Sophomore, Utility, East Troy, Wis.
Nolan Fadness, Oshkosh, Senior, Shortstop, Eau Claire, Wis. (Memorial)
Sean Gerber, Stevens Point, Sophomore, Firstbase, Stoughton, Wis.
Brian Giebel, Stout, Senior, Outfield, River Falls, Wis.
Matt Guida, Stout, Sophomore, Catcher, Hawley, Minn.
Ryan Iverson, Stevens Point, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Eau Claire, Wis. (North)
Justin Jirschele, Stevens Point, Junior, Thirdbase, Clintonville, Wis.
Tyler Kamps, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Secondbase, Appleton, Wis. (East)
Cody Koback, Stevens Point, Junior, Outfield, Plover, Wis. (SPASH)
Cody Koback, Stevens Point, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Plover, Wis. (SPASH)
Daniel Putnam, Whitewater, Senior, Rightfield, Ashland, Wis.
Jeremy Rubens, Oshkosh, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, New Franken, Wis. (Luxemburg-Casco)
Riley Tincher, Whitewater, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Oregon, Wis.
Tim Verthein, La Crosse, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, La Crescent, Minn.
Luke Westphal, Oshkosh, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Clintonville, Wis.
Scott Williams, Stevens Point, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Baraboo, Wis.

Honorable Mention

Casey Barnes, Stevens Point, Freshman, Outfield, Mequon, Wis. (Homestead)
Brooks Braga, La Crosse, Sophomore, Outfield, Middleton, Wis.
Andrew Eichstaedt, Whitewater, Junior, Shortstop, Appleton, Wis. (North)
Eric Fritz, Stevens Point, Senior, Shortstop, Custer, Wis. (SPASH)
Aaron Hopson, Platteville, Senior, Thirdbase, Rockford, Ill. (Boylan Catholic)
Trevor Kattre, Platteville, Junior, Outfield, Abbotsford, Wis.
Justin Lambert, Whitewater, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Mount Horeb, Wis.
Mitch Loegering, Superior, Senior, Outfield, Big Lake, Minn.
Shaun Marshall, Superior, Junior, Outfield, Stillwater, Minn.
Levi Ney, Platteville, Junior, Outfield, Kalona, Iowa (Iowa Mennonite School)
Mitch Running, La Crosse, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Eau Claire, Wis. (North)
Jon Schoch, Stout, Junior, Outfield, Chippewa Falls, Wis. (McDonell)
Garrett Scray, La Crosse, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, De Pere, Wis. (West De Pere)
Kyle Van Abel, Oshkosh, Junior, Thirdbase, Kaukauna, Wis.
Rhett Williamson, Superior, Senior, Shortstop, Baxter, Minn.

All-Sportsmanship Team

Brett Benesh, Platteville, Senior, Infield, Madison, Wis. (Edgewood)
Dylan Friend, Whitewater, Freshman, Outfield, Burlington, Wis.
Brian Giebel, Stout, Senior, Outfield, River Falls, Wis.
Kevin Thomas, Stevens Point, Senior, Firstbase, Oshkosh, Wis. (West)
Matt Trocke, La Crosse, Senior, Shortstop/Secondbase, Burnsville, Minn.
Rob Veith, Superior, Sophomore, Infield/Outfield, Brainerd, Minn.
Luke Westphal, Oshkosh, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Clintonville, Wis.

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UW-Whitewater’s Tincher Selected Baseball Scholar-Athlete

MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Riley Tincher has been chosen the recipient of the 2011 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Max Sparger Baseball Scholar-Athlete Award.

A senior from Oregon, Wis., Tincher is majoring in health, human performance and recreation with a minor in coaching and maintains a 3.32 grade point average.  He is a two-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and been recognized on UW-Whitewater’s Dean’s List.

A two-year team captain, Tincher is a two-time All-WIAC first team selection and secured Pitcher of the Year honors a season ago.  He was named to the 2010 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America Second Team and collected Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year accolades from the ABCA.  Tincher also claimed his team’s MVP trophy in 2010.

A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and UW-Whitewater’s Strength and Conditioning Club, he also serves as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at his institution.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, who served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference from July, 1971 - July, 1993.

In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average. In addition, he must be in his last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.