BASEBALL
The Blue Devils (11-9, 5-4 WIAC) have nothing but conference games scheduled, and this week Stout will host UW-Superior, Wednesday, April 17 at 1 p.m., then have doubleheaders scheduled with UW-Whitewater, Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 - both scheduled to get underway at noon. Last week: Stout went 4-2 in conference play, taking two from UW-River Falls, April 12, dropping two to UW-Oshkosh, April 13 and sweeping two over the Titans, April 14. Position player of the week: Jake Riek, So, Boyceville, Wis.; Pitcher of the week: Matt Lunde, Sr, Eau Claire, Wis, (North).

SOFTBALL
The Blue Devils (5-5, 2-2 WIAC) have a busy week ahead, mixing conference play with non-conference play. Stout will be at UW-Superior, Tuesday, April 16, then return home to host UW-La Crosse, Thursday, April 18 at 4 p.m. at Wakanda Park. The Blue Devils will then head to Hamlne University, Friday, April 19 in a make-up game from early April. Stout will close out the week by hosting Augsburg College, Sunday, April 21 at 2 p.m. Last week: Rain washed out games with UW-Eau Claire for the second time last week, and that game is rescheduled for Tuesday, April 23 at 4 p.m. in Menomonie. Stout was also rained out against UW-River Falls and that game has been rescheduled to Thursday, April 25. Stout went 2-2 at the first WIAC Cluster Tournament last weekend in Whitewater, losing to host UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh, and downing UW-Stevens Point and UW-Platteville. Position player of the week: Sara Jensen, Jr, Eau Claire, Wis. (Memorial); Pitcher of the week: Molly Kraft, Fr, St. Louis Park, Minn.

WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
Stout will be at the St. Olaf Invitational, Saturday, April 20. Last week: The Blue Devils competed at the Lee Kough Invitational at Gustavus Adolphus, April 13. Track athlete of the week: Lacey Osuldsen, Sr, Ladysmith, Wis. (Bruce); Field athlete of the week: Laura Verdegan, So, Tony, Wis. (Flambeau).

MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
Stout will be at the Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kansas, Saturday, April 20. Last week: Stout placed third at a meet at UW-La Crosse, April 13. Track athlete of the week: Dave Hanson, Jr, Sun Prairie;, Wis. Field athlete of the week: Dan Austin, Fr, Clintonville, Wis.

FOOTBALL
The National Football League draft is set for April 20-21 and UW-Stout cornerback Tony Beckham (Sr, Ocala, Fla) has emerged as a more than viable candidate. He has been projected to be drafted in the middle rounds. In mock drafts on various on-line web sites, Beckham has been projected to be picked by the expansion Houston Texans in the fifth round and by the New York Jets in the fourth round. If drafted, Beckham would be the first Blue Devil to be drafted since the early 1970s when defensive back Reggie Holmes went to the Minnesota Vikings. Get additional background and follow Beckham in the draft at: Beckham in NFL Draft

Baseball

April 14, 2002

MENOMONIE - It was white-knuckle time for the UW-Stout baseball team as the Blue Devils rode the arm of Matt Lunde (Sr, Eau Claire) to sweep a pair of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contests, over UW-Oshkosh, Sunday, April 14 in Menomonie.

Lunde came on in very long relief in the opener. With Stout trailing 6-0 and no outs in the first, Lunde allowed only one unearned run and went the rest of the way to give Stout an 8-7 win.

Lunde made his second appearance of the day in the second half of the doubleheader, working 2.1 innings to pick up the save in an 11-10 win.

Ryan Wolf (Sr, Adrian, Minn) worked 2.2 innings for relief to record the win as Stout scored three runs in the first inning and never trailed.

Stout (11-9, 5-4) needed to overcome a 5-for-5 performance by the Titans' Ben Stanley, who had three home runs and five RBI.

The Blue Devils struck quickly. With one out in the game, Nick Kalina (Sr, Potosi) singled to center. Jon Kroening (So, Ladysmith) moved Kalina to third. JW Dachel (Sr, Bloomer) scored Kalina. Justin Biever (South Milwaukee) doubled to left, driving in Kroening and Dachel to close out the scoring. The Titans answered back in the bottom half with the first of Stanley's round tripper.

The Blue Devils scored single runs in the second on a Kalina single and in the third on a Dachel home run. Oshkosh pulled to within 5-4 with another homer by Stanley in the third.

Stout got a four-run fifth inning with Biever driving in a run, then eventually scoring on a passed ball. James Foreman's (So, Apple Valley, Minn) cracked a two-run single to finish the scoring.

Oshkosh added two runs in both the sixth and seventh. Stout gave Lunde support with two runs in the eighth on hits by Kroening and Brad Barneson (Sr, Strum). Oshkosh got to Lunde for a two-run homer in the eighth, but Lunde notched his first save of the year with three straight outs in the bottom of the ninth.

In the opening game, Oshkosh got all seven runs in the first inning, but Lunde shut the door the rest of the way, scattering eight hits.

Adam Acker (So, Minnetonka, Minn), Kalina and Brock Meyer (Jr, Lyle, Minn) each drove in a run in the third to pull Stout to within 7-5. The Blue Devils knotted the score in the sixth when Kroening reached on an error, allowing Meyer to score. Rob Govek's (Sr, Wausau) fielders' choice brought in Jake Riek (So, Boyceville).

Stout got the winning run in the eighth when Rich Young (Jr, Woodbury, Minn) put himself in a run down between first and second and Riek stole home, getting under the tag.

Riek was 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored.

Stout will host UW-Superior, Wednesday, April 17 at 1 p.m., and will host UW-Whitewater, Saturday, April 20 and again Sunday, April 21. Both those games will begin at 12 p.m.

April 13, 2002

MENOMONIE - UW-Oshkosh scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning of the opener for a 5-3 win, then had a four-run fourth inning in the nightcap for a 7-4 over UW-Stout, Saturday, April 13 at Nelson Field.

The Blue Devils (9-9, 3-4 WIAC) balked in the eventual winning run in the 10th, then allowed a double to score the final run in the opener.

The Titans' (11-3, 6-2) Kevin Jones cracked out a three-run homer to left center to highlight a four-run fourth for Oshkosh in the second game.

April 12, 2002

RIVER FALLS - Justin Biever (Jr, South Milwaukee) drew a bases loaded walk and Matt Hoeft (Jr, Elk Mound) lifted a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to give UW-Stout a 6-4 win in the opener and Brad Barneson (Sr, Strum) hit a three-run home run in the first inning of the nightcap to give Stout a 4-1 win and a sweep at UW-River Falls, Friday, April 12.

In a doubleheader that was twice delayed because of weather, Stout (9-7, 3-2) managed to give the Falcons (4-14, 1-5) a little more hurt during the week they found out the university was planning to eliminate baseball.

Stout held a 4-3 lead heading into the ninth inning, but the Falcons knotted the score with a Scott DeWyre single.

Adam Rothenbuhler (Sr, Trego) picked up his first win as a Blue Devil, but needed help from Ryan Wolf (Sr, Adrian, Minn), who picked up the save. Rothenbuhler struck out 13 batters in working nine complete innings.

JW Dachel (Sr, Bloomer) was 3-for-4 and Jon Kroening (So, Ladysmith) was 3-for-5 for the Blue Devils. Hoeft had two RBI, while Dachel had two doubles.

In the second game, Barneson got things rolling for Stout with his one out round tripper, scoring Nick Kalina (Sr, Potosi) and Greg Meinertz (Fr, La Crosse).

Biever, who along iwth Barneson was 3-for-4 in the game, drove in Stout's only other run of the game, lining a single to left to score Kalina. The Falcons scored one run in the bottom of the inning.

Matt Lunde (Sr, Eau Claire) went the distance to pick up the win, his fourth of the year, striking out six and scattering six hits.

April 14, 2002

WHITEWATER - UW-Stout kept their record at .500 by splitting at the final day of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Cluster Tournament in Whitewater, Sunday, April 14. Stout downed UW-Platteville, 4-1, then lost to 7-3 to UW-Oshkosh.

Stout (5-5, 2-2) got on the board first with Platteville when Jamie Gorgas (Fr, New London) pushed a single to the outfield to bring in Sara Jensen (Jr, Eau Claire).

After Platteville scored in the fourth, Sarah Kokke (Sr, Galesville) drove a ball to center field in the fifth inning, scoring Scooter Aspen (So, Eau Claire) and Jensen. Aspen drove in Kim Caswell (So, Stanley) in the seventh.

Oshkosh got to Stout with three runs in the first, then tacked on another in the third. Stout scored three times in the third with Kaela Wold (Fr, Altoona) getting two runs with a double. The Titans put Stout away with three more runs in the sixth.

Stout will be at UW-Superior, Tuesday, April 16, then will host UW-La Crosse, Thursday, April 18 and Augsburg, Sunday, April 21.

April 13, 2002

WHITEWATER - After getting blanked, 10-0, by UW-Whitewater at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Cluster Tournament, UW-Stout came back to down UW-Stevens Point, 9-8, Saturday, April 13 in Whitewater.

Stout (4-4, 1-1) did not fail to look a gift horse in the mouth against the Pointers. Trailing 8-2 heading into the fifth inning, Stout scored seven runs, five of them unearned and coming after two outs.

Two runs came off a throwing error after a hit by Michelle Harvieux (So, Centerville, Minn) and three more came when Molly Kraft's (Fr, St. Louis Park, Minn) pinch hit was misplayed for the big blow of the game.

Leslie Barkin (Fr, Buffalo Grove, Ill) picked up the win by allowing no runs in three innings of relief of Laura Bohn (Fr, Stoughton).

Stout got no such help in the first game, giving up two runs in the first, five runs in the third and three in the fourth against the Warhawks.

April 13, 2002

ST. PETER, Minn - Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) captured both the long jump and the triple jump to lead UW-Stout at the Lee Krought Invitational hosted by Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, Minn., Saturday, April 13.

Verdegan won the long jump with a leap of 17-feet, 11-inches, and also took the triple jump with a jump of 37-1.75.

Jenney Luer (Sr, Colfax) placed third in the shot put (42-3.25) and the discus (146-1).

Tracy Oostdyk (So, Spooner) was fifth in the 3000-meter steeplechase in a time of 12:25.90 and Heidi Bedsted (Jr, Plainview, Minn) was sixth in the 5000 (18:39.13).

April 13, 2002

LA CROSSE - Jeff Rotering (Sr, Waumandee) captured the pole vault event and the 4X400-meter relay team took a first to lead UW-Stout at a triangular meet at UW-La Crosse, Saturday, April 13.

Rotering cleared the bar in an NCAA Division III provisional qualifying height of 15-feet, 7-inches. Teammate Lewis Cassellius (So, Glenwood City) was third (14-7.25).

The 4X400-relay team edged UW-La Crosse, coming in with a time of 3:20.32 to La Crosse's 3:20.95.

Dave Huber (Sr, Mendota Heights, Minn) placed second in the 5000-meter run (15:23.53).

Justin Zymewski (Fr, Houston, Minn) was third in the high jump (6-0) and Jay Sitek (Jr, Marinette) was fourth (5-10).

Dan Austin (Fr, Clintonville) and Eric Moe (Jr, Whitehall) tied for third in the triple jump (41-9.25).

Mike Twining (Jr, Clear Lake) was fourth in the 100 (11.18). Dave Hanson (Jr, Sun Prairie) was third in the 110-hurdles (15.30) and fourth in the 400-hurdles (53.87). Taylor Hustad (Fr, Colfax) was fourth in the 400-meter (50.47) and Jeff Miller (Sr, St. Louis Park, Minn) was fourth in the 110-hurdles (15.83).

Hustad, Dave Hanson, Kevin Riester (Jr, Red Wing, Minn) and John Hanson (Sr, Grantsburg) were members of the winning relay team.

Updated: April 15, 2002