Campus Notes

February 9, 2017

By Wisconsin Scouting Staff

Campus Notes is a compilation of news and notes centered on collegiate news around the state of Wisconsin. Throughout the year we will bring you periodic updates on players and programs within the state who are making headlines, as well as noteworthy items affecting the collegiate game around the state.

Here’s a look at some items to chew on heading into the 2017 season.

+ UW-Stout made a coaching change over the winter break as Toby Gardenhire left the program to take a job in the Minnesota Twins organization. Assistant Coach Ben Kincaid will take over the reigns of the program after his second season as a Blue Devil assistant. Visit d3baseball.com for more on this story.

+ Daulton Varsho (Marshfield, 2014) is heading into his draft eligible, junior campaign at Wisconsin-Milwaukee is garnering a ton of preseason hype. After putting up another all-star summer in the Northwoods League, Varsho has been recognized as one of Baseball America’s Top 100 College Draft Prospects as well as being tabbed a Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

+ The NCAA DIII World Series has been held in Appleton, WI for 17 years at Fox Cities Stadium, home of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Brewers Class A affiliate. It was announced earlier this fall that the tenancy of the tournament will not make it to 20 years as the 2018 World Series will be the last hosted in Appleton. The Division III tournament will be restructured in 2019 to mimic the format of the Division I and Division II tournaments, adding a Super Regional round therefore pushing back the championship dates one week.
Visit d3baseball.com for more on this story.

+ The collegiate season is nearly upon us and preseason rankings are starting to materialize. A pair of Wisconsin universities made their respective preseason rankings as No. 4 UW-La Crosse and No. 9 UW-Whitewater both made the NCBWA/D3Baseball.com Preseason Rankings. Both won over 30 games last year and made deep runs into the playoffs; poised to repeat that success in 2017.

+ A pair of UW-Whitewater pitchers were just named to Baseball America's top 2017 Division III Draft Prospects. RHP Austin Jones (Wauwatosa West, 2013) checks in at No. 2 on the list after being drafted in the 26th round last year by the Cubs. No. 7 on the list is RHP Heath Renz (Jefferson, 2014) who had a big summer with the Madison Mallards in the Northwoods League.