The Marquette men’s club baseball team has been in action since early September. So far this season they have been moderately successful posting an overall record of 5-4.
The team is powered by its group of three Spring Season All-Region Award winners: pitcher and team president Matt Walters, senior third basemen and vice president Dan Riedel, and sophomore pitcher Dan Walker. Riedel’s slugging ability also earned him a spot on the All-American team.
The Golden Eagles took part in a tournament last weekend in Madison, Wis., in which they compiled a total of 44 runs over four games to go 3-1 and finish in third place.
They began the tournament with 15-4 rout of Wisconsin-Madison Friday and then a 13-3 victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater early Saturday afternoon. Marquette felt that they were on a roll as they cruised to a 7-0 lead over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but got sloppy and ended up blowing the game in an 11-10 loss.
The Golden Eagles were able to rebound, however, and defeated Wisconsin-Madison again on Sunday in the third place game.
Walters is excited for the way the team has begun the season, especially the freshman players. He is impressed with the offensive firepower of the team and hopes to keep firing on all cylinders for the rest of the season.
“So far we’ve been very happy with our freshman,” Walters said. “They’ve risen above expectations and made some critical plays, critical hits and critical pitches in clutch situations.”
Marquette’s season continues with a double-header against rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Rainbow Park Saturday.
The Marquette women’s rugby team has only played three matches so far this season, and has opened with a 2-1 overall record.
The Golden Eagles won their first match against Wisconsin-Whitewater at Valley Fields on September 11. A week later, they took their second victory against Wisconsin-Parkside. The one loss the Golden Eagles have suffered was at the hands of Wisconsin-Platteville on September 25.
The team is open to all different levels of experience and encourages potential members not to hesitate based on body type or athletic ability.
The inexperience of the team has not been a problem according to club president Katherine Bourne, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.
“We have a really dedicated and talented group of girls,” Bourne said. “Some of them hadn’t even touched a rugby ball before this season but have picked it up really well.”
The relative obscurity of Rugby in U.S. at the high school level prompted the team to hold its 1st Annual Warrior Rugby 101 Rookie Camp on September 4. The camp helped players new to the sport learn the basics and become familiar with the physical challenges demanded of them.
“We worked on a lot of ballhandling skills and passing that day,” Amanda Pohle, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences said. “It gave the new girls an idea of how to play the game.”
The Marquette women’s rugby team will take on Wisconsin-Madison in the “Friday Night Lights Alumni Game” at Valley Fields this Friday.
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