MADISON, Wis.- As the UW-Oshkosh baseball program prepares for the Saint Peter Regional of the NCAA Division III Championship, the WIAC announced the 2025 all-conference honors on Wednesday (May 14).
UW-Oshkosh went 31-13 overall this regular season and 20-8 against WIAC opponents, both the best marks since going 34-10 overall and 18-6 in WIAC play in 2018.
The 2018 squad qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship as an at-large bid and reached the championship game of the Duluth Regional. The last time a Titan baseball team won 20 conference games was 2008 when the squad went 20-4 to claim the regular season championship. The 2008 team also reached the regional championship game.
Entering the 2025 WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) as the three seed, Oshkosh defeated UW-La Crosse, 15-4, in eight innings and UW-Platteville, 15-5, in seven innings to advance to the conference championship game for the second time in four years. The Titans fell to UW-Whitewater and qualified to the Division III Championship as an at-large bid.
Connor Brinkman (New London/New London) was named to his fourth All-WIAC Team, joined by first time honorees
Zach Taylor (Long Grove, Ill./Stevenson) and
Brett Gaynor (Long Grove, Ill./Stevenson) on the 20-member squad.
Jake Surane (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson), a three-time All-WIAC selection, led Oshkosh's seven honorable mentions. Also among the 22-player Honorable Mention Team were
Mason Kirchberg (DeForest/DeForest) and
Nick Shiu (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) who were both tabbed for honorable mention status in 2023 and All-WIAC in 2024,
Carter Stebane (Brillion/Brillion),
Josh Jansen (DeForest/DeForest),
Logan Schill (Pewaukee/Pewaukee), and
Ryan Richter (Waukesha/Waukesha West).
Brinkman, the 2022 WIAC Kwik Trip Newcomer of the Year, has compiled a 6-2 record this season with a save in 11 appearances and 10 starts, including a 4-1 mark in conference games, a 2.47 earned run average, and 58 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched. Brinkman, pitched at least six innings in every start this season, leads the WIAC in ERA, opposing batting average (.193), and innings pitched. He allowed no more than three runs just twice in his 11 appearances and struck out a season high nine batters at UW-Stout on May 2.
In eight appearances and seven starts during Oshkosh's 28-game league schedule, Brinkman posted a 2.54 ERA, held opponents to a league low .191 batting average, threw a complete game shutout in 53 innings of work for a 4-1 record and a save. He ranked second in the WIAC in ERA and third in strikeouts (38) and hits allowed (33).
Brinkman allowed no runs in two of his wins this season. He threw seven innings against Keystone in Florida on March 6, fanning eight batters against two hits and two walk, and struck out six with three hits and a walk across nine innings against UW-Platteville on March 27. During the Titans' WIAC Tournament opener against UW-La Crosse, Brinkman passed UW-Stevens Point's Bill Verbrick for the most innings pitched in WIAC history. He currently holds 298.1 innings of work with ranks eighth among active Division III players. Brinkman was named the WIAC Kwik Trip Pitcher of the Week three times this season: March 3-9, March 24-30, and April 7-13.
Taylor is hitting a team best .408 with additional highs in on-base plus slugging (1.111), hits (71), doubles (17), and walks (25).
Against conference opponents, Taylor holds top-five positions in the league in batting average (third, .416), hits (third, 47), on-base percentage (fourth, .488), and led the league with 14 doubles. He recorded 19 multi-hit games headed into the national tournament and went perfect in the plate in three games. His first was a 4-for-4 game at Transylvania University (Ky.) with a run and an RBI on March 17. He later batted 3-for-3 with a trio of walks, two home runs, three runs, and three RBIs during the Titans' first road WIAC series at UW-Eau Claire on April 12. His third perfect game at the plate was at UW-Stevens Point on April 27. He hit 5-for-5 with two doubles, two runs, and two RBIs.
Gaynor is 6-2 with a save, three complete games, and shutout in 12 appearances and nine starts this season. Across 57 innings pitched, he owns a 5.05 ERA, 43 strikeouts against a team low 10 walks. With a 5-1 mark in league play, he acquired a 3.92 ERA and 29 strikeouts while holding opponents to a low one triple.
On April 17, Gaynor threw the 12th no-hitter in program history as the Titans welcomed UW-River Falls baseball back to the WIAC with a 12-0 win. He struck out six Falcons and did not issue a walk while being an error short of Oshkosh's second perfect game. Gaynor was named the WIAC Kwik Trip, D3baseball.com, and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association honors for his performance.
Surane is hitting .340 this season with 66 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 40 runs, and 38 RBIs while drawing 21 free trips to first base and stealing 20 bases. UW-Oshkosh's career leader in hits, doubles, at-bats, and stolen bases, he owns an OPS of .880 across a WIAC best 194 at-bats this year. The center fielder owns a team best .993 fielding percentage with 148 putouts, an assist, and a single error in 150 total chances.
Against conference teams, Surane hit .321, scoring 29 runs and sent in 31 more while recording 43 hits including nine doubles, a triple, and three home runs. He successfully swiped a base on 11 of his 12 attempts. He has had at least two hits in 20 games and at least three in eight games. As the Titans defeated UW-Platteville in their second game of the WIAC Tournament, Surane hit 4-for-5 with two doubles, three runs, and three RBIs. He is currently on a 10-game hit streak.
One of two Titans with seven home runs this season and the leader in hit by pitches, Kirchberg owns a .313 batting average with a .967 OPS, 51 hits, 13 doubles, a pair of triples, and nine stolen bases.
Kirchberg recorded a .348 batting average in 28 conference games. His 1.084 OPS, 10 doubles, and 13 walks, were the second highest for Oshkosh while his seven home runs and nine hit by pitches were first. Kirchberg's four-game performance at UW-Stout on May 2-3 netted him WIAC Kwik Trip Player of the Week and D3baseball.com Team of the Week honors. He hit .600 (9-for-15) with a .632 on-base percentage and a 1.267 slugging percentage as the Titans completed their fourth sweep of a WIAC opponent in Menomonie. He recorded eight runs and seven RBIs against the Blue Devils with a double, three home runs, two walks, a hit by pitch, and four stolen bases.
Oshkosh's RBI leader with 42 across 43 games, Shiu is hitting .371 entering the postseason. Across 186 at-bats, he owns a .906 OPS, 69 hits, 11 doubles, three home runs, and 12 walks.
Shiu led the WIAC with 127 at-bats and ranked second with 51 hits. Across the 28-game WIAC slate, he knocked a team best 23 multi-hit games including a 4-for-4 performance at UW-Stevens Point on April 27 with three runs and two RBIs and a 4-for-5 trip with a double, five runs, and four RBIs against Platteville in Whitewater on May 9.
Stebane led the WIAC with 27 stolen bases. He hit .301 with an OPS of .858, 52 hits, nine doubles, a triple, six home runs, 43 runs, and 32 RBIs.
Stebane's 20 stolen bases in league play also placed the WIAC. During the Titans' 16-11 win over UW-Stout on May 3, he stole two of Oshkosh's 11 bases. He batted .303 with an .882 OPS in conference games with 36 hits, six doubles, and six home runs across 119 at-bats. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, three runs, an RBI, and three stolen bases against UW-River Falls on April 17.
Jansen owns a 7-2 record in 12 appearances and 10 starts this season with a 3.89 ERA, two complete games, a shutout, and a team high 69 strikeouts across 71.2 innings. He struck out a career high 11 batters in seven innings against Saint Mary's University (Minn.) in Florida on March 8.
In league play, Jansen went 5-2 with two saves, a 4.47 ERA, two complete games, and a shutout in 46.1 innings of work. During the Titans', 10-0, seven inning win over UW-Eau Claire at Carson Park on April 12, he allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out six Blugolds.
Schill's .313 batting average and .967 OPS is joined by 51 hits, nine doubles, five triples, seven home runs, 46 runs, and 36 RBIs while owning 22 stolen bases.
With 13 multi-hit games this season, Schill recorded a conference best five triples and stole 22 bases, the third-most. He hit .331 with a .999 OPS, 41 hits, seven doubles, and three triples, and seven home runs. He recorded six consecutive multi-hit games from April 27 to May 8 including a pair of three hit performances. He went 3-for-6 with a home run, three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBIs at UW-Stout on May 2.
Primarily a relief pitcher in his first collegiate season, Richter is 3-1 with a .445 ERA on 18 appearances and three starts. He has fanned 14 batters and allowed only six extra-base hits.
Richter allowed more than three runs just once this season and earned all of his wins in relief. His first collegiate win was a 2.2-inning appearance against Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) on March 9 with two strikeouts.
Stebane was also UW-Oshkosh's representative on the all-sportsmanship team.
UW-Whitewater's Matt Scolan was named the Kwik Trip Player of the Year and Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete. John Vodenlich, the Warhawks' head coach, collected Kwik Trip Coach of the Year honors and mentored Max Huseboe to the Kwik Trip Pitcher of the Year award. AJ Curtis from UW-La Crosse was tabbed as the Kwik Trip Newcomer of the Year.
The Titans will travel to Saint Peter, Minnesota to compete in the NCAA Division III Championship for the 26th time in program history on Friday (May 16) for their first regional tournament since 2018. They will face the University of Chicago (Ill.) (26-14) at 10 a.m. on Friday and play either Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) (36-7) or Beloit College (30-14) on Saturday (May 17). The two teams remaining after Saturday's third game will play on Sunday (May 18) in the regional championship.
UW-Oshkosh is 107-53 across its previous 25 trips to the national tournament, one of has made 17 World Series appearances, and won the national championship in 1985 and 1994. The Titans are one of two WIAC teams with 25 championship trips, joined by UW-Whitewater, and one of just 13 with as many appearances in Division III. Their 107 postseason wins rank fifth in the division.
