UW-Milwaukee Athletic Board Meets on Scholarships, Baseball

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Athletic Board met on the morning of April 6 to discuss the Black and Gold fundraiser and to hear updates from head baseball coach on the first half of their season. The board consists of sports administrators, academic leaders, and Students-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) members.

The SAAC is a committed group that provides student-athletes with a voice to communicate directly with the athletics department administration and with the NCAA as well. Every school in the country has a SAAC committee. They also review NCAA legislative rules and proposals, making suggestions and recommendations to the athletic board on how to fix or adjust rules. These suggestions are sent to the NCAA directors board for ideas and reviewing as well.

“The UWM Panther SAAC program is a successful design and implementation of a comprehensive life skills program that offers educational services and looks good on a student-athletes resume,” said Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services Clare Faurote.

Athletic director Amanda Braun spoke briefly about a pregame baseball tailgate May 12 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Miller park inside the first base concourse. The Black and Gold scholarship fundraiser events include meeting Panther coaches, a silent auction, and a raffle drawing for the chance to win a custom painted Harley Davidson motorcycle. There will also be a special Olympics held before the game; half of the participants will have disabilities and half will be aids to help them perform.

The Black and Gold scholarship fund is an organization that supply scholarships for future student-athletes. This group is about finding ways to raise money so they can supply scholarship funds to Student-athletes who can’t afford tuition, or need help with other student expenses.

“This is a great way to reach out into the Milwaukee community and touch lives for the ones who really need it,” said Braun.

In the April 6 meeting, the Athletic Board examine the new proposed basketball practice facility and they are taking steps forward. They are currently planning when and where to place it, based on state legislation, funding issues, and building restrictions. They have been exploring two possible sites to place the new basketball practice facility: tearing down the Norris Health Center south of the Klotsche Center or on downer avenue north of the Klotsche. Downer avenue has a lot of zoning restrictions so most likely it won’t be there.

Head baseball coach Scott Doffek also spoke to the board members and updated them on the season so far. He acknowledged that 17 out of the 34 active players are playing at the Division I level for the first time. Mitch Buban is one of the five freshman that start for the panthers this year and he sat in the meeting Wednesday morning along with Doffek.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team is the only Division I program in the state of Wisconsin. So you would think that it might be one of the premiere programs within the country. It does not have to compete with nearby schools in recruiting and it has a whole state to from which it can choose its talent. This has certainly not been the case in recent years, however, as Milwaukee has only had a handful of talented players and hasn’t made the national tournament since 2010.

The baseball team is 4-5 in conference play, 21 out of the 30 games that our left will be at home, they have had the first 34 games of the season on the road. Also, they have not had an outside practice since the start of the season. As you can imagine for a baseball team, these are very difficult circumstances to overcome.

“Although we have been on the road a lot, the team has enjoyed spending time with each other. It has made us close like a family away from home,” said Buban.

Doffek talked about the new field and facility opening next season and the things that will come with it. Next year the field will be officially open and the team will be able to practice and preform in it. They have put in new batting cages, a weight room, and it should also help bring in top notch recruits.

“That’s the next step to raising the level of play is bringing in high level recruits to compete at a high level and I feel like the new stadium will help,” said Doffek.

To close the meeting, the facility and staff voted on the James Wright award. The award goes to the individual who has struggled with past life and experience while participating in collegiate sports. The award was named after James Wright was a basketball player at Milwaukee who struggled with school but worked to maintain an GPA of 3.6 or better. Wright also dealt with a difficult home life while growing up and probably would not have gone to college without basketball, which gave him a full scholarship. This year’s James Wright award winner is Senior sprinter and long jumper Alisha Harper. She was the 2017 outdoor long jump champion in the horizon league while majoring in Psychology.