Fortnite, Chipotle and Winning; Road-weary UWM Baseball Starting Strong

The UW-Milwaukee men’s baseball team is doing its fair share of bonding as it starts its first month of play on the road due to the Wisconsin spring weather.

The Panthers are off to a 6-3 start to the season and players are enjoying the process as they go.

“We have had some fun on the road with a lot of Fortnite playing, and Chipotle trips as a group,” redshirt senior pitcher Elijah Goodman said.

The Panthers opened with two winning weekends in Florida and Mississippi before losing two out of three last weekend against Arizona.

The team is going to have to get used to being on the road with its first home series not starting until March 29.  The weather is always unpredictable in this state, but it has been particularly bad this winter. 

“That’s spring Baseball in Wisconsin for you,” Assistant Athletic Director Chris Zills said. “You have to be prepared for anything but I’ve honestly never seen the weather this ugly.”  

The Panthers are also still unsure if their home games will be played at the brand new Routine Field located in Franklin. The recent weather conditions have pushed back construction and there is a strong chance the team will continue to play its home games at Henry Aaron Field, which has been the home of Panther Baseball since 1994 but has had its troubles in that span. 

Despite the uncertainty, the team has started well both on the field and off.

“We all love playing for each other,”Goodman said.

This Panthers team looks to be very strong this season with many starting position players returning and the pitching having more depth and experience. The team is coming off a (13-12) season in the Horizon League last year. Scott Doffek is entering his 13th season as head coach and is optimistic after the strong start.

“We are really getting a good feel for what this group can accomplish this season,” Doffek said.

There are some advantages for being on the road this long to start the season as it gives the players a chance to bond.

“We are a really close group and we all get along great so being on the road gives us time to do that,” Goodman said. “It would be nice to not have to worry about weather for our home games but as long as we’re winning games, I really don’t care where we are playing.” 

The team are no strangers to adjusting with the weather. Doffek stressed last season how resilient his guys were having to deal with being the last NCAA Division I team to have a home game because of the weather postponing so many games.

“This team is just focused on winning baseball games and that they can control. These guys know what they are capable of regardless of the weather,” Doffek said.

There are a lot of distractions that this team will to deal with when they start hosting games in late March. From the uncertainty of the new playing field to the weather conditions possibly being a factor, there is a lot that is out of their control.

The Panthers will take on the BYU Cougars in a four-game series this weekend and look to continue their good start on the road.