University of Wisconsin, Whitewater Men's Baseball

2019 Racine County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Video D3Podcast Episode 30: Head Coach Interview—John Vodenlich UW Whitewater 2005, 2014, 2025 NCAA Division III National Champions 2005, 2014, 2025 NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year 2024 NCAA Division III Runner-Up 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024, 2025 WIAC Coach of the Year 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2024, 2025 NCAA Regional Coach of the Year 2005 WBCA Man of the Year 2004, 2008, 2010 WBCA College Coach of the Year 2024 ABCA Hall of Fame Inductee   After finishing national runner-up in 2024, John Vodenlich claimed his 3rd NCAA Division III National Title at the helm of the UW-Whitewater baseball program in 2025. Throughout his 22 seasons, he has taken the Warhawks to heights unreached prior to his arrival on campus. In his two decades as the Warhawk's head coach, he boasts a 777-235-1 record, the most in both school and WIAC history. He is ranked 3rd among active Division III coaches in winning percentage and 12th in wins, and 7th all time in Division III history in winning percentage earning victory in over 74% of his games. Including Divison I, II, and III, Vodenlich is 50th in wins among active coaches.  In the summer of 2024, Vodenlich was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame, the highest honor bestowed by the organization. While the UW-Whitewater program has had longstanding success, Vodenlich has set a new standard, turning the Warhawks into a NCAA Division III college baseball power. During Vodenlich’s 22 full seasons as head coach, the Warhawks have won 16 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, qualified for the NCAA Championships 17 times and appeared in the NCAA Division III College World Series eight times, including winning the 2025, 2014, and 2005 NCAA Division III National Championships as well as the runner-up in 2024. UW-Whitewater has swept the WIAC regular season and tournament championships in four of the last five full seasons (2019, 2021, 2024, 2025). One word to sum up his 2025 national title would be dominating. Vodenlich secured the national title with a 21-5 win over Messiah University. The Warhawks scored 74 runs over the course of their five games at the World Series, a Division III record, to hoist the championship trophy for the third time in program history (2005, 2014). The team set numerous records and led the nation in hitting stats, showcasing one of the best htiting teams ever at the Division III level.  Vodenlich also broke the WIAC wins record, as well as winning his 800th career game (771 at UW-Whitewater, 29 at Edgewood) during the Super Regional contest against UW-Oshkosh.   In 2024, UW-Whitewater cruised through the NCAA Whitewater Regional. They met conference-opponent UW-La Crosse in the NCAA Whitewater Super-Regional. The Warhawks defeated the Eagles in three games, advancing to the NCAA Division III World Series for the first time since 2016. In the World Series, UW-Whitewater set multiple records for hitting, including home runs in a single game and home runs in the World Series as they took national runner-up. In 2021, the Warhawks tallied a 40-7 record and finished as the NCAA Whitewater Regional runner-up. Senior Matt O'Sullivan became the program's all-time leader in career strikeouts (258) and was a consensus first team All-America selection by D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association. In 2019, the team finished with a 35-12 record, and Cal Aldridge was selected as the consensus Midwest Region Player of the Year and a first team All-American by D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association. Vodenlich also claimed his 600th career win. In 2018, Vodenlich led the Warhawks to their second straight WIAC championship and fifth in the last six years. UW-Whitewater's Daytona Bryden was named D3baseball.com National Position Player of the Year and joined Aldridge as a consensus first team All-American. In 2017, Vodenlich achieve his 500th win at UW-Whitewater and was named WIAC Coach of the Year and D3baseball.com Midwest Region Coach of the Year. He led the Warhawks a sweep of the WIAC regular season and tournament championships and the team's 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2016, Vodenlich became the 43rd active Division III coach to reach 500 career wins in the Warhawks' NCAA regional-clinching 11-0 victory over Rose-Hulman (Ind.). UW-Whitewater reached the NCAA Championship round for the fourth time since 2008 and the sixth time under Vodenlich. In 2015, Vodenlich passed his former head coach and current mentor Jim Miller for the most coaching wins in program history, picking up career victory No. 417 at UW-Whitewater in the team's first game at UW-Oshkosh on April 7. In that same year, he became the youngest inductee into the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Vodenlich earned his 400th career victory during the team's 2014 World Series appearance. The Warhawks knocked off SUNY Cortland (N.Y.) 9-6 to make Vodenlich the second coach in program history to reach the milestone. Vodenlich has been on the coaching staff for all 12 of UW-Whitewater’s winningest seasons, with 10 of the 12 coming during his time as head coach. During the 2000’s, the Warhawks had the 11th most victories in NCAA Division III. Off the field, Vodenlich has been honored as the WIAC Coach of the Year 11 times, was named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2005 and 2014, and was honored as the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2017. In 2007, Vodenlich was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame as a former student-athlete and was awarded with the WBCA College Coach of the Year in 2004, 2008 and 2010. He was tabbed the WBCA’s Man of the Year in 2005. Players coming to play under Vodenlich can expect to grow thanks to his determined player development exertions. Seventeen student-athletes have developed into All-Americans during Vodenlich’s tenure. Since joining the UW-Whitewater program as a player in 1989 and the coaching staff in 1994, 30 former Warhawks have signed professional contracts, the first being former Major League closer Bob Wickman, who Vodenlich caught at UW-Whitewater. In addition to his great impact on the game in the United States, Vodenlich also is an internationally known clinician, conducting coaching clinics in Germany, England, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary. He was named head coach of the Serbian national team in 2022. Before joining the coaching ranks, Vodenlich was one of the best players to ever take the field for the Warhawks. Playing from 1989-1992, Vodenlich finished with a .397 career batting average, good for third all-time in school history. His .456 average in 1991 is the third best single season average in program history. Vodenlich was an ABCA All-American in 1991 and 1992, the first two-time All-American at UW-Whitewater. Following his collegiate career, Vodenlich went on to play professionally in Europe, winning the Slovenian National Championship in 1994. Vodenlich joined Jim Miller’s coaching staff as an assistant coach in 1994 and stayed on the staff until 1998, when he was named the head coach at Edgewood College. Prior to Vodenlich’s tenure at Edgewood, the Eagles had an all-time record of 33-133 and never had seen a winning season. Vodenlich needed just two seasons to change that, setting a school record for wins in his first season before shattering it the following season, helping Edgewood to its first winning campaign in program history. Following the 1999 season, Vodenlich returned to UW-Whitewater and rejoined Miller’s staff as an assistant coach. With Miller’s retirement coming following the 2003 season, the Warhawks didn’t have to look far to find their seventh head coach in school history. It’s a hire the school certainly hasn’t regretted. Naming Vodenlich head coach for the 2004 season immediately paid off for the university as the Warhawks set a new school record for wins and made just their second trip to the NCAA Division III College World Series. Under Vodenlich’s guidance in 2005, UW-Whitewater set a new school record for wins with 45, fewest losses with 7 and made another trip to Appleton for the College World Series. This time around the Warhawks weren’t denied, claiming their first national championship. UW-Whitewater qualified for the College World Series in 2008 and again in 2011. The Warhawks returned to Appleton in 2014, winning the program's second-ever NCAA Division III championship to complete the institution's "trifecta" of national titles during the 2013-14 academic year. The Warhawks' football, men's basketball and baseball teams all won national championships to become the first school at any level of the NCAA to win those three titles in the same year. UW-Whitewater made another trip to Appleton in 2016 after winning three straight games following a loss at the Central Regional. With a bachelor's in marketing and public relations from UW-Whitewater in 1992, Vodenlich earned his master's in business administration from the university in 1994. The Vodenlich File: EDUCATION - B.A., Marketing and Public Relations, UW-Whitewater, 1992 - M.B.A., UW-Whitewater, 1994 COACHING - 2004-present - Head Coach, UW-Whitewater - 2000-03 – Assistant Coach, UW-Whitewater - 1998-99 – Head Coach, Edgewood College - 1994-97 – Assistant Coach, UW-Whitewater VODENLICH vs. WIAC School Wins Losses Ties W% Finlandia (2019-22) 15 0 0 1.000 Illinois Tech (2018) 4 0 0 1.000 UW-Eau Claire (2019-pres) 18 2 0 0.900 UW-La Crosse (2004-pres) 73 40 0 0.654 UW-Oshkosh (2004-pres) 77 30 0 0.719 UW-Platteville (2004-pres) 75 13 1 0.848 UW-Stevens Point (2004-pres) 73 49 0 0.598 UW-Stout (2004-pres) 79 8 0 0.908 UW-Superior (2004-2015) 47 1 0 0.979 TOTAL 368 136 1 0.728   VODENLICH AT UW-WHITEWATER YEAR W-L-T PCT WIAC PCT WIAC FINISH 2004 39-9 .813 21-3 .875 1st 2005 45-7 .865 20-4 .833 1st 2006 30-14 .682 17-7 .708 1st 2007 25-16-1 .607 15-8-1 .646 3rd 2008 42-10 .808 20-4 .833 1st 2009 30-19 .612 15-9 .625 1st 2010 42-7-0 .857 21-3 .875 1st 2011 37-13 .740 18-6 .75 2nd 2012 33-17 .660 16-8 .667 2nd 2013 35-9 .800 21-2 .913 1st 2014 44-7 .863 19-4 .826 1st 2015 35-11 .761 18-6 .750 1st 2016 34-17 .667 13-7 .650 2nd 2017 36-9 .800 17-3 .850 1st 2018 33-8 .805 20-4 .833 1st 2019 35-12 .745 21-3 .875 1st 2020 2-1 .667 0-0 .000 2021 40-7 .851 24-4 .857 1st 2022 36-11 .766 25-3 .893 1st 2023 30-13 .698 15-9 0.625 3rd 2024 45-12 .789 19-5 .792 1st 2025 49-6 .891 24-4 .857 1st TOTAL 777-225-1 .768 399-106-1 .789 VODENLICH AT EDGEWOOD COLLEGE YEAR W-L-T PCT LMC PCT LMC FINISH 1998 10-23 .303 6-6 .500 3rd 1999 19-17 .528 6-6 .500 3rd TOTAL 29-40 .420 12-12 .500 Career Record (23 seasons): 806-275-1 (.745) Mailing Address: Intercollegiate Athletics Williams Center UW-Whitewater Whitewater, WI 53190 Office: 116 Williams Center Phone: (262) 472-1420 Fax: (262) 472-2791 Email: [email protected] (updated Sept 12, 2025)

Zach Bayreuther begins his 1st season with the UW-Whitewater baseball program in 2023-24. He serves as the Warhawks’ assistant coach, hitting instructor and recruiting coordinator.  Previously, Bayreuther was an Assistant Coach for five seasons at UW-Stout.  He coached nine All-WIAC selections, eight ABCA All-Region selection, seven D3baseball.com All-Region selections and an ABCA and D3baseball.com All-American. In 2022, Shortstop Charlie Szykowny earned All-America honors by D3baseball.com and by ABCA/Rawlings; later being drafted to the San Francisco Giants in the 9th Round.   During his time with the Blue Devils, they had winning seasons for four consecutive seasons (19’-22’), which had not happened since 1994. In the classroom, Bayreuther has coached 162 WIAC Scholastic Honor roll honorees, and four CSC Academic All-District selections.  Bayreuther spent the 2017-18 seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Wayne State College (NE). In his two years with the program, they finished 50-50 and a fourth-place finish in 2017.   In the 2017 summer, Bayreuther worked as the hitting coach and as an operations intern for the Madison Mallards. The Mallards finished second in the league in runs scored and RBIs that summer. 15 players from the 2017 Madison team were drafted.   He started his coaching career at his alma mater, Ripon College in 2013. He helped them win two Conference Championships. In 2015, Bayreuther helped coach Michael Polcyn and Marshall Zahn to their second consecutive MWC North Player and Pitcher of the Year awards. Polcyn was also named All-American Honorable Mention and went on to sign an undrafted free agent deal with a St. Louis Cardinals.  As a player, Bayreuther was the starting shortstop on three Midwest Conference Championship teams at Ripon College. He played in the second-most games in school history (150) and holds the school record for career walks (94).  A Janesville, WI native, Bayreuther earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Ripon College in 2013 and a master’s degree in Organizational Management in 2018 from Wayne State College. He resides in Janesville, WI with his wife Liz and son Baker.  

Peyton Schneider enters his third season as an assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team, leading the pitching staff.  In his time with the Warhawks, Schneider has helped develop one of the most dominant pitching staffs in the country, including two WIAC Conference Pitchers of the Year (2024-Michael Hilker Jr., 2025-Max Huseboe), six All WIAC Pitchers, three All-Region pitchers, and a first team All-American. In 2025, Schneider and the Warhawks won the NCAA Division III National Championship. Proving to be one of the best strike throwing programs, the pitching staff ranked as the 6th best team in the country in ERA, 2nd in K/BB ratio, 1st in walks per nine innings, and 6th in WHIP.  In 2024, the Warhawks finished national runner up as the pitching staff had a dominant year on the mound. They finished 2nd in the nation in WHIP, 6th in walks allowed per nine innings, and 2nd in strikeout-walk ratio. Before joining the Warhawk baseball program, Schneider spent 4 years at McHenry County College where he was an assistant coach for the Scots. During this time, Schneider helped them to a 128-46 (.736) record and has reached 40 wins in each of his seasons. Schneider has coached 17 all Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference players and 11 all region players. Out of those, 2 have been region players of the year, and 3 have earned All-American honors.   In 2022, Schneider coached the Scots pitching staff to the best earned run average (3.37) in NJCAA D2 baseball and finished number two in shutouts (9), number one in K/9 (11.60), number 7 in strikeouts (501), and number 11 in batting average against (.248). In 2022, Grady Gorgen also led the country in ERA (1.09). In his 4 years at McHenry County College, he has helped 51 players move on to a 4-year College or University. Schneider played at McHenry County College where he was part of the first NJCAA World Series appearance in school history in 2016 while also leading the team in appearances (14). After his career at MCC, he transferred to play baseball at Division 1 Texas Southern University where he was able to help them win a SWAC championship and advance to an NCAA Regional in 2018. Schneider finished his playing career at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Schneider received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin Parkside in 2019 and earned a Masters in Sports Management from UW-Parkside in 2022. Schneider and his wife Kaylee and sons Keaton and Bennett reside in Harvard, Illinois.

Mark Fuller enters his 11th year as an assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team in 2022-23.   Fuller, a 2015 American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee and two-time Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Man of the Year, served for 34 years as head coach at Cumberland High School and for 35 years as head coach of the town’s American Legion program. His teams posted a 482-243 record at Cumberland High, and his Legion teams finished with a 524-321 mark.   During Fuller’s tenure as head coach at Cumberland High School, the Beavers collected 10 conference tournament championships, 13 regional titles and four sectional championships. He currently ranks 11th all time among Wisconsin high school coaches in career wins.   Fuller has served on the ABCA Clinic Committee six times, and has been a three-time clinician at ABCA Conventions. He has presented at 10 different state clinics, in seven different European countries and in Canada.   Fuller has also been active as an advocate for baseball around the state. A member of the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Executive Board for more than 30 years, Fuller has played an integral role in running the WBCA’s state clinic and was a co-founder of the State All-Star Classic. He started and co-authored the Wisconsin State Baseball Yearbook, which was accepted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame Library in 2010.   In Northern Wisconsin, Fuller started an area coaches clinic that has been in operation for more than 30 years and was instrumental in building one of the state’s top baseball fields, which stands in the Cumberland community. The field was honored by Turface Sports Products with the 2002 ABCA Field Maintenance Award.   Fuller retired from coaching baseball at Cumberland in 2013. He remains active in the Cumberland baseball community and currently serves as the high school’s athletic director.  

A longtime Warhawk, Armando Hernandez enters his 27th season as an assistant baseball coach at UW-Whitewater in 2022-23. Hernandez was inducted into the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019. Following a successful playing career at Whitewater, Hernandez joined the coaching staff for the 1997 season. As a player, Hernandez was a first team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection as a second baseman in 1994. A standout defensive infielder, Hernandez was awarded two Gold Gloves for his stellar play in Whitewater’s infield. Hernandez has since brought his knowledge of infield defense over to the Warhawks’ coaching staff, vastly improving the program's infield fielding percentage. In addition to coaching at UW-Whitewater, Hernandez spent eight seasons as the head varsity baseball coach at Kettle Moraine High School. Taking over the program in 2001, Hernandez turned the Lasers into a top program in the highly competitive Classic Eight Conference. Under Hernandez, Kettle Moraine won regional championships in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Hernandez led the Lasers to a sectional championship and the school's second trip to the WIAA State Tournament in 2008. At the state tournament, Kettle Moraine advanced to the championship game, finishing as the runner-up to post the second-best finish in school history. During his time at Kettle Moraine, Hernandez’s tireless efforts consistently placed the Lasers among the top fielding teams in the conference. (updated July 22, 2022)

Tom Klawitter, a Janesville native and former professional baseball player, was named an assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team in September 2015. He enters his eighth season as an assistant coach in 2022-23, and will work with the pitching staff for the seventh straight season.   A professional baseball player for six years, Klawitter pitched for Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins during the 1985 season, appearing in seven games and tossing 9 1/3 innings. He also pitched in the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations during his career.   Following his playing career, Klawitter served as a physical education teacher in the Janesville School District for 27 years. He retired from teaching following the 2014-15 year.   As head girls varsity basketball coach for 26 years, he helped guide Janesville Parker High School to 16 conference championships and 12 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament berths, including three state championships and two runner-up finishes. Klawitter concluded his career with a record of 564-128 (.815 win percentage).   Klawitter also served at Janesville Craig High School as an assistant varsity baseball coach from 1986-88 and 1998-2005. During his tenure, the Cougars claimed six conference titles and the 1998 state championship. Klawitter also coached Babe Ruth Baseball teams and was a player/manager for the Janesville Aces of the Rock River Baseball League (semi-pro). He was inducted into the Wisconsin State Baseball League Hall of Fame in 2008.   Klawitter played baseball at UW-La Crosse from 1976-80, serving as captain during the 1980 season. He helped lead the Eagles reached the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1979.   After earning his bachelor's in physical education and health education from UW-La Crosse in 1986, Klawitter received his master's in professional development.