2009 Baseball Team

Inducted: 2021

The Wildcat baseball team finished the 2009 season with a 45-15 record, winning a sixth straight NSIC regular season title with a 27-4 league mark. The 45 wins tied a school record with the 2005 team that was 45-14. WSC was NSIC Tournament runner up after dropping a pair of one-run games to #25 Minnesota State 6-5 and 10-9. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Central Regional Tournament for the sixth straight season and seventh time in the decade, advancing to the NCAA Central Regional championship game losing to host Mesa State of Colorado 8-2. WSC set numerous NCAA Division II Tournament records with a 28-12 win over Southwest Minnesota State in the Central Regional semifinals, including hits in a tournament game (32), 27 RBI’s tied a single game tournament record and the 28 runs were one shy of an NCAA Div. II tournament record. Justin Hemauer set a new single game record for hits, going 7 for 8 at the plate. The 2009 Wildcat team set single season school records in the following categories – hits (672), home runs (93), RBI (519), runs scored (568), doubles (135) and at bats (1968). Joe Wendte was named NSIC Player of the Year (.396, 14 HR, 67 RBI, 83 runs scored), shortstop Eric Bond (.365, single season school record 19 HR, 61 RBI) was NSIC Newcomer of the Year and Head Coach John Manganaro named NSIC Coach of the Year. First Team All-NSIC honors went to senior pitcher Chad Moreland, senior third baseman Alex Koch and Second Team All-NSIC honors to senior outfielder Justin Hemauer. All Central Region First Team honors went to Wendte and Koch, Second Team honors to Eric Bond and Chad Moreland. Wendte was Rawlings/ABCA All-American First Team and Bond Second Team while Wendte was NCBWA Third Team All-American and Koch NCBWA Honorable Mention All-American.