It was a fitting end to the season series between the Green Bay Gamblers and the Chicago Steel, as the Gamblers skated away with a 3-2 win to advance to the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs.

After a scoreless first period, Ben Poitras scored two goals in five minutes to give the Gamblers a 2-0 lead. After the Steel tied the game up in the third period, the two teams played extra hockey for the sixth time in 12 games. It had a happy ending for the home fans as Aidan Park netted the game-winner with four minutes remaining to send the Gamblers to Muskegon for the second round of the playoffs. 

Games 1 and 2 will be played at Muskegon on April 20th and 21st. The Gamblers will return home for Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) on April 23rd and 24th.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-2 in game two of a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Gabriel Gonzalez went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and two RBI to help the Kernels to the victory and a split in the twinbill.  Wisconsin won the opener 5-3.

GAME 1

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers cracked a dozen hits and rallied past the Cedar Rapids Kernels 5-3 in game one of a doubleheader on Wednesday at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Luke Adams homered in the fourth inning to snap a 3-3 tie and Mike Boeve stayed red hot for the Timber Rattlers.

Wisconsin (7-3) had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the first inning.  Adams walked with two outs and stole second.  Then, Boeve extended his season-opening on base streak to ten games with a walk.  Gregory Barrios followed with a sharp single to left, but Adams was thrown out at the plate as he tried to score.

The Kernels (4-5) took the lead in the top of the third inning.  Nate Baez singled and Willie Joe Garry Jr doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs.  Wisconsin starter Patricio Aquino committed a balk to score Baez.  Gabriel Gonzalez knocked in Garry with a grounder for a 2-0 advantage.

The Rattlers responded in their half of the third inning.  Dylan O’Rae doubled and Luis Lara singled to put runners at the corners.  Adams drove in Adams with a sacrifice fly.  Lara stole second to get into scoring position.  Then, Boeve drove in Lara with a single to tie the game.

Cedar Rapids went back in front in the top of the fourth on consecutive, one-out doubles by Danny De Andrade and Jay Harry.

Wisconsin had Terence Doston on third base with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning when the offense kicked into another gear.  Lara singled to score Doston with a single up the middle.  Adams, who homered on Sunday in South Bend, made it two straight games with a home run by lining 1-1 pitch to the Kernels bullpen beyond the wall in left-center to give the Rattlers a 5-3 lead.

Aquino stranded two runners in the top of the fifth inning to end his day.  The right-hander walked one and struck one while allowing three runs on five hits before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Will Childers tossed a 1-2-3 top of the sixth inning before a sudden, heavy downpour over the stadium halted play to allow the tarp to go on the field.

The game restarted after a 21-minute delay.  The slight pause didn’t faze Boeve, who doubled with two outs for his third hit of the game.  Boeve was 3-for-3 with a walk in game one.  He is 16-for-30 with eleven walks in the first ten games of the season.

The Kernels had one more crack at Wisconsin in the top of the seventh and they would try their luck against Yerlin Rodriguez.  The righty got the first out, but walked Garry to bring the tying run to the plate.  Rodriguez ended the game when he got the next batter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.  Rodriguez is 4-for-4 in save opportunities this season.

GAME 2

The Cedar Rapids Kernels rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-2 in game two of a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Gabriel Gonzalez went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and two RBI to help the Kernels to the victory and a split in the twinbill.  Wisconsin won the opener 5-3.

The Timber Rattlers (7-4) jumped to a 2-0 lead four batters into the game.  Dylan O’Rae singled and Gregory Barrios doubled.  Luis Lara singled to drive in O’Rae.  Mike Boeve made the score 2-0 on an RBI grounder. 

Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Zebby Matthews found his footing after the first four batters and would go five innings while allowing just two more hits and striking out four without issuing a walk.  He would be rewarded for his efforts by his offense.

The Kernels (5-5) scored three times on five consecutive hits off Wisconsin starter Tate Kuehner in the top of the third.  Agustin Ruiz started the rally with a one-out double and he took third on an error.  Keoni Cavaco drove in Ruiz with a double.  A pair of infield singles loaded the bases.  Garcia doubled deep to right to score two runs to give Cedar Rapids a 3-2 lead.

A bout of wildness cost Wisconsin reliever Miguel Guerrero in the fourth inning as he walked the bases loaded to open the frame.  Guerrero got the first out with a popup.  Then, Stiven Cruz was called to the game from the Wisconsin bullpen.  Rubel Cespedes fought back from a 1-2 count to run the count full before lining a two-run double to the wall in left.  The lead expanded for the Kernels on an RBI single by Jose Salas and an RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Misael Urbina when the Rattlers were unable to turn an inning ending double play.

Gonzalez doubled in the sixth inning and scored on another double by Cespedes for the final run of the game.  Cedar Rapids had eleven hits in game two with six doubles.  They also went 7-for-19 with runners in scoring position.

Boeve’s on-base streak to open the season ended at ten games as he went 0-for-3 in the nightcap.  Lara and Barrios each had two hits to account for four of Wisconsin’s six hits in the game.

The Rattlers and Kernels are scheduled to play a single game on Thursday evening at Neuroscience Group Field.  Will Rudy (0-0, 0.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  John Klein (0-0, 1.13) is set to start for the Kernels.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Green Bay Gamblers are one win away from advancing in the Clark Cup Playoffs after beating the Chicago Steel 6-5 in Monday's opener at the Resch Center.

The two rivals matched each other in the first and third periods, but the Gamblers outscored the Steel 2-1 in the middle stanza to give them a chance to put away their opponents on Tuesday. 

Lukas Peterson had three points (2G, 1A) on the night, including one goal in a frantic third period that scored six goals between the two teams. Libor Nemec (0G, 2A), Julian Lutz (1G, 1A), Jason Shaugabay (1G, 1A), and Ryan Humphrey (1G, 1A) all had multi-point games for the Gamblers. 

Game two is set for 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday. If the Gamblers, they will face the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the second round.

The road to the Clark Cup begins Monday in Green Bay as the Green Bay Gamblers host the Chicago Steel for potentially the next three nights.

The Gamblers are the three-seed, while the Steel is the six-seed, but their head-to-head matchups tell a different story. The Steel had the upper hand in six of the nine matchups, but more than half were decided in either overtime or a shootout.

The winner of the series will face second-seeded Muskegon. You can find the full schedule for the playoff's opening round below.:

#6 Chicago Steel at #3 Green Bay Gamblers
Game 1: Monday, April 15 at 7:05 p.m. CST
Game 2: Tuesday, April 16 at 7:05 p.m. CST
Game 3*: Wednesday, April 17 at 7:05 p.m. CST

Luke Adams hit his first home run of the season and Jadher Areinamo went 4-for-5 with three stolen bases to lead the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to a 9-6 win over the South Bend Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Four Winds Field.  Wisconsin collected a season-high fifteen hits in the game.

Both teams scored four runs in the first inning.

Dylan O’Rae and Luis Lara opened the game by reaching base for Wisconsin (6-3).  Adams lined a three-run homer to left and the Rattlers were up 3-0 three batters into the game.  Later in the first, Ram?n Rodríguez doubled to drive in a run for a 4-0 lead.

South Bend (3-6) came back to tie the game in their half of the inning with some help from the Wisconsin defense.  The Cubs had a runner at second after a lead-off double by Brett Bateman.  Areinamo made a diving stop of a grounder up the middle off the bat of Brennen Davis.  However, Areinamo threw wildly to first base to allow Bateman to score.  A bloop single by Pedro Ramirez scored Davis with the second run of the inning.

Later in the inning, Brian Kalmer stepped in with runners at first and second with one out.  Rattlers pitcher Edwin Jimenez got Kalmer to send a grounder to Areinamo’s right.  The Wisconsin shortstop got over, but had the ball go through his legs.  The play was ruled a single and by the time the ball was back to the infield another run had scored and the Cubs had runners at the corners.  Parker Chavers tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

The Rattlers had chances to take the lead, but had a runner thrown out at the plate to end both the second and third innings.

In the top of the fourth, designated hitter Mike Boeve, the hottest hitter in the Wisconsin lineup, came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out.  Boeve, lined out to center deep enough to score the runner from third with the go-ahead run.

Areinamo made up for the fielding miscues in the first inning by following Boeve with an RBI single for a 6-4 lead.

O’Rae and Lara added to the Wisconsin lead in the fifth inning with consecutive RBI hits.  O’Rae singled and Lara doubled.  Adams got his fourth RBI in the game on an RBI fielder’s choice to score O’Rae for the 9-4 lead.

Jimenez settled in after the first inning and kept the Cubs off the scoreboard until a sacrifice fly from Kalmer in the fifth inning.  Jimenez allowed five runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts before turning the game over to the bullpen to protect the 9-5 lead.

Tyler Wehrle and Aaron Run each pitched a scoreless frame. 

In the eighth, Chase Costello allowed lead-off single to Rafael Morel.  Then, Ethan Hearn chopped a ball to the left of the mound.  Costello rushed to the ball and fielded it but fired wildly to first.  Morel scored and Hearn wound up at third.  Costello retired the next three batters to strand Hearn at third and the game went to the ninth with Wisconsin’s lead at 9-6.

Craig Yoho got the call for the bottom of the ninth and he retired the side in order with two strikeouts and a flyout to right for his second save of the season.

Boeve was 2-for-3 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, a run scored, and an RBI on Sunday.  He was 8-for-16 with eight walks in the six games against the Cubs.  Boeve has reached base in all nine games played by the Timber Rattlers this season.

Wisconsin base runners stole six bases in the contest as they won the series finale and earned a series win by taking four of six from South Bend.

The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday.  They return to action on Tuesday evening at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium with game one of a six-game series against the Cedar Rapids Kernels.  Patricio Aquino (0-0, 0.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Green Bay Gamblers once again needed extra hockey to settle the score with the Madison Capitols, this time losing the game 3-2 in the shoot out.

Libor Nemec tied the game at 1-1 a piece early in the second period and Julian Lutz tied it up again late in the third period to force an extra stanza. After a scoreless overtime period, only Michael DeAngelo was the only Gamblers player to find the back of the net as the Capitols scored twice to take the game.

Gajan stopped 27 of 29 shots in the Gamblers loss. 

Felix Stevens hit two homers, including a grand slam in a big sixth inning, to lead the South Bend Cubs to an 11-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Saturday afternoon at Four Winds Field.  The Timber Rattlers held a 3-2 lead after the fifth inning but could not hold on as they dropped their second straight game to the Cubs.

Wisconsin (5-3) got on the board with three runs in the top of the fourth inning.  Mike Boeve, who had walked in the first inning to extend his season-opening on-base streak to eight games, singled to start the fourth.  Luke Adams drew a walk and – after a force play at second on a grounder by Gregory Barrios – Matt Wood walked to load the bases.

Jesús Chirinos got the first run home with a sacrifice fly to left.  Chirinos hit the ball deep enough for Boeve to score and Barrios to take third.  Then, Luis Devers, the Cubs starting pitcher, committed a balk to let Barrios score.  Eduarqui Fernández followed with an RBI double to left and Wood scored for a 3-0 lead.

Devers had pitched twenty innings against the Timber Rattlers over four appearances between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.  He had allowed just one run to Wisconsin prior to this afternoon. 

Alexander Cornielle, the Wisconsin starting pitcher, retired twelve of the first thirteen batters he faced in the game.  South Bend (3-5) got to him in the bottom of the fifth.

Stevens hit the first pitch of the Cub fifth over the wall in center for a home run.  Yohendrick Pinango was next, and he lined an 0-2 pitch to the wall in right.  The ball hit the yellow line at the top of the wall but did not go out.  Pinango was out at second after he realized the ball was not a homer and tried to get in for a double.

Ed Howard restarted the rally by singling and going to second on a wild pitch.  Cornielle almost got out of the inning as he was 3-2 with two outs on Reivaj Garcia, the Cubs ninth hitter.  Garcia kept the inning alive with a single to right to score Howard and the Rattlers lead was down to one run.

The first two Cubs to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning reached on a walk and a single to end Cornielle’s day.  Reliever Jake Polancic took over and hit the next batter to load the bases.  Then, Stevens unloaded the bases with a home run to right-center for a grand slam and a 6-2 lead.

South Bend added three more runs in the inning after there were two outs.  Brett Bateman doubled in two runs before Brennen Davis doubled Bateman across the plate.  The Cubs sent eleven men to the plate, scored seven runs, and led 9-3 heading to the seventh inning.

In the seventh inning, Casey Optiz tripled with two outs to drive in the final two runs of the game.

The Wisconsin offense could not mount a comeback against the South Bend Bullpen.  Jose Romero took over for Devers in the fifth inning and retired all seven batters he faced – four by strikeout.  Chase Watkins pitched two perfect innings to close out the game for the Cubs.

Boeve is 6-for-9 with six walks in the last four games of this series with the Cubs.

The series finale is set for Sunday afternoon.  Edwin Jimenez (1-0, 4.50) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  South Bend has named Tyler Schlaffer (0-0, 0.00) as their starter.  Game time from Four Winds Field is at 1:05pm CDT.

The Green Bay Gamblers fought back to tie the game in the second period, but the Madison Capitols had the last laugh with a 4-3 win in overtime to send the weekend set back to Resch Center on Saturday.

The Gamblers were down 2-0 when Lukas Peterson and Ben Poitras scored within seven minutes of each other to tie the game at two. Libor Nemec scored the go-ahead run in the first five minutes of the third period only to have the Capitols tie the game with five seconds remaining. Madison's Colton Jamieson sent the home fans back to their cars happy with a goal in the opening minute of the extra stanza to earn the victory.

The regular season finale at the Resch Center will occur at 6:05 p.m. Saturday.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were six outs away from a doubleheader sweep of the South Bend Cubs and a six-game winning streak.  Jefferson Rojas had other ideas for the home team as he hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning in the nightcap of the twinbill to send the Cubs to a 2-1 victory over the Rattlers.

Both starting pitchers buckled but didn’t break.  Wisconsin starter Will Rudy faced traffic in every inning, but no Cub reached second base against him over 4-2/3 innings.  Rudy allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out three.  South Bend starter Sam Armstrong allowed three hits, including back-to-back singles by Gregory Barrios and Mike Boeve in the fourth inning.  He would strike out four without a walk over four innings to keep the game scoreless.
 

Terence Doston and Jose Acosta gave the Timber Rattlers (5-2) the lead in the top of the fifth inning against reliever Angel Hernandez.  Doston singled with one out and was running on the 0-1 pitch to Acosta from Cubs reliever Angel Hernandez.  Acosta lined the ball fair down the line in right for a double and Doston beat the throw home for the 1-0 lead.

Rudy went out for the bottom of the fifth and retired the first two batters before giving up a single to end his 2024 debut on 66 pitches.  Wisconsin reliever Stiven Cruz got the final out of the fifth on a popup.

The Cubs (2-5) started their rally in the bottom of the sixth against Cruz as Rafael Morel drew a four-pitch walk.  Cruz missed with his first two pitches to Rojas before getting a called strike.  Rojas jumped on the next pitch and sent the ball to the bleachers in left to give South Bend a 2-1 lead, their first lead in the series against Wisconsin.

The Rattlers didn’t go quietly in their last at bat with Yovanny Cabrera taking over on the mound for South Bend.  Jesús Chirinos started the top of the seventh with a double and was replaced by pinch runner Jheremy Vargas.  Doston drew a one-out walk to put the go-ahead run on bases.  Cabrera got the next two outs on force plays at second to end the game and the Cubs five-game losing streak.

South Bend didn’t have an at bat with a runner in scoring position in game two of the doubleheader.  Wisconsin was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the nightcap.

The series continues with a Saturday afternoon game at Four Winds Field.  Alexander Cornielle (1-0, 3.60) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Luis Devers is set to make his 2024 debut for South Bend.  Game time is 3:05pm CDT.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were held to two hits, but three Wisconsin pitchers held the South Bend Cubs to 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and Wisconsin held on to beat the Cubs 1-0 in game one of a doubleheader at Four Winds Field.

Jadher Areinamo gave the Timber Rattlers (5-1) the lead and extending his consecutive game streak with an RBI to five in the second inning.  Mike Boeve started the inning with a walk, Matt Wood singled with one out, and a wild pitch by Cubs starting pitcher Drew Gray moved both runners into scoring position.  Areinamo worked the count to 3-2 before sending a fly ball to right-center that was deep enough to score Boeve for a 1-0 lead.

The Cubs (1-5) threatened in almost every inning after the Rattlers took the lead.

South Bend had a two-out double in the second, a lead-off double in the third, and a two-out double in the fourth against Wisconsin starting pitcher Brett Wichrowski.  However, Wichrowski kept the Cubs off the scoreboard.  He walked none and struck out five over four innings for a no decision.

Will Childers took over for Wichrowski in the fifth inning and gave up a one-out single and a wild pitch to put the tying run at second.  Childers maintained the lead and went back out for the sixth inning.  Rafael Morel singled with one out.  With two outs, took off early for second on a stolen base attempt.  Childers calmly stepped off the mound and picked Morel off for the third out as the Cubs runner tried to get back to first.

Yerlin Rodríguez, who picked up the save on Tuesday in game one of the series, got the first out of the seventh.  Then, Yohendrick Pinango singled and took second on a wild pitch.  Rodríguez fell behind Ed Howard with two straight balls.  Pinango attempted to steal third on the 2-0 pitch and was thrown out on a perfect throw by Wood.

The game wasn’t over though.  Howard and Casey Opitz both walked to put the tying and winning runs on board for South Bend.  Rodríguez would get the final out on a grounder to Areinamo and the Rattlers celebrated their fifth win in a row before getting ready for game two of the doubleheader.

Inclement weather has prevented the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and South Bend Cubs from playing their scheduled game on Thursday night at Four Winds Field.  The teams are now scheduled to play a doubleheader on Friday night to make up the first postponement for both teams this season.

The first seven-inning game of Friday’s twinbill is scheduled to start at 5:05pm CDT.  There will be approximately 40 minutes between the end of game one and the start of the second seven-inning contest.

The Timber Rattlers have won four straight games, including the first two games of the series at South Bend, to open the season 4-1.

The Green Bay Gamblers will bounce between two ice sheets in Wisconsin when they play at the Madison Capitols on Friday before welcoming them to the Resch Center on Saturday.

The Gamblers are stumbling to the playoffs with hopes of righting the ship against their in-state rivals. They started their three-game series against the Youngstown Phantoms with a win, but lost the final two games by two goals apiece. Playoff positioning is at stake if the Gamblers can earn a win or two. If the Gamblers finish as the 1 or 2 seed, round 2 games will be played on April 20-21. As the 3 or 4 seed, games will be played on April 15-17. 

Friday's game begins at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday's takes place at 6:05 p.m.

Green Bay men's basketball head coach Sundance Wicks has turned one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NCAA history into a couple of more season tacked onto his contract.

The Green Bay Athletics Department announced on Thursday that they extended Wicks' contract and will keep him at the school through the 2028-2029 season.

"Sunny has done such an amazing job in year one, we are thrilled that he will continue to lead the Phoenix for the foreseeable future," said Director of Athletics Josh Moon in a statement released to GreenBayPhoenix.com. "We are building something special in Green Bay, and his connectivity, juice, belief, character and passion for this program and University will continue to help us RISE to new heights.

Wicks took a team that had won just three games the year before to an 18-14 record and on the doorstep to a postseason berth. He capped off his first season by winning the 2023-24 Horizon League Coach of the Year and the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and South Bend Cubs combined for 22 runs, 26 hits, 17 walks, and four errors on Wednesday night at Four Winds Field.  The Timber Rattlers were able to grab the lead in the middle innings and hold off a scrappy Cubs squad for a 14-8 win over South Bend.  The win was Wisconsin’s fourth straight.

In game one of the series on Tuesday night, the game was scoreless until the seventh inning.  On Tuesday night, both teams scored in the first inning and just kept putting runners on base.  There was only one perfect inning in the game, the top of the eighth inning when Joe Nahas set down the Rattlers in order.

Wisconsin (4-1) took the lead with two runs in the top of the first.  Dylan O’Rae started the game with a walk, stole second, and stole third.  Luis Lara knocked in O’Rae with a single.  Cubs starting pitcher Will Sanders committed a balk when he was unsuccessful on a third pickoff attempt to get Lara at first base.  Then, Lara took third on a grounder.  Mike Boeve drove in Lara with a sacrifice fly for the 2-0 lead.

South Bend (1-4) answered in the bottom of the first with an unearned run against Rattlers starter Matt Manfredi.  Brett Bateman was at second with Jefferson Rojas at the plate.  Rattlers shortstop Gregory Barrios made a nice play on a Rojas grounder up the middle, but he rushed his throw to first and it was wild to allow Bateman to score.

The Rattlers added to their lead in the third inning, and it was O’Rae who started the inning with another lead-off walk.  Sanders hit Lara and that was the end of the night for the South Bend starter.  Cub reliever Tyler Santana almost got out of the inning but gave up a two-out, RBI single to Boeve.  O’Rae scored for the 3-1 lead.

Manfredi struck out the first two Cubs batters he faced in the bottom of the fourth inning but could not find the third out.  A walk and a single with a close play at third with the ball popping away from Boeve allowed South Bend to have runners at second and third.  Then, Ethan Hearn singled to left to score both runners and the game was tied 3-3.  Aaron Rund entered the game to replace Manfredi and got the final out.

The game got very offensive after that.  Wisconsin sent eight men to the plate in the fifth inning to score four runs.  The Cubs got a run off Rund in their half of the fifth before the Rattlers sent ten men to the plate in the sixth inning.  Then, South Bend got three runs in the bottom of the sixth.  When the dust cleared, the Rattlers lead was 11-7.

In the fifth inning, Gregory Barrios put the Rattlers in front with an RBI double.  Jadher Areinamo made it 5-3 with an RBI double.  An error let in the third run and Ram?n Rodríguez capped the inning with a sacrifice fly.

Pedro Ramirez singled in the run for the Cubs in the bottom of the fifth inning.  However, Rund stopped the Cubs rally by getting an inning-ending double play.

Jheremy Vargas cracked the first Wisconsin home run of the season when he started the top of the sixth.  Jesús Chirinos singled with the bases loaded and the infield in to get two more runs home for the Rattlers.  Rodríguez again capped the scoring in the inning for the Rattlers with an RBI single and an 11-4 lead.

The Cubs loaded the bases with two walks and a single against Tate Kuehner, the Rattlers third pitcher of the night.  Jefferson Rojas tightened up the score with a two-out, three-run triple.

Wisconsin added some insurance in the top of the ninth inning without the benefit of a hit.  Three walks by South Bend reliever Angel Gonzalez loaded the bases with no outs.  Lara drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.  A throwing error let the second run of the inning score.  Barrios got the final Wisconsin run of the night home with another sacrifice fly.

South Bend tallied one final run on a passed ball in the bottom of the ninth to account for the final score.  The Cubs went 5-for-20 with runners in scoring position.

It took Wisconsin just five games to reach double digits in runs this season.  The Rattlers first time to get to ten or more runs in 2023 was a 10-6 win over South Bend at home on May 12, their thirtieth game of the season.

Wisconsin hitters extended several streaks during Wednesday’s game.  Areinamo has at least one RBI in four straight games.  Boeve and O’Rae have reached base in all five games played this season.  Lara, O’Rae, and Areinamo all have four-game hitting streaks.

O’Rae went 1-for-3 with three walks with three stolen bases and four runs scored.  Lara was 2-for-2 and reached base five times with two singles, a walk, and two hit batsmen.  Lara, Barrios, Boeve, and Chirinos each had two hits and two RBI in the victory.

Game three of the series is scheduled for Thursday night at Four Winds Field.  Will Rudy is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers and is set to make his 2024 debut.  The Cubs have named Sam Armstrong (0-0, 0.00) as their starting pitcher.  Game time is 6:05pm CDT. 

After a combined 21 seasons across two stints at the helm of the Green Bay women's basketball program, head coach Kevin Borseth.

Borseth made the tearful announcement Wednesday morning inside the Kress Events Center, showcasing his impact on the program through banners commemorating appearances in the NCAA and WNIT tournaments and conference championships. In addition to his age, Borseth said it was becoming harder to recruit with student-athletes and parents asking when he might start considering retirement. He did not want to see the program suffer while he weighed on the decision.

"I spent 42 years of my life doing this and it's not easy. It's something I really loved to do. It's been a thrill," said Borseth. "To wake up tomorrow morning and not be the head coach… it's going to hurt. It's been a long journey, and there are many people to thank."

Chancellor Michael Alexander and Athletic Director Josh Moon both spoke of his legacy and the impact the had on the program, the department, and the community. Alexander announced that a street behind the Kress Center would be renamed Kevin Borseth Way in his honor. Moon says the search for Borseth's replacement was already underway, but that Wednesday was a day to celebrate the nine-time conference coach of the year.

"We are so grateful for his 20+ years of leadership, and the positive impact he has made on the student-athletes that have come through this program and all of the fans and friends of Phoenix women's basketball is truly special," Moon said. "It says a lot of about Kevin's character to make this decision now, considering the team we have coming back. He is always thinking about what's best for the program and this is another example of him paying it forward. Congratulations to Kevin and his family on a job well done, and the Borseth family will always be a part of the Phoenix family."

Quotes courtesy of GreenBayPhoenix.com

The Green Bay Packers will start their 2024 campaign in South America. The NFL announced Wednesday that the Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles will play a Week 1 matchup in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the first-ever regular-season game in South America.

"We're looking forward to this historic matchup against the Eagles in São Paulo," said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. We're excited to play in front of our devoted fans in Brazil and help build upon the NFL and the Packers' international popularity. We had a great experience playing internationally for the first time a couple of years ago, and we're proud to be part of the league's continued global growth."

The game will be classified as a home game for the Eagles and a Packers road contest.  The Packers played the New York Giants in London in 2022 as the home team in week four and have played three exhibition games internationally in the past. 

No schedules have been announced, but the Green Bay Glory continue to name new players to their men's and women's squads.

Announced this week, the Glory added Trent Kazlauskas and Kevin Ramirez to the men's team and Greta Czachor and Claire Bradford to the women's side. You can learn more about all four players below.

The Glory organization stated on their social media accounts that the rosters are set and will be introducing them over the coming weeks.

The 2024 Door County Baseball League season will open with shortages in the umpire pool.  With retirements and relocations, the league is stretched thin on fielding eight umpires every week. 

Umpire-in-Chief for the DCBL, Roger Van Lanen, urges anyone interested in becoming a baseball umpire to seek certification through the WIAA or document their experience to be considered.  Candidates will take the WIAA test and be required to have a background check. Umpires are compensated for each game they officiate.  The 2024 season kicks off on Sunday, May 12.  Van Lanen can be reached at (920) 609-2214 or rogervanlanen@gmail.com.

Whether behind the plate or in the field, umpires are key to a successful season of great home-town baseball. For love of the league, step up to the plate.

Photo by Deanna Reinhardt

While the MLB hosted their first games stateside last week, MiLB teams like the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers will welcome fans for the first time beginning this week.

The Timber Rattlers will have its annual Fan Fest on Wednesday, which includes an opportunity to watch the team practice on the field at 12:30 and scrimmage at 2:00 pm.

The organization will then host its Welcome Home Banquet, which includes a social hour, autographs, dinner, and a program featuring a Q & A session with the 2024 team and Cam Castro, Milwaukee Brewers Vice President – Player Development. 

The Timber Rattlers will then open the season with three straight games against the Cardinals affiliate Peoria Chiefs with games on Friday (6:40 p.m.), Saturday (1:10 p.m.) and Sunday (1:10 p.m.)

More details on the preseason activities can be found on the Timber Rattlers' website.

The Green Bay Gamblers got a taste of their own medicine from the night before on Saturday night, losing to the Chicago Steel 5-4 in overtime.

The Steel scored the first two goals of the game, but then Ryan Humphrey, Chris Romaine, and Ben Poitras rattled off consecutive tallies to end the second period for the Gamblers with a 3-2 lead. After the Steel tied the game seven minutes into the third period, Mykhailo Danylov gave the Gamblers the slim advantage back. The Steel would later tie the game to force overtime before Michael Hagens delivered the game-winner seconds into the extra period. 

The game was marred with infractions, with 16 total penalties called between the two teams, the majority coming from a fight in the second period.

Gavin Moffatt took the loss as he made 22 saves on 27 shots. 

The Green Bay Rockers added more new faces to their roster in the past two weeks ahead of their 2024 opener in May.

The team has signed infielder Sam Miller (Columbia), catcher Logan Gregorio (Benedictine), and right-handed pitchers Kyle Dobyns and Charlie Adamson (Hawaii). You can read more about the players from GreenBayRockers.com below.

The Rockers start their title defense on Memorial Day in Wausau to face the Woodchucks before beginning a three-game homestand against the Woodchucks and the Madison Mallards on May 28th. 

FROM THE ROCKERS

Sam Miller – IF – Columbia – 6’0”/195 – SO

Miller is in his second season with the Lions and is the latest Ivy League player to play for the Rockers. As a true freshman he appeared in 23 games and posted a .314 batting average. Last summer, he played in the Perfect Game Collegiate League, making 42 appearances and stealing 12 bases while driving in 30 runs. So far this spring, Miller has appeared in 14 games and ranks second on the team with a .348 batting average to go along with four home runs, 10 RBIs and a .380 on-base percentage. He has experience playing third base, shortstop, and second base.

Logan Gregorio – C – Benedictine – 6’1”/200 – SO

Gregorio is in the middle of his sophomore campaign in Lisle, Illinois this spring after a banner true freshman season. Appearing in 42 games, Gregorio recorded 67 hits, 18 doubles, eight home runs, while posting a batting average of .390 with a .462 on-base percentage. Through his first 12 games this spring, Gregorio has again been blistering the ball to the tune of a .370 average with a .525 on-base percentage. Benedictine’s man behind the dish is no stranger to the Northwoods League, spending a short stint with the Lakeshore Chinooks. Appearing in eight games, he managed to record a .360 average with a .452 on-base percentage.

Kyle Dobyns – RHP – Hawaii – 6’6”/220- JR

The first half of Green Bay’s incoming pitching duo from Hawaii, Dobyns is in his first season with the Rainbow Warriors following two years at Grossmont College. The San Diego native stayed close to home at Grossmont and compiled impressive numbers in 27 starts with the Griffins. As a sophomore, Dobyns struck out 78 batters over 79 innings with a 3.62 ERA, in route to being named to the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference first team.

Charlie Adamson – RHP – Hawaii – 6’4”/185 – JR

Continuing the Hawaii-to-Rockers pipeline is Charlie Adamson, who started his collegiate career at UC Santa Barbara. After his time at UCSB, the righty spent two seasons at Santa Barbara City College, where he appeared in 35 games with 10 starts during that time. Adamson picked up 51 punch outs in 52.2 innings of work and posting a 3.76 ERA and seven saves, earning him the attention of the Hawaii coaching staff.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has identified 23 individuals to serve on the ad hoc committee to study season length, game maximums, and coaching contact.

Following the December 2023 meeting when the initiative was approved by the Board of Control, the executive office received 189 letters from school and athletic administrators who expressed interest in serving on the committee.

Below are the names, school affiliation and position of the ad hoc committee members, which were selected by the Board of Control.

Janel Batten – Pulaski Athletic Director
Jake Beschta – Denmark Principal
Rachel Biertzer – Port Washington Principal
Andrew Caudill – Prescott Activities Director
Willy Chambers – Black Hawk District Administrator &?WIAA?Board of Control
Mark Denniston – Pittsville Athletic Director
Todd Felhofer – Shell Lake Superintendent
Patrick Galligan – Colby Superintendent
Matt Goodwin – Milwaukee Public Schools Manager of Interscholastic Athletics  
Joel Heesch – Mauston Superintendent
Todd Irvine – Muskego Principal
Mike Kaczmarek – Gillett Athletic Director
Taz Landry – Shorewood Athletic Director
Demond Means – Wauwatosa School District Superintendent
Kolleen Nesheim – Mount Horeb Athletic Director
Ryan Olson – West Salem Athletic Directo
Chad Steinmetz – Bloomer Principal
Jill Stobber – Waterford Athletics/Activities Director &?WIAA?Board of Control
Brian Trettin – Ashland Principal
Andy Trudell – Mukwonago Athletic Director
Kevin Wopat ­– Lourdes Academy Activities Director
Joel Zimba – Verona Athletic Director
Gregg Zonnefeld ­– Central Wisconsin Christian Athletic Director

Emphasis for inclusion on the committee was given to having representation that reflects the composition of the membership, including members from each Board of Control district; small, medium and large schools; levels of school leadership comprised of athletic directors, principals and superintendents. In addition, gender and ethnicity representation is also included on the committee.

The first meeting of the ad hoc committee is scheduled for Thursday, April 18 at 9 a.m. at the WIAA executive office in Stevens Point. The objectives of the first meeting includes reviewing the directive of the Board of Control; orienting and aligning committee members to the purpose of the group; establishing familiarity with committee members; learning how others identify and perceive the issues pertaining to season length, coaching contact, and game maximums; identifying additional information and resources required to fully understand and address the issues; reviewing Area Meeting feedback; and agreeing on a timeline for the committee work.

One of Green Bay men's basketball coach Sundance Wicks' prized recruits is up for national honors.

Guard David Douglas Jr. was named a finalist for the 2023-24 Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year award, given annually to the best freshman player at the Division 1 level. The Horizon League Freshman of the Year ended his first season second on the Phoenix at 8.5 points per game. Douglas scored in double figures in 11 of his 27 games, crossing the 20-point barrier three times.

The award will be announced next month as a part of the Final Four festivities.

The Green Bay Packers will give its second-year kicker Anders Carlson competition in camp this summer.

General Manager Brian Gutekunst announced on Thursday that they had signed former Minnesota Vikings K Greg Joseph. According to Packers.com, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Miami Dolphins in 2018 out of Florida Atlantic University. He was released after training camp and went on to spend time with the Cleveland Browns (2018), Carolina Panthers (2018), Tennessee Titans (2019-20) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-21) before spending the past three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2021-23). He has connected on over 82 percent of his field goal attempts and 90 percent of his field goal attempts. 

The Packers currently have three kickers on their roster. 

The Green Bay Gamblers snapped a two-game in-month losing streak to the Chicago Steel on Friday night, winning the contest 5-4.

The Steel answered a Ryan Humphrey goal with two of their own to end the first period up 2-1 on the host Gamblers. That lead would not last long as Humphrey scored his second goal and Blake Bechen added another in the first four minutes of the second period to give the Gamblers a short-lived 3-2 lead. The Steel would score on either side of the second intermission to give them a 4-3 lead. After Geno Carcone tied the game up halfway through the final frame, Michael DeAngelo sent the home crowd happy with the game-winning tally with nine seconds remaining in the game. 

Goaltender Adam Gajan stopped 23 of the 27 shots he faced.

The two teams meet again Saturday at 6:05 p.m.