Hall of Fame
Our first-ever team inductee is the 1995 MATC Trojans baseball team that will forever be remembered as the team that put Madison on the junior college map, winning the school’s first national championship. The induction comes as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of a historic milestone in Madison College athletics.
The program was not a complete unknown at the national level, as head coach Leo Kalinowski had led the 1994 squad to a third-place finish at the NJCAA Division III World Series and had a talented and experienced group coming back. With “Batavia” as the team’s cheer to break a huddle, they set out on a record pace to post a 41-12-1 record, winning the Wisconsin Technical College Conference and Wisconsin Junior College Athletic Association championships. They also came through with a second straight Region 13 crown, which brought with it a return trip to Batavia, New York, for the national tournament.
The Trojans opened the World Series with a setback to defending champion Joliet Junior College, placing them in a win-or-go-home situation for the remainder of their stay. A 6-3 victory over top-ranked Gloucester Community College of New Jersey put MATC in the title series with Joliet, whom they would need to beat twice if they wanted to call themselves national champs. They rallied from a 4-1 deficit to take the first game by a 9-6 final, setting up a winner-take-all finale.
Madison raced out to a 7-2 lead, but by the ninth inning, the Wolves had rallied back to tie the score at 7-7. With a runner on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, freshman catcher Bill Uelmen stepped the plate. Legend has it that Uelman told on-deck batter and championship-winning pitcher Carey Schrank that he was going to hit it out if he came with a curve ball. Like something out of a Hollywood, Uelman smashed a game-winning, walk-off home run. The “shot heard around Batavia” gave MATC its first national championship in dramatic fashion. That moment helped ignite an incredible run of three consecutive national titles for the Trojans. Uelman said after, “It was an unbelievable feeling after I hit it. To hit the game-winning home run in the ninth inning of the championship game; it is just a fairy tale ending. It is hard to believe.”
“These guys paid the price during the year, and they are reaping the benefits of that hard work,” coach Kalinowski was quoted as saying in the 1994-95 Yearbook. “Everyone at one time or another made a significant contribution to our team. I was really proud of our guys in Batavia. At first nobody knew who that small Midwest school was. As the week went on and people saw the play and conduct of our players, the whole community seemed to come on our side. It was just beautiful.”
Uelman was named the NJCAA Division III World Series Most Valuable Player after hitting four homers and was joined on the all-tournament team by Kyle Neubauer, Travis Thompson, and Carey Schrank. Neubauer was selected NJCAA First Team All-American and an All-Region 13 honoree alongside Erik Hanson. Hanson, Neubauer, Scott Hawley, Shawn Baade, and Jeff Skubal received All-WJCAA recognition, while Thompson, Schrank, Barry Michlig, and Ron Yessa earned All- WTCC accolades. From that championship team, Hanson, Schrank, Thompson, and Uelmen have joined Kalinowski and assistant coach Lyle Hanson as Madison College Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.
