MADISON, WISC. - The Madison College baseball team showed their entire repertoire over three games in the 2023 NJCAA Region 4 Division II Tournament at Robin Roberts Field, which culminated Saturday with a 14-8 win over McHenry County College in a true slugfest that featured six home runs. The win over the second-seeded Scots gives the top-seeded WolfPack their fifth straight Region 4 championship and 11th in the last 14 years. Coach Mike Davenport was awarded the Region 4 Coach of the Year. Madison College earns an automatic bid to the 2023 NJCAA Division II World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma, and will be making its 17th appearance in a national tournament.

After winning a pitcher's duel Thursday with just three hits and a whole lot of defense, Madison College boosted their offense with 11 hits on Friday against MCC before exploding for 16 hits and two homers in the tournament finale that also featured five WolfPack runs scoring on wild pitches or a hit batter.

McHenry County College (44-12) did their fair share of damage to the baseball, taking full advantage of a wind blowing out to smash four home runs off Pack pitching. The first was a two-run blast from centerfielder Alex Janke in the top of the first less than 18 hours after the Scots completed a comeback from down 9-2 to defeat third-seeded Black Hawk College by a 14-10 score in the elimination semifinal Friday.

The WolfPack answered by sending all nine batters to the plate in the home half. Charlie Marion was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the home team their first run, and two batters later, Payton Frehner was walked to force in another run. Carter Stebane, a sophomore from Brillon, Wisconsin, opened his career day with a two-run single to right that scored Marion and Will Johannes for a 4-2 lead. The advantage stretched to three runs in the second when Grant Ross singled to short to plate Carson Shepard, who opened the frame with a double.

A two-run double in the top of the third trimmed the lead to 5-4, however, the WolfPack were gifted a big answer in the bottom half. Clayton Slack singled up the middle and a pair of walks loaded the bases. During Shepard's next at-bat, the Scots threw two wild pitches that both resulted in runs scored and a 7-5 edge.

The home run balls began to take flight from there. Mason Schwalbach, All-American catcher for McHenry County, hit one in the fifth when a solo shot. Two innings later, he tied the game with a two-run blast to make it 7-7.

Seeing the momentum slowly shift away, Madison College pulled it right back with a pair of home runs in their half. With two runners on, Stebane drove his first home run of the season over the left field fence for a three-run homer. Nick Nowak followed with a single, and then Carson Shepard teed off on a 0-1 offering and sent it just inside the left field foul pole for his first career homer and a 12-7 lead.

The differential peaked at 14-7 in the eighth when Johannes scored on another wild pitch, and Frehner single in Marion. Schwalbach capped his impressive weekend with a solo home run in the ninth for McHenry County, giving him seven home runs over four games and the Region 4 Tournament Most Valuable Player award. The next batter sent a line drive to right center that Dayton Rozinski-Hicks grabbed with a diving catch to close out the win and the program's 22nd region championship all-time.



Stebane finished with a career-high five runs batted in, to go along with a run scored, in a 2 for 4 effort at the plate. The second year infielder's home run was the second of his career.

Shepard, a native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was tops on the team with three hits, including two for extra bases. His fourth three-hit game of the season also produced his second game with three runs scored. Shepard also drove in two runs. 

Frehner, a freshman from Waukesha, Wisconsin, tallied two hits, two walks, two runs scored, and two RBI. Three others had multiple hits, including Johannes and Slack with two hits and two runs scored each. Ross registered two hits, a run, and a run driven in.

On the hill, first year starter Michael Carpenter kept his team in the game with six innings of work. He allowed seven runs on six hits, and five free passes with one strikeout in a no decision. Sophomore Chris Byhre (7-2), who started the first game of the tournament two days prior, came in for the final three innings to pick up the win. The righthander surrendered a run on two hits and fanned two.

Madison College is now 34-14-1 all-time over the Scots, including 8-2 in postseason meetings and wins in three of four contests this season.

Up Next: 

Madison College (44-10) will make its 17th appearance at a national tournament and its 12th trip to the 2023 NJCAA Division II World Series. Madison College finished runner-up last season to mark its best placement since claiming three straight Division III banners from 1995 to 1997. The brackets, seedings, and game times will be release on Tuesday at 10:00 am. The tournament runs from May 27-June 3 in Enid, Oklahoma. 



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