Thirty years after making history with the first national championship in school history, the 1995 baseball team will make history again as the first team ever to be inducted into the Madison College Athletic Hall of Fame. Coached by Hall of Famer Leo Kalinowski, the then-Trojans went 41-12-1 en route to winning the first national title in any sport at Madison College. The team will be inducted at the Spring 2025 Madison College Athletic Hall of Fame Induction on March 31, 2025, which will mark the final spring induction ceremony before the event makes a permanent move to the fall in 2025.

Following a third-place finish at the NJCAA Division III World Series in 1994, Kalinowski's team returned a year later and claimed every championship possible. Madison set a then-school record for wins and was crowned champions of the Wisconsin Technical College Conference, the Wisconsin Junior College Athletic Association, and NJCAA Region 13. At the national tournament in Batavia, New York, an early loss to defending national champion Joliet Community College put the Trojans on the brink of elimination. After a 6-3 win over top-ranked Gloucester Community College of New Jersey, it was back to a showdown with JCC needing to beat the Wolves twice in the double-elimination format. They rallied from a 4-1 deficit to win the first game 9-6 and set up a winner-take-all final game. Despite an early 7-2 lead for Madison, the game was even at 7-7 in the ninth inning when freshman Bill Uelmen crushed a game-winning, walk-off home run to give MATC its championship. And it was the start of an incredible three-peat, with title runs again in 1996 and 1997.

1994-95 Yearbook | 1995 Roster | Baseball Individual Honors | Madison College Championship History

Uelman was named the NJCAA Division III World Series Most Valuable Player 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-state (WJCAA) recognition, while Thompson, Schrank, Barry Michlig, and Ron Yessa earned all-conference (WTCC) accolades. From that championship team, Hanson, Schrank, Thompson, and Uelmen have joined their coach and assistant coach Lyle Hanson as Madison College Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.
 
The Madison College Athletic Hall of Fame will undergo a shift during the 2025 calendar, resulting in the induction of two separate classes. The Spring 2025 induction on March 31 will be followed by a Fall 2025 induction on October 9, 2025, at Dahmen's at Hawks Landing in Verona. Moving forward, the hall of fame event will be the start of Madison College Athletics Alumni Weekend, a new annual event slated for the second weekend in October. More details regarding this new event will be released at a later date. Hall of Fame nominations (Online Individual Nomination Form | Online Team Nomination Form) can be submitted anytime, with a deadline of January 15 to be considered for the next induction class. The Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 classes will be announced in early February.

Event Timeline

• 5:30-6:30 PM - Social Hour
• 6:30-7:15 PM - Meal
• 7:15-7:30 PM - Staff and coaches introductions
• 7:30-8:55 PM - Hall of Fame Inductions
• 8:55-9:00 PM - Final Remarks

Registration is now open, with a limited number of tickets available for $40, and the dress is business casual.

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