USM Baseball Players Excel at All-Star Tournament

University School baseball players, Josh Baker and Tommy Pennington and their coach, Tim Bartz, took part in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Classic Tournament on Friday and Saturday. The two recent USM graduates were members of the East All-Star team and played together in three games in the round –robin tournament against teams of senior All-Stars from Wisconsin’s North, South, and West. Baker was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He went 5 for 8 during the tournament, clubbing two doubles and a triple.  Baker also was the winning pitcher for the East in the team’s first game, throwing four innings without conceding a run and striking out 5 opponent batters.  Pennington just missed hitting for the cycle, going four for four with two singles, a double and a homerun while driving in four runs in the final game, which the East team won 8-4 over the North team. For the tournament the East team was 2-1, as was the West team. The North and South teams ended with 1-2 records.

Baker and Pennington played varsity baseball under Bartz for four years at USM.  The team was the WIAA Spring Division 2 state champion in 20010 when Baker and Pennington were sophomores.  In their senior year, the two players helped the team achieve a 25-3 record. The number of victories in 2012 was the largest single-season total in USM baseball history. Next season both will play Division 1 baseball in college.  Pennington will play for Bucknell University and Baker will play for Jacksonville University.