As March hits its midway point, the Milwaukee baseball team turns its attention to Horizon League play, opening the conference slate this weekend against Northern Kentucky.

The teams will play once each day from Friday through Sunday, starting with a first pitch of 2 p.m. CST Friday. Game times the remainder of the weekend include 12 p.m. CST Saturday and 11 a.m. CST Sunday. The Norse will provide live statistics as well as live audio of the three-game set. All links are available on the UWM athletics website.

The 2017 campaign marks the 53rd season of baseball at UWM. It is also the 47th season of varsity play (the program was played at the club level from 1982-1986) and the 27th in the Panthers NCAA Division I era.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENTS
A season ago, Northern Kentucky posted its winningest Division I season with a 20-34 overall record including a 9-21 mark in the Horizon League last season. The Norse are now eligible to compete in the NCAA Division I Tournament after being granted official Division I status in August.

Voted fifth in this year's Horizon League preseason poll, the team is off to a 3-10 start in 2017 after last dropping two of three games at Radford this past weekend. Dominic Mercurio paces the offense with a .359 average, Will Haueter is just behind at .341 with a team-best nine RBI. The staff carries a 7.61 ERA overall.

SERIES HISTORIES
The series between the two programs started a year ago when the Norse joined the Horizon League. Milwaukee went 4-1 in the five games played, with the pitching staff putting together three shutouts and just seven total runs allowed.

LEAGUE PREMIERES
Milwaukee is 13-10 all-time in affiliated conference openers since becoming an NCAA Division I team. Head coach Scott Doffek has posted a 6-4 ledger in his 10 openers, including a 10-3 victory over Youngstown State in 2016.

THE WEEK THAT WAS
Milwaukee went 1-3 on the week, dropping a tough game at Minnesota midweek in the bottom of the ninth before opening the weekend series at UT Arlington with a win. UWM was in the games the rest of the weekend, but dropped a pair. Three players batted higher than .350 in the stretch, led by Chris Kelly at .412 (7-for-17). Daulton Varsho batted .400 (6-for-15) and Jeremy Wright was at .364 (4-for-11). The team ERA came in at 4.01, with 28 K's in 33.2 innings of work.

VARSHO NAMED TO BENCH WATCH LIST
Daulton Varsho had a good week. On March 7, he was named Horizon League Batter of the Week after hitting .412 with a pair of home runs in four games. Then, on March 9, he was named to the 2017 Johnny Bench Award National Watch List. The award was created in 2000 to honor college baseball's top catcher at the NCAA Division I level.
 
The 85-catcher watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 17, 2017. The finalists will be announced June 5, 2017. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 20th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 29, 2017.

READY TO ROLL
Austin Schulfer has certainly been impressive in his first four starts of the 2017 campaign. He starts the week at 3-1 with a 1.46 ERA (second in conference). He has given up just 19 hits in 24.2 innings (.216 opponent average), walking eight and striking out 22 (fourth in HL). He is also one of just two league pitchers with three victories already in 2017.

Earlier this season, he became just the third UWM starting pitcher in the past 12 years to earn victories in his first two starts - joining Justin Langley in 2015 (he beat Maine and Grand Canyon) and Cody Peterson in 2014 (Omaha and Akron).

SO MUCH FOR THAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Daulton Varsho had an impressive sophomore season a year ago. Varsho was honored on the 2016 ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Region First Team after an impressive campaign that also saw him named Horizon League Player of the Year. He led the league in numerous categories, including his .381 average, .610 slugging percentage and 88 hits. In doing so, he became just the second sophomore to earn Player of the Year honors in the past 20 seasons. He continued to play well all summer long, earning 2016 Northwoods League Postseason All-Star Team honors for the Eau Claire Express. Varsho batted .321 (.427 OBP/.588 SLG) with a team-leading 15 home runs and 63 RBI, establishing new Express season marks for RBI, home runs and walks, earning the distinction as the No. 3 prospect across the league.

FIRST OF ITS KIND
Daulton Varsho was also named a 2017 Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American in December. Just 81 total players received the accolade and Varsho earned a spot on the third team. He's the first UWM baseball player to ever be named to a preseason All-American team.

YES, "THE" MILWAUKEE BREWERS
One look at the 2017 schedule and the opponent on February 24 jumps out immediately. The Panthers once again took on the Milwaukee Brewers in a contest that opened Spring Training competition for the 2017 Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park. The matchup marked the third straight year that the Panthers have made the trek to Phoenix to take on their Wisconsin MLB counterparts.

Last season's game saw Milwaukee hold a 2-1 lead before the Brewers rallied in claiming an 11-2 win. The 2015 matchup marked the first time the Brewers had faced a collegiate team in an exhibition game since 1983 when they played Arizona State University. It was also the first time the Brewers had ever played the Panthers in an exhibition. The game was scoreless after three innings when both teams had their starting lineups on the field. UWM's Derek Peake recorded the first hit of the contest in the fourth, with the Brewers eventually earning the 8-0 decision.

BASEBALL SEASON ALREADY?
The February 17th opener to the 2017 campaign may sound early, but it does not even rank in the top six anymore following the past few seasons. In fact, five of the top six all-time earliest starts to the season have taken place in the past 11 years.

1. 2006: February 10
2. 2015: February 13
2. 1999: February 13
4. 2014: February 14
5. 2013: February 15
6. 2007: February 16

PRESEASON NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Various publications and websites came out with their annual college baseball previews and players from the Milwaukee roster have earned a handful of mentions.

Baseball America picks the Panthers for second and lists Daulton Varsho as the projected Horizon League Player of the Year. He is also ranked as BA's No. 1 "Top Prospect" in the conference. Another Panther joins him on the list, with pitcher Adam Reuss coming in at No. 9.

The Perfect Game website also lists Milwaukee No. 2, and it's Varsho again as the Player of the Year. He also is on their Preseason All-Conference Team, joined again by Reuss.

CollegeBaseballInsider.com's survey included numerous UWM entries. Varsho led the way as the "Best Catcher", "Best Power Threat", "Best Pure Hitter" and "Hitter You Least Want to Face". Scott Doffek was also named the "Best Game Coach" and Elijah Goodman was selected as one of the "Top Starting Pitchers" in the same poll. D1Baseball.com gives Varsho the sweep, also naming him as the league player of the year.

THE OPENING ACT
As a northern team that cannot practice outdoors before the start of the season, it is no surprise that Milwaukee does not have a great record in season openers. It is now 5-22 in such contests at the Division I level, but did post an impressive 10-0 victory over Maine to open the slate in 2015. The 2017 version was Scott Doffek's 11th opener as head coach.

LET'S HIT THE ROAD...
As usual, the Panthers will be busy waiting for the snow to melt away and Henry Aaron Field to be ready for them to play in Milwaukee. While that happens, they will be playing 22 (21 regular-season contests plus the exhibition against the Milwaukee Brewers) straight road games to open the 2017 slate.

A season ago, by the time all the postponements were finally over and the home opener "officially" got here April 20 against Edgewood, the Panthers played 31 regular-season games (plus the exhibition against the Brewers, so technically 32) either on the road or on a neutral field before finally getting to play at Henry Aaron Field. That became the new school record for most contests away from Milwaukee before playing a true home game.

The past few Wisconsin springs have not been kind. Postponements and cancellations have been the norm most of the past four years, with the Panthers having to play their "home" opener in Chicago in 2014. Also, in 2013, the team ended up playing 29 in a row on the road (losing 12 contests to the weather overall) before finally playing a home game April 24.

The Panthers will travel almost 13,000 miles over the course of the first six weeks of this season via plane or bus, visiting six different states (Texas, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, back to Texas and then Kentucky) before playing their home opener March 31 against UIC. To put that in perspective, that would be equivalent to circling the bases 190,600 times.

FOX 6 television in Milwaukee recently did a feature on the team's travel exploits. Tim Van Vooren's "Beyond the Game" segment from March 14 can be viewed here: https://t.co/hAavRO50aS

PRESEASON POLL
Milwaukee was picked to finish third in the 2017 Horizon League preseason baseball poll, released by the league office this morning.
 
Wright State was the favorite to win the title in balloting by the conference's seven head coaches. The Raiders received all six possible first-place votes and topped the poll with 47 points after claiming the conference's bid to the NCAA Tournament and reaching the regional finals for the second year in a row.
 
UIC was second with 40 points, with the Panthers just behind the Flames at 36. Valparaiso (27 points) and Northern Kentucky (22) were the next grouping with Oakland (16) and Youngstown State (8) rounding out the list. A year ago, UWM was pegged for fourth but won 32 games and finished second in league play with a 17-11 ledger.
 
2017 Horizon League Baseball Preseason Poll
1. Wright State (6 first-place votes) – 47
2. UIC (1) – 40
3. Milwaukee – 36
4. Valparaiso – 27
5. Northern Kentucky – 22
6. Oakland – 16
7. Youngstown State – 8

THE 200 CLUB
In the history of the Milwaukee baseball program, 12 players have recorded over 200 career hits at the NCAA Division I level after Luke Meeteer managed the feat last season. Mike Porcaro and Sam Koenig had been the most recent, joining in 2015. Not only did Meeteer join the list in 2016, but he graduated as the new "Milwaukee Hit King" after finishing at 273.

Daulton Varsho could become the first-ever junior to accomplish the feat this season. He starts the year at 127, but did record 88 a year ago, so it could be within his grasp with a similar campaign.

Below is the current list of the "200 Club".
1. Luke Meeteer (2012-16): 273 career hits
2. Jesse Hart (2005-08): 267
3. Doug Dekoning (2008-11): 260
4. Cole Kraft (2008-11): 250
5. Darin Haugom (1997-2001): 245
6. Paul Hoenecke (2009-12): 242
7. Sam Koenig (2011-15): 233
8. Ross McCoy (2004-07): 220
9. Mike Porcaro (2012-15): 215
10. Charlie Reschke (2002-05): 213
11. Jonathan Capasso (2010-13): 211
12. Nick Wichser (2004-08): 206
**Varsho now at 147

MORE MEETEER REWRITES
Luke Meeteer left his name all over the record book upon completing his senior campaign last year. Other career records he now holds include:

-Meeteer holds the record (tie) of 222 games played
    Former No. 1. Doug Dekoning, 222, 2008-11
-Meeteer holds the record at 854 at bats
    Former No. 1. Paul Hoenecke, 803, 2009-12
-Meeteer holds record (tie) of 99 walks
    Former No. 1. Jak Kraus, 99, 1992-96
-Meeteer holds the record of 98 stolen bases
    Former No. 1. Darin Haugom, 73, 1997-2001
-Meeteer holds the record of 189 runs scored
    Former No. 1. Darin Haugom, 179, 1997-2001

GETTING TO 30
When the Panthers defeated Oakland May 19, it gave them at least 30 wins for the ninth time in program history. Following a school-record 39 wins last season, that 'W' gave Milwaukee 30-plus in back-to-back years for the first time since 2001-02.

MAN, HE WAS GOOD
Elijah Goodman impressed in his debut campaign, joining a small list in program history when he totaled 11 strikeouts in his 8.0 scoreless frames in his victory over Northern Kentucky April 30. He missed the record for most strikeouts by a frosh by just one (12 by Justin Langley), becoming the sixth UWM freshman in school history to record 10-or-more strikeouts in a game.

His season statistics ranked him among the highest for a freshman pitcher. His five wins tied for most victories by a freshman in program history. His 2.73 ERA placed fourth, 46 strikeouts second and 56.0 innings pitched finished in fourth place.

IT'S MILLER TIME
Through a marketing agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Panthers have played at Miller Park every season since 2002. UWM has now posted a record of 16-10 in games at the major league park, following a 3-0 loss to Northern Kentucky last season. The team returns in 2017 on April 30 against Oakland.

WALK THIS WAY
When you look at the box score from Daulton Varsho's performance against UIC in game one of a doubleheader April 24, it officially read 0-for-1 with an RBI. But, a closer look revealed he tied one school record and set another. Varsho walked in the first, added a sac fly in the third, grounded out in the eighth and was intentionally walked in the fifth, 10th and 12th innings. The three intentional base on balls set a new school mark and the four total walks in a game tied the standard that has now been achieved four times, most recently by Andy Hetebrueg in April of 2007.

PILE UP THE K'S
In that same 12-inning contest, the pitching staff also tied a program record. Adam Reuss recorded eight strikeouts in his start and Cal Haley added a career high by fanning seven batters in his 3.2 innings of work. Jake Tuttle also had a K, giving Milwaukee 16 on the day to equal the school record for most strikeouts in a game (also had 16 against Wisconsin Lutheran in April of 2015). The team has also fanned 15 in a game five times.

THOSE PESKY PANTHERS
The Panthers managed to knock off Texas Tech in the opener of a doubleheader Feb. 20 last season, claiming a 10-3 victory to mark the second year in a row where the team beat a nationally-ranked opponent. The victory was the program's sixth against a ranked foe all-time, last topping No. 15 Iowa in 2015.

SOCIAL MEDIA
You can also follow the baseball team on Twitter @MKE_Baseball. In addition, SID Chris Zills will be updating game scores and highlights when in attendance all season long on his Twitter account at @sidzills.

ON TAP
League play remains on the docket, as the Panthers head to Ohio to take on Wright State next weekend for a three-game series. The opener is set for a first pitch of 5:30 p.m. CST Friday.