LEADING OFF
» Coming off a 2-2 week, Milwaukee baseball will continue its homestand with four games at Franklin Field this week beginning with non-conference UIC before hosting Youngstown State from Thursday through Saturday.
» On Saturday against the Penguins, Milwaukee will celebrate 'Senior Day' and recognize the 13 members that make up their senior class for their efforts and contributions to the program.
» The Panthers took 2-of-3 from Oakland at home this past weekend, taking the opener by a 5-0 score and winning on Sunday by a 10-7 margin.
» Gavin Theis put together one of the top pitching performances in the Horizon League this season with 8 2/3 shutout innings and eight strikeouts to help blank the Golden Grizzlies in the opener.
» Charlie Marion put together a big week for Milwaukee with a pair of home runs while leading the team with seven RBIs over the four games, including two RBIs each of the games against Oakland.
» Former Horizon League foe UIC heads to Franklin Field for the first time since 2021, as the teams played in Wisconsin at Kapco Park in Mequon during the 2022 campaign. One of Milwaukee's most common opponents in program history, the Panthers are 65-96 in all-time meetings against the Flames, which includes a 23-33 mark in home games.
» Youngstown is 5-10 the first time through Horizon League play (1-2 vs. Milwaukee) and are 8-26 overall this season before heading to Mercyhurst on Tuesday en route to Milwaukee over the weekend. The Panthers are 76-50 against the Penguins in all-time meetings, which includes a 36-14 mark in games played in Milwaukee. The Panthers have won the last three series dating back to last season.

LOOKING AT UIC
UIC heads to Franklin Field on Tuesday after winning one game in a three-game Missouri Valley set this past weekend against Murray State. The Flames are currently 5-7 in league play and in a tie for seventh in the 10-team lead alongside Evansville. UIC has a 9-24 overall mark with the Flames and Panthers having two mutual opponents in Purdue and Iowa. UIC went 0-2 at Purdue and 0-1 against Iowa, while Milwaukee is 0-1 against both the Boilermakers and Hawkeyes. Milwaukee has already played Valparaiso, who is a future opponent for UIC, while the Flames have already played Northern Illinois, a future opponent for Milwaukee.

Luke Nowak and Jackson Bessette lead the offense for UIC with 23 and 22 RBIs respectively this season, with Bessette holding the team lead with six home runs. Overall, the offense for UIC is hitting .254 this year with 178 runs scored, led by Nowak with 30 runs scored and his .374 average. Nowak is also the team's biggest stolen base threat with 13 steals in 15 tries.

On the hill, UIC has a 7.56 ERA as a team, with Milwaukee expecting to see a series of pitchers for the Flames on Tuesday. The last midweek starter for UIC was David Cox against Northwestern on Apr. 1, he and five relievers combined to allow just two runs over 10 innings of work as the Wildcats won 2-1 in extra innings. Colin Hawkins has made 21 appearances this season and tossed 20 2/3 innings with 20 strikeouts, while Zack Millsap has two of the team's four saves over 15 outings and 22 innings of work.

LOOKING AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Earlier this season Youngstown State salvaged the third game of the series against Milwaukee at Eastwood Field, 10-7 after falling to the Panthers by 7-4 and 15-7 scores in a doubleheader to open the weekend set. The 1-2 start to league play led the Penguins to a 5-10 mark halfway through the league slate with an overall record of 8-26.

Youngstown's offense has been solid through the first 34 games this year with a .275 average, just 13 points behind league-leading Northern Kentucky at .288. The Penguin offense has scored 220 runs, which is also third-best in the league. Kyle Fossum has been the most potent individual hitter in the league with a .426 average, 891 slugging percentage, .534 on-base percentage, and 1,425 OPS. He is the only Horizon League athlete to have at least 50 hits this year with 55, while he also leads the league with 15 home runs and 15 doubles. The problem, however, is that Fossum, along with Nathan Beckley (.314) and Brayden Kuriger (.277) are the only three players above the team batting average of .275.

The Penguins want to get into high-scoring affairs as the team has only won one game when scoring under seven runs this season. The pitching staff has struggled this year with a 9.11 ERA overall and an 8.21 ERA in Horizon League games this season, each league worsts. YSU also has the lowest fielding percentage in the league and is the only team with more than 20 errors in league matchups this year and 52 overall.

Milwaukee will likely face Jacob Gehring in the opener, who is coming off a seven-strikeout performance over five innings against Northern Kentucky. Gehring pitched seven innings against Milwaukee in mid-March and surrendered 10 hits and five runs. JJ Tylicki will likely start on Friday, and should have plenty in the tank after not making it out of the second inning this past weekend, Tylicki struck out a season-best nine over five innings against Milwaukee on Mar. 14. Brandon Mikos shifted back into the rotation and last allowed five runs over as many innings but got the win against NKU, Mikos followed Tylicki in game two against the Panthers and was only able to record one out while allowing five Milwaukee runs and taking the loss in game two of the series.

UP NEXT
Milwaukee hits the road to Ohio, beginning with a recently-added non-conference game against Cincinnati on Apr. 23 before heading to Nischwitz Stadium for a three-game set at Wright State from Apr. 25-27. The Ohio trip precedes five-straight at home for the Panthers the following week.

SPREADING THE LOVE IN LEAGUE PLAY
Through the first 14 games of Horizon League play Milwaukee has leaders scattered throughout its offensive unit. Tyler Bickers, Gabe Roessler, Charlie Marion, Justin Hausser, and Tate Schmidt are all within one of the team lead in runs scored with 15 and 14, respectively.

Bickers leads the team with 26 hits and a .441 batting average, while Marion and Schmidt lead Milwaukee with six doubles each. Marion and Roessler lead the Panthers with five Horizon League home runs.

Four players have at least 11 RBIs, led by Marion's 18, followed by 14 from Bickers, 13 from Roessler, and 11 from Thomas Otto.

DROPPING IT LOW IN THE HORIZON
Milwaukee's team ERA overall this season is 8.07, while the team has pitched better in Horizon League games with a lower combined team earned run average at 6.53.

Gavin Theis leads the staff with a 2.23 ERA with just eight earned runs over 32 1/3 innings, while Logan Snow has been Milwaukee's most effective reliever in Horizon League games with an 2.35 ERA. Aiden Fishnick (4.50), Riley Peterson (4.70), Keagon Kaufmann (4.82), Eamonn Mulhern (5.14), and Aric Ehmke (5.73) have all contributed favorably to the team ERA in league games.

FIVE-FOR-FIVE
In Milwaukee's win over Northern Kentucky on Mar. 29, Tyler Bickers was 5-for-5 in his at bats becoming the 23rd Panther in program history to have at least five hits in a game.

HOME RUN PACE
With 40 combined home runs through the team's first 33 games, Milwaukee is currently on pace to finish the season with 70 home runs this year. The program mark for homers in a season is 77 set in 1999, while 70 would put this year's team third on the single-season mark.

DOUBLE-DIGIT HOMERS?
Charlie Marion (8) and Gabe Roessler (8) are currently on pace to eclipse double-digit home runs this season, the duo would be the first pair of Panthers to have at least 10 home runs since the 2006 campaign when Joe Nowikcki and Ross McCoy each had 11 round trippers that year.

ON BASE STREAKS
Caden Headlee has the longest active on-base streak off any Panther this season thus far, reaching base in 28 consecutive games, which includes hits in 21 of those contests.

Single-Season On-Base Streaks (2006-present)
2006: Mike Goetz
2017: Daulton Varsho, 41
2014: Ryan Solberg, 37
2007: Rob Brockel, 34
2007: Kyle Silver, 29
2025: Caden Headlee, 28
2024: Gabe Roessler, 28
2009: Cole Kraft, 28
2008: Jesse Hart, 28
2007: Nich Wichser, 28

HIGH WATER STRIKEOUT MARK
With his eight strikeouts against Wright State on Mar. 21 and Oakland on Apr. 11, Gavin Theis holds the mark for most strikeouts in a single outing this season.

In 2024, Adrian Montilva had 10 strikeouts against Purdue Fort Wayne, while Riley Frey had 10 against Wright State in 2023 and accomplished the number twice in 2022. Jack Mahoney was the last Panther pitcher to have more than 10 in a game with 11 against Oakland on May 1, 2021.

A PAIR OF FIVES
In the middle game of Milwaukee's road series at Youngstown State on Mar. 14 both Q Phillips and Gabe Roessler had five RBIs apiece in the lopsided 15-7 victory.

Last Four Occurrences
Mar. 14, 2025, at Youngstown State – Q Phillips (5) & Gabe Roessler (5)
Apr. 15, 2022, at Youngstown State – Nate DeYoung (7) & Connor Goodman (6)
Apr. 28, 2015, vs. Edgewood – Nick Unes (6) & Sam Koenig (5)
Apr. 12, 2006, at Chicago State – Ross McCoy (8) & Zak Rivera (5)

THREE STEALS IN A GAME
Gabe Roessler stole three bases in Saturday's series finale at Youngstown State on Mar. 15, he became the first Panther to swipe three bags in a game since he accomplished the same feat on May 5 last season against Purdue Fort Wayne. Milwaukee has now had 19 instances of a player stealing at least three bases in a game in program history, with the program record of four reached twice.

HIT BY PITCH
Six hit batters in a game by Milwaukee pitching was the program record for the Panthers entering play in 2025, last done on Feb. 22, 2008. This season the Panthers have hit seven batters twice in a game, during the nine-inning contest at Purdue on Mar. 18, before doing it again in the seven-inning affair two games later against Wright State on Mar. 21.

HOME COOKING
Over the last 20 seasons (2005-24), Milwaukee has taken the term 'home field advantage' to a new level, boasting winning seasons at home in all but two season (8-14 in 2022, 0-0 in 2020). The Panthers went unbeaten at home in 2013 (13-0), while the team has recorded back-to-back 12-7 marks in home games in both 2023 and 2024.

IN EXTRA INNINGS
This season, Milwaukee is 0-1 in extra-inning games, the Panthers hold a record of 16-17-1 in games needing extra frames dating back to the 2015 campaign.

TOP PROSPECT
D1Baseball announced its Top Prospects list for the 2025 season with Milwaukee right-handed pitcher Logan Schulfer named the third prospect on the list representing the Horizon League.

RETURNING TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Among Milwaukee's transfers into the program is pitcher Logan Schulfer, who began his career with the Panthers in 2022 before transferring to Ball State for two seasons (2023-24).

Schulfer is one of just four active players in Division I to return to a school where they had previously played at the Division I level. Outfielder/Pitcher Malachi Lott returned to Houston, infielder Tristan Moore returned to New Orleans, and infielder Chandler Riley returned to Charlotte.

NEWLY ANNOUNCED ON THE HORIZON
The Horizon League announced the addition of Northern Illinois as the 12th full-time member. The Huskies will bring 14 sports to the league, including baseball beginning in 2026-27. Milwaukee will play Northern Illinois at home during non-conference play this season on Apr. 29. The Panthers are 35-29 in all-time meetings with the Huskies, including last season's 6-5 win.

ANOTHER DRAFTEE
For the third consecutive season the Milwaukee baseball program had a player selected in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft in June. Owen Rice was selected in the 20th round of the 2024 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, following the selections of Riley Frey in the 19th round of the 2023 draft by the Atlanta Braves, and the pick of AJ Blubaugh by the Houston Astros in the seventh round in 2023.

Milwaukee has had 26 all-time draftees with five of the last six draftees being pitchers. Five players are actively playing in either the Majors or Minor Leagues, including Milwaukee's first ever Major Leaguer in Daulton Varsho of the Toronto Blue Jays. Austin Schulfer signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies entering the 2025 season, while Blubaugh (Houston), Frey (Atlanta), and Rice (St. Louis) are with minor league teams in their respective organizations.

CHECK THAT DIAL
This season, Milwaukee has made the move to one of the leading audio providers in all of college sports with their audio streams now available online directly through the team's home website MKEPanthers.com, as well as on The Varsity Network. Fans can download 'Varsity Network' in the App Store on iOS devices and Google Play and search "Milwaukee" to find the live audio stream of Panther baseball games.