The glittering tradition began in the spring of 1874, when the Oshkosh Normals participated in the first intercollegiate baseball played by any Wisconsin state normal school. The Oshkosh team shared laurels with Ripon College Nine in two games occurring in the spring of 1874. Their first two games were played against Ripon. In the first game, Ripon proved to be more than a match for the visitors, leading by a tally of 24-9 at the close of the fifth inning. The Oshkosh Normal players staged a dramatic comeback with 16 runs in the sixth inning. This rally nearly evened the score, but luck was against the Oshkosh team. Rain stopped the game early, with the Ripon squad leading 27 - 25. Faring better in Ripon's return match at Oshkosh, the Normal team won by a score of 30 - 22, giving the school their first victory ever recorded by an Oshkosh baseball team.

Men's baseball team, 1896-1897

Baseball was not a newsworthy subject on campus until 1897 when the Quiver gave it searching scrutiny. "Claiming the past teams had not been very strong," the editors hoped "that baseball would enjoy a successful season in 1897." This kind of hopefulness boded well for the future of baseball at the school.

In 1919, the Oshkosh Normals found new life in sports like baseball, basketball, and football, because of the play of ex-service men returning from war. Their considerable contributions led the Normals to championships in all three sports in 1920 and all except football in 1921. In the 1920s, according to Robert M Kolf, Emeritus Associate Professor of Physical Education, "Inadequate facilities for play and practice meant that the development of sports at Oshkosh was badly handicapped." The Oshkosh baseball team, at the time, had only miniscule space to practice.

The years preceding the start of World War I were very good for the Oshkosh Normal School, as it became popular for hosting both state and regional athletic meets in which indoor baseball, hockey, tennis, and track all shared in the limelight. Historically speaking, baseball was the most popular student sport at the Oshkosh State Normal School.

 
It wasn't until 1956, when the Wisconsin State College-Oshkosh fielded its first varsity team. They posted a 4-9-1 record the first season and won their first conference championship in 1963. In 1968, Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh won another conference title and received its first post-season bid, an invitation to the NAIA District 14 playoffs.  

During the past 43 years the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh has been synonymous with baseball excellence. The culmination of the effort put in through the years by coaches and players, with the support of many loyal fans, came in 1997 when Baseball America tabbed the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh as the top NCAA Division III baseball program in the country. The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh baseball program has been a standard of excellence during its 43-year WIAC history. Since 1956, Oshkosh has had only four head coaches: Eric Kitzmann (1956-1967), Russ Tiedemann (1968-69, 1971-87), Tom Carlson (1970), and currently at the helm, Tom Lechnir (1988 - present).

The UWO men's baseball team has:

  • An all-time record of 952-336-3
  • A .739 winning percentage
  • A NCAA Division III record post-season mark of 95-43
  • NCAA Division III Championships in 1985 and 1994
  • A record 13 top-four finishes at the NCAA Division III World Series
  • 16 NCAA Division III World Series appearances in the past 19 years
  • 27 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, including 19 in the past 20 years
  • 41 winning seasons in 43 years
  • 41 professional baseball contract signees

References

Lechnir, Tom. (1999). Personal interview on the history of baseball.

Noyes, E., Hererzing, T. (1998) Here to serve: The first hundred years of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

The Quiver. (1897).