Top 10 Stories of 2024: No. 5 A Banner Year for UW-Milwaukee Alumni
December 25, 2024
At the end of each calendar year, the PBR Wisconsin staff reflects back on the 10 most intriguing headlines that surrounded the baseball scene in the Badger State. Through the end of the month, we will break down the most impactful storylines from an eventful 2024 campaign, ending with our No. 1 story revealed Dec. 31.
The Badger State has just one baseball-sponsored Division I university - the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. That lone program featured seven alumni in affiliated baseball in 2024 ranging from A-ball to the big leagues.
The 2024 season was monumental for the Panthers - its lone major leaguer won his first-ever Gold Glove, its top prospect earned a selection to the All-Star Futures Game in Arlington, Texas, its lone 2023 draft selection posted a mid-2.00s ERA and Shaun Wegner oversaw his first draft pick in his initial season as head coach.
Here are the four biggest stories of a banner year for UW-Milwaukee baseball alumni.
Daulton Varsho Wins Gold Glove
For now, Varsho is the lone Panther alumni to ever appear in a Major League game, yet his on-field contributions stretch far beyond that of a rank-and-file big leaguer.
Varsho became the second Wisconsin native to capture a Gold Glove (Mark Grudzielanek was the first), being named the American League’s best defensive center fielder. Despite his season ending three weeks short due to rotator cuff surgery, the Marshfield native led all MLB with 3.0 dWAR (defensive wins above replacement) and led all MLB outfielders with a plus-17 fielding run value by Statcast.
From 2022-24, just 13 outfielders outperformed Varsho, who was traded by Arizona to Toronto in 2022, according to Fangraphs WAR. The former Panther is nestled between a pair of former MVPs - Mike Trout and Christian Yelich.
Defensive Wins Above Replacement#BlueJays Franchise History
— Chris Black (@DownToBlack) September 18, 2024
1. Devon White (1992) 3.9
T2. Daulton Varsho (2024) 3.0
T2. Kevin Pillar (2015) 3.0
(source: @baseball_ref)#GoldGlove #PlatinumGlove #TitaniumGlove #TungstenGlove pic.twitter.com/Vsxl7aACWo
Prior to his defensive exploits roaming the outfield grass, Varsho served as Milwaukee’s primary catcher from 2015-17. He hit .335 with 24 home runs, reaching base at a .428 clip while slugging .572. His junior performance earned him a spot on Baseball America and D1Baseball.com’s All-American teams.
“He had the work ethic,” said UW-Milwaukee head coach Shaun Wegner. “You were not going to stop him… He wants to do his work in private and not have people know what he’s doing. That’s what made him a tremendous baseball player.”
Varsho’s dad, Gary, played for four big league teams from 1988-95, later coaching and scouting for the Phillies and Pirates.
“You take the instincts and IQ that he has,” said Wegner, “and you look at the way he runs the bases and how hard he plays. He’s going to run through a wall for you.”
While known for his outstanding defensive skills, Varsho has maintained a near-average pace with the stick, hitting .225/.297/.414/.711 across 577 games at the Major League level.
A.J. Blubaugh Earns Futures Game Nod
After entering with one out and the bases loaded in the fourth inning of the All-Star Futures Game, Blubaugh retired consecutive hitters. The first out, however, was a sacrifice fly off the bat of Madison West graduate and Braves prospect Drake Baldwin. The top prospect from the state’s lone D-I university squaring off with the top prospect from the state’s prep ranks.
Blubaugh’s collegiate career began in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and included just seven starts across three seasons, but the former Panther closer is thriving in the Astros’ organization.
After arriving to the east side of Milwaukee as the 45th-ranked player in Ohio’s class of 2019, Blubaugh earned two Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year awards and a selection by Houston in the seventh round of the 2022 draft.
“He worked his tail off,” said Wegner, who added that the six-foot-two Blubaugh can windmill dunk. “By the time he left here, it was fun to watch him. He’s a super athlete.”
But upon entering the professional game, the right-hander seamlessly converted into a starting role. Blubaugh lasted just 18 ⅓ innings in Double-A before a promotion, notching 24 strikeouts while surrendering just two runs. He then was one of just three pitchers in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League to post a sub-4.00 ERA across 100-or-more innings in 2024.
Four innings of one-hit ball for A.J. Blubaugh!
— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) August 27, 2023
Blubaugh finished his Double-A debut by retiring the last 9 in order. pic.twitter.com/pPQA4h9sOQ
Blubaugh, the No. 10 prospect in the Astros’ organization according to MLB Pipeline, became the second Panther after Daulton Varsho in 2019 to appear in the Futures Game. Blubaugh could join Varsho as the second Panther in the big leagues in 2025.
Riley Frey Has Breakout Year in Braves Org.
The southpaw had a tremendous 2024 in the Braves organization, recording a 2.36 ERA across 84 innings in Single-A and High-A. A touch-and-feel lefty historically known more for his strike-throwing than strikeout stuff, Frey punched out 74 and walked just 22 on the year.
The No. 17 player in Wisconsin’s 2020 class seamlessly jumped from Oshkosh West High School to UW-Milwaukee, earning a place on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team immediately, along with the first of three appearances on the All-Horizon League Second Team.
He was drafted in the 19th round of the 2023 draft by Atlanta after finishing his Panther career with a 4.23 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 249 innings.
Frey’s Badger State ties run deep, as the lefty played alongside fellow draft picks Max Wagner, George Klassen and Tyler Chadwick at GRB. He also appeared on the same Fond du Lac Dock Spiders team that included Victor Scott II and Ryan Loutos of the Cardinals and recent Brewers acquisition Caleb Durbin.
“The pitchability was always a serious tool for the left-hander,” said Prep Baseball Wisconsin Scouting Director Vinny Rottino. “UW-Milwaukee and pitching coach Cory Bigler were a tremendous fit for Frey and his development in college.”
Owen Rice Drafted by Cardinals
Year one of Wegner’s tenure as head coach was capped off by the Cardinals’ selection of Owen Rice in the final round of July’s MLB Draft.
An East Troy product, Rice graduated high school as just the No. 66-ranked player in the Badger State’s class of 2021 but developed from an undersized McHenry JC contributor to a professional arm in just three years.
“The fastball went from 82 [mph] with a gangly awkward-looking baby-deer [delivery] to 95 [mph] with lift and one of the top-ranked fastballs in the Division I ranks,” said Wegner, who added that he grew five inches and gained 65 pounds since finishing high school.
Rice’s fastball sat in the low-80s while on the recruiting trail in high school, reaching 84.8 mph during his senior year. Even at a lower velocity, his fastball showed elite characteristics with an average of 22 inches of induced vertical break.
Though Rice didn’t earn the accolades of Blubaugh or Frey, he racked up 65 strikeouts in 44 ⅓ innings with the Panthers, showing enough promise to be a 20th-round pick.
Other alumni in affiliated ball
While they didn’t have the same breakout 2024 as the aforementioned four standouts, three other former Panthers played affiliated ball in 2024.
Right-hander Austin Schulfer tossed 35 innings with the Toledo MudHens, Detroit’s AAA affiliate. The SPASH (Stevens Point Area Senior High) graduate was the No. 10 player in Wisconsin’s 2014 class. He recently signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia.
The Phillies released infielder Trevor Schwecke after he appeared in 94 games in 2024 across the Minor Leagues’ top two levels. The former Blue Jays and Phillies farmhand attended Marshfield High School with Varsho, graduating two years later in 2016.
Right-hander Jake Sommers retired after throwing 11 ⅓ innings for the Rockies’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in 2024. He logged a 5.14 ERA in 105 innings across four seasons.