Gram and Fanta Named to All-WIAC First Team; Benitz and Poppy Earn Honorable Mention Recognition

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 13, 2009

La Crosse, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse senior centerfielder Storm Gram of Woodbury, Minn. (H.S.) and freshman third baseman Jay Fanta of Viroqua (H.S.) have been selected to the 2009 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Baseball First Team in a vote by the league coaches. It marks the third straight season Gram has been named to the all-conference first team. He is the ninth player in school history to earn three all-league first team selections.

Senior right-handed pitcher Ross Benitz of Osceola (H.S.) and senior catcher Cory Poppitz of Chaska, Minn. (H.S.) were selected to the 2009 All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team while junior first baseman Lance Poppy of New London (H.S.) was named to the All-WIAC Sportsmanship Team.

Benitz was also selected the 2009 WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete.

Gram started 34 of 35 games played in during the 2009 season, hitting .311 overall. He was second on the team in runs scored (32), hits (42), doubles (13), RBI (27) and stolen bases (9). Gram also finished third on the squad in at-bats (135) and tied for third in home runs (2). He finished with 13 multi-hit games this year, including five contests with three hits. Gram, who had a team-best 15-game hitting streak during the season, recorded nine multi-RBI contests.

A career .365 hitter at UW-L, which currently ranks sixth in school history, Gram is tied for second in career doubles (39). He is also third in career runs scored (122), tied for fourth in hit-by-pitch (17), eighth in hits (150), tied for ninth in stolen bases (34) and tied for 10th in RBI (93). Gram is also tied for 11th in walks (66).

Fanta was the only UW-L player to start at 38 games in 2009, leading the team in hitting at .384. He also led the Eagles in at-bats (151), runs (37), hits (58), doubles (18), home runs (6), RBI (41), total bases (96) and walks (18). Fanta’s 18 doubles are second in single-season school history (Vinny Rottino had a school record 19 doubles in 2002). His 58 hits and 41 RBI are both tied for seventh in single-season school history.

Fanta led UW-L with 15 multi-hit and 12 multi-RBI games this year while finishing the season with a 10-game hitting streak. Fanta had at least one hit in 33 of 38 contests in 2009, including three contests with four hits.

Benitz was selected to the All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team for the third straight year after finishing 7-5 this season with a 4.67 earned run average in 12 appearances (11 starts). His seven victories were a team-high and are tied for fifth in single-season school history. Benitz also led the Eagles in starts (11), complete-games (2) and innings (71.1) while finishing second in appearances (12) and strikeouts (47). Benitz picked up complete-game wins over SUNY-Brockport (4-2) and UW-Stout (4-3) while also defeating Augsburg College, Minn. (11-2), UW-Platteville twice (7-2 and 3-1), UW-Superior (4-2) and UW-Whitewater (9-6).

Benitz ends his four-year career at UW-L with an overall record of 17-16. The 17 victories are second in school history. He also ranks second in career innings (222.1), fourth in appearances (44) and 11th in strikeouts (134).

He is the sixth individual from UW-L to claim the conference’s Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award in baseball. A double major in accounting and finance with a 3.58 grade point average, Benitz is a two-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll. He has also been recognized on UW-L’s Dean’s List four semesters.

A first time honoree on the all-league team in 2009, Poppitz set single-season career-highs in games played (38), at-bats (141), runs (27), hits (40), batting average (.284), doubles (7), triples (3) and RBI (20) this year. His three triples led UW-L. Poppitz ranked third on the team in runs scored and hits this season while tying for fourth in RBI.

Poppitz started 37 of 38 contests in 2009, recording at least one hit in 25 games. He ended the season with a hit in 12 of the last 13 games, including a season-high three at Gustavus Adolphus (April 21) and versus UW-Stout (May 3).

Gram, Benitz and Poppitz served as UW-L’s team captains in 2009.

Poppy played in 36 games this year, starting 34. He hit .267 overall with 16 runs scored, six doubles and 16 RBI. Poppy was tied for second on the team in walks with 17 and finished with a .994 fielding percentage

UW-L finished 22-16 overall and 13-11 in the WIAC in 2009.