UW Baseball Newsletter #3

 

Hello diamond daWg Fans!

We wish everyone the best for a great 2025.  For the diamond daWgs, practice will begin on the first day of Winter Quarter which is January 6.  This will be a five week window of preparations as we build up pitchers arm endurance and get position players ready for the 55 game season.  Here is a look at upcoming events for Husky Baseball.

 

Preseason Hot Stove Gathering

February 1 there will be a hot stove gathering at The Dutchess to help kick off the season.  This event will include the coaching staff and an opportunity for alumni and supporters to enjoy an evening talking baseball and getting a preview of the 2025 diamond daWgs!

 

55 Game Regular Season Schedule

There are 55 games on the regular season schedule over the course of 14 weeks.  Opening Day will be against Kansas State who reached the Super Regional Round in 2024.  The game will be February 14 on the campus of Coastal Carolina as part of a 4-game round robin tournament.

The team will travel to Stanford for Weekend 2 and stay in the Bay Area for a midweek game at San Francisco.  Weekend 3 will be in Las Vegas at a round robin tournament.

Big Ten play begins Weekend 4 at Nebraska for a 3-game series March 7-9.  Other Big Ten road trips include Rutgers, UCLA, Northwestern, and Oregon.  The conference bye weekend will be filled with a home series against Gonzaga March 14-16.   Maryland, Illinois, Purdue, Iowa, and Southern Cal comprise the Big Ten home series.  Conference play is capped off with the Big Ten Tournament which will be played Tuesday-Sunday of Memorial Day weekend at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.

 

Alumni Day at the Ballpark March 16 vs. Gonzaga

All former players are invited to come to the ballpark Sunday, March 16 for an alumni celebration.  Details will be announced soon as we hope to spark a great turnout of former players to watch the diamond daWgs take on the Zags.

 

Summer Camp Registration Now Available

This summer there will be five weeks of Junior Dawgs Summer Camps.  The camps are open to players 6-12 years old.  Last year nearly every session sold out so early registration is encouraged!  Sign up today at www.UWBaseballCamps.com.

 

Montlake Futures

The frenzy of the recruiting world has been prominent in the news during the holidays as football players navigate the modern landscape.  NIL has arrived and continues to drive the market in recruiting.  The landscape has shifted and created a great divide in talent that can be traced to programs that have embraced NIL and programs that have resisted NIL.

The impact of NIL in baseball is equally as powerful in acquiring talent as it is in football but the funds needed to attract and retain conference championship level talent is much more attainable.  In addition, there are only 11.7 scholarships for rosters of 34-40 players in baseball leaving the average player at about a 30% scholarship.  NIL in college baseball is simply an avenue to provide full coverage of tuition, room, and board the way so many volleyball, softball, basketball, and football players have experienced for years.

When our staff arrived in July our NIL fund was at $0.  Multiple players transferred to other programs and received rewarding NIL packages in doing so.  Since arriving we have worked diligently to acquire NIL funding to be able to compete in the Big Ten.  Generous donors have our current NIL budget approaching $100,000 which is significant progress!  For round numbers, I believe that $250,000 is needed for us to simply retain our current roster and $500,000 to be competitive in the top quadrant of the Big Ten.  Help is urgently needed for our program to compete with our peers in the Northwest and the Big Ten.

This is an opportunity to impact Husky Baseball winning more than ever before.  Information about gifts to Montlake Futures can be found at www.montlakefutures.com or by contacting us at baseball@uw.edu.

 

Fall 2025 Alumni Weekend October 3 and 4

The diamond daWgs will begin an annual Alumni Weekend in 2025 to unite former players.  Friday, October 3 will include the opportunity to watch a scrimmage while enjoying dinner.  Then after the scrimmage alums and their families will have a meet and greet with the current team before we open up the field.  Plans include running the bases for kids, opportunities to play catch on the field, and a family photo booth.  The night will be capped off with alumni BP which will provide the chance for every alum in attendance to hit on the field and relive their memories as a diamond daWgs.

Then Saturday, October 4 there will be tee times blocked off at a local golf course for those wanting to play golf.  Exact details will be released in the summer but for now we invite all former players to save these dates for an amazing weekend this fall!

 

We look forward to the upcoming season and hope to have you all out at the ballpark to watch the team.  Go Dawgs!

 

UW Baseball Newsletter #2

 

Hello Dawg Fans!

Our fall practice has concluded and we enter one of my favorite periods of the year:  Winter strength and conditioning.  In the coming weeks we will turn our focus to the weight room where we will be lifting four days each week until Thanksgiving.  Size and strength are the biggest separator in teams in the modern college baseball game and our ability to create an edge in the weight room is critical for our player and team development.

While our players are in the weight room we also have small group skill instruction where players will work for about 30 minutes on their hitting, pitching, and defense four days per week to sharpen their tools.  Lastly, we dedicate a lot of focus to the team building this time of year through various avenues.  One of these is our “Dirty Dawg” challenge which is a series of competitions designed to test the physical and mental strength of our players.  Points are awarded to players after each competition and accumulated throughout these challenges. 

Our fall will conclude with our Dirty Dawg Obstacle Course Tuesday, November 26 in which our players are challenged on an obstacle course that has various physical obstacles along the way.  At the end of the obstacle course the final points will be tallied among our players and the player who accumulates the most points throughout all of the challenges will be crowned as the Dirtiest Dawg.

When done right, this time of the year is instrumental in galvanizing a team before we the spring season.  This team has put in a lot of hard work and are excited about what is to come. 

 

Fall Practice Recap

The team practice portion of fall concluded Friday, November 1 with our last practice.  It was a 45 day window that allowed us to practice as a team, intersquad scrimmage, and play outside competition.  It is a window that builds the foundation of the team as we implement team defenses and philosophies.

Throughout the session there were 23 newcomers on our roster joining 20 returning players.  The competition was strong and players worked hard to get better.

 

 

 

Winter Skills Camp

Saturday, November 23 we will be hosting our Winter Skills Camp at Husky Ballpark.  This camp is open to all players who are 2030 high school graduates and older.  Our prospect camps our great ways for players to experience the University of Washington and work with our baseball coaches.  This camp is focused on providing players an opportunity to work on their craft with the day being dedicated to positional development for infielders, outfielders, catchers, and pitchers, as well as hitting instruction for all position players.  More information can be found at www.UWBaseballCamps.com.

 

 

National Signing Day Approaches

 

Wednesday, November 13 marks the open signing window for baseball and we are excited to ink a very impactful class for Husky Baseball.  The class will include several players from Washington as well as some players who have garnered national recognition from throughout the country.  In total, we anticipate a class of about 15 newcomers for next fall.  Our focus always begins with keeping the best high school players from Washington in the state! 

 

 

Montlake Futures

You now have the opportunity to make a greater impact on Husky Baseball than ever before! 

For decades college baseball players have had to pay to play due to scholarship limitations set by the NCAA.  These NCAA rules have shifted to allow us to deliver more comprehensive support to our players.  This new landscape has provided a platform where top college baseball programs to provide full coverage of tuition, room, and board the way so many volleyball, softball, basketball, and football players have experienced for years.

This summer many of our best returning players left UW with better financial packages enticing them to explore other opportunities.  In order to retain our current roster and then recruit top talent, it is critical that we are able to provide our players with financial packages that are on par with our opponents.  For round numbers, I believe that $250,000 is needed for us to simply retain our current roster and $500,000 to be competitive in the top quadrant of the Big Ten.  Your help is desperately needed for our program to compete with our peers in the Northwest and the Big Ten.

To contribute, visit www.montlakefutures.com and select “donate” and then choose “baseball” as the designated fund for your donation. 

By supporting our players with a gift to Montlake Futures you can make a greater impact on our players the program than ever before in college athletics!

 

Save the Date

February 1, 2025 we will be holding a “Hot Stove” event for local friends of the program at an establishment near Husky Ballpark.  The night will feature the opportunity to spend time with other Husky Baseball faithful, coaches, and hear a message about the upcoming team.  Mark your calendars today – more details to come!

 

We are now less than 100 days away from Opening Day!  It will be exciting to have you all out at Husky Ballpark to follow the Diamond Dawgs in 2025!

UW Baseball Newsletter #1

 

Hello Dawg Fans!

We are in the midst of fall with an excitement buzzing around the program.  We are now officially in our Fall Practice window with our new team.  Our new staff is eager to get to work with this group.

It is a unique fall practice period as transition always brings change.  There are several new faces in the program joining a group of returning players, all jockeying for opportunities on the spring team. 

There are several upcoming events and exciting things going on around the program and we hope that you can join us on Montlake!

 

Fall Practice is Underway

September 16 marked the first day of fall practice for the Huskies as the team began with workouts that morning.  The fall session will run until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and is a combination of skill instruction, practices, weight training, outside competitions, and intersquad scrimmages.

The fall roster features 23 newcomers.  Of the 43 players on the roster, 24 are Washington residents.

Games vs. Langley Blaze and Saint Martin’s

There will be two games this week beginning with the Langley Blaze Thursday, October 17 at 4:35pm.  Then Saturday, October 19 we will play Saint Martin's at 12:05pm.  Both games are at Husky Ballpark and offer free admission.

 

Alumni Gathering a Huge Success!

The evening of September 11 was a great day for Husky Baseball as several alums gathered at Varlamos with the new coaching staff.  Stories were told, food was eaten, and a good time was had by all.  This event was one of many alumni gatherings planned to ensure that the past players feel connected to the program.  Stay tuned for information on future events!

Fall Prospect Camp

October 26 and 27 we will be hosting our Fall Prospect Camp at Husky Ballpark.  This camp is open to all players who are 2028 high school graduates and older.  Our prospect camps our great ways for players to experience the University of Washington and work with our baseball coaches.  More information can be found at www.UWBaseballCamps.com.

 

Washington World Series

Our fall practice period will conclude with the Washington World Series.  This will be a best of 3 series with our roster divided in to two teams who will be playing for off season bragging rights.  The games will be open to the public with dates and times to be announced in the coming weeks.

 

There is a lot going on with the Washington Baseball program!  We are excited to set a foundation of team and toughness as we go forward in to a new era of Washington Baseball.  We appreciate your interest and following of the program and can’t wait to see you at Husky Ballpark!