The Milwaukee Brewers finalized their spring training schedule today which includes an exhibition game against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The game will be played at Maryvale Baseball Park in Arizona on March 4. This will be the first time the Panthers have ever played the Brewers in a an exhibition game.
“It’s obviously very exciting and something we are looking forward to. Most of our team grew up in the state of Wisconsin watching the Brewers so getting the chance to compete against them will be very exciting,” said senior second baseman, Mike Porcaro.
The last time the Brewers scheduled an exhibition game against a college team was back in 1983 when they played Arizona State.
“This game will be great for baseball in the state of Wisconsin,” said Brewers President and General Manager Doug Melvin in a press release. “It’s a good opportunity for our organization to support the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee program, and will give our players a chance to connect with some of the state’s top young amateur talent.”
The Panthers and Brewers do have some tradition together as UWM plays regular season games at Miller Park every year. UWM lost to Wright State at Miller Park earlier this year 6-13.
“We’re very excited about the opportunity to play the Milwaukee Brewers,” UWM Athletic Director Amanda Braun said. “UWM and the Brewers have had a long-standing partnership and we are proud to add to that partnership. The Panthers are the only Division I baseball team in the state, so we are Milwaukee neighbors with the Brewers in the baseball community and this will be a great way to celebrate the start of the season for both of us in 2015. It’s a tremendous opportunity for the team, our fans and the UWM community. It’s also great for Brewers fans and a nice way to bring our alumni together in a fun way in early spring.”
The Brewers have selected UWM players in the past and have a chance to scout some more this spring. The most recent draft pick the Brewers took from the Panthers was in 2013 as they selected Josh Uhen in the fifth round from the MLB First Year Player Draft. Uhen is the highest-ever draft pick from in Panther history and Baseball America named Uhen the Horizon League’s top pro prospect.
“First and foremost, I want to start by thanking the Milwaukee Brewers organization for this opportunity,” UWM baseball head coach Scott Doffek said. “I also want to thank Tom Luljak and Amanda Braun for helping to arrange this. This will be a fun day and a great experience for our team. All of our student-athletes look up to the Major League players and aspire to one day play at that level. This will also be a wonderful way to showcase our University and to engage our alumni in Arizona in a unique way.”