By now it is common knowledge that springtime in Madison is not a hotbed for college sports activity.
But although there is no NCAA baseball team, the Wisconsin club baseball team and its players haven't let that stop them from maintaining the tradition of athletic excellence Badger fans have come to expect.
""We are the biggest school in our conference, and we set high expectations every year,"" senior catcher Daniel Rubatt said. ""We are representing the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and we want to keep up its good reputation.""
The club baseball program started in 1999 and has grown every year since, so much so that a second team was added in 2002. The A team, which fields the program's more talented players, joined the National Club Baseball Association in 2003 and has been a contender for the NCBA World Series every year since.
According to Rubatt, the Badgers have won their conference every year he's been on the team and only lost one conference game over the last three years. Rubatt says the dedication and commitment to winning comes from the team's self-sufficient nature that keeps the program alive.
""We do everything on our own—fundraising, car pooling, scheduling. When you put that much time and effort into a program, you are going to take it very seriously,"" he said.
The team operates on a $15,000 budget, and only a portion of that cost is covered by the university and the Dugout Club, a Madison-area baseball booster. So the team relies primarily upon player fees and local fundraising to pay for their annual spring break trip to Tampa, Fla., and other travel expenses.
The fundraising also helps play for travel costs required if the team makes the playoffs, with the regional tournament played in Huntington, Ind., and the finals in Florida. The trip to Huntington provides players with the unique experience of playing on the field used to film ""A League of Their Own,"" and Rubatt said the stadium still features nostalgic ads on the walls of the outfield.
Wisconsin outfielders should be quite familiar with the ads by now, as the trip to the playoffs has become almost an annual expense for the Badgers, who hope to make their third NCBA World Series appearance in the last six years this spring. But according to junior first baseman Brian Vike, making it to the playoffs might be a bit more of a challenge this year.
""Our goal as a team every year is to win our conference and advance and be competitive at the regional tournament,"" Vike said. ""This year it seems like there will be more disparity in the conference than years past, and we'll be playing in some exciting games.""
Some exciting games are exactly what the team needs to help build its meager fan base. Because the team is under the control of the Division of Recreation Sports and not the Athletic Department, however, it receives little funding and is forced to play at various parks around Madison.
""The crowds typically aren't very big because we don't have a home field and actually play most of our games in outlying areas of Madison, making it very difficult for college students to attend games,"" said coach Jeff Block, a member of the original club team. ""A home field is one of the things we desire most and that would help us the most.""
Block proposed the idea of working out a deal with the Madison Mallards to allow the club team to play home games at Warner Park and have buses run from the university to the field so more students could support the team. The deal would be convenient for both parties, considering the Mallards season doesn't start until after the club season ends. But such an agreement would require increased financial support from the university, a key factor for program growth that has been severely lacking since the club team's inception.
Ultimately, both players and Block hope the program's success will help lead to a Division I program on campus, a dream shared by many Badger fans but one that is complicated by Title IX.
""Baseball is a major sport in this country,"" Rubatt said. ""If I'm wearing Wisconsin baseball clothing, people will approach me and ask me about it. They all mention how sad it is that there is not a varsity team at the university.""
