Afternoon Sports Brief - Greinke hires agent after Cain gets $112.5 package

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Milwaukee Brewers’ starter Zack Greinke has apparently gone far enough in his contract talks that he needs an agent to go the rest of the way. ESPN and MLB Network Radio both say Greinke has hired Casey Close as his business representative. Greinke’s contract expires at the end of the year, and the Brewers have said they want to re sign him. But the stakes have apparently gotten higher, after San Francisco right hander Matt Cain agreed to a five year package yesterday worth $112.5 million. Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin says Cain is a comparable pitcher to Greinke and therefore, Cain’s deal is expected to have an effect on the Greinke negotiations. The pitcher has not commented on the progress of his contract talks.

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Wisconsin golfers Steve Stricker and Mark Wilson have yet to win a major but in the first two rounds of the Masters, each will play alongside a pair of major titlists. Stricker, of Madison, is paired with 2008 PGA champion Padraig Harrington and 2009 British Open winner Stewart Cink. They’ll begin their first round at 7:56 on Thursday morning at Augusta National. Pewaukee native Wilson’s group includes two major champions from 2010 US Open winner Graeme McDowell and British Open titlist Louis Oosthuizen. That group tees off at 10:41 on Thursday morning. The Masters is the first major event of 2012. Tiger Woods will open at 9:35 on Thursday morning. He’s paired with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sang Moon Bae.

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Justin Jirschele of UW Stevens Point is the WIAC’s baseball position player of the week and Garrett Scray of La Crsse is the league’s top pitcher. Jirschele, a senior infielder, batteod .500 in a four game series against Stout last weekend. He hit a homer and four doubles, and drove in nine runs. Scray, a senior right hander, struck out a career high 12 when he threw a six hit shutout against UW La Crosse. In softball, Paige Evangelista of Whitewater is the honored position player, and Rosa Tusa of River Falls is the pitcher of the week. Evangelista, a freshman catcher, hit .600 last week with a pair of doubles, seven RBI’s, six runs scored, and a stolen base. Rosa, a senior right-hander, broke the River Falls career strike out record at the Augustana College Tournament in Illinois last week. She now has 586 career “K’s,” after getting 22 in the four-game tourney. Rosa gave up eight hits in 19 innings. Also, the WIAC recognized Tim Nelson and Alexa Ahler, both of Stout, in outdoor track, and Pete Delzer and Breanna Strupp, both of Oshkosh, in outdoor field events.

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Danielle Burke of Concordia Mequon is the softball pitcher of the week in the Northern Athletics Conference. Burke, a senior, threw a pair of shutouts and gave up just one run to Benedictine in her final appearance on Sunday. She struck out 19 batters in her three games with an ERA of .42. Tristan Wilcox of Aurora was the honored position player. Also, Tanner Hahn of Concordia Mequon was named the NAC men’s tennis playerof the week. The sophomore Hahn went 3-0 in singles play and 3-0 in doubles last week.

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Six Wisconsin schools are among the Top 50 in the all sports standings in the NCAA’s Division Three after the winter sports seasons. UW Whitewater is at Number Five in the Learfield Sports Directors Cup point totals. The schools get points according to their national finishes in the various sports and Whitewater became the first Division Three school ever to win the men’s basketball and football championships in the same year. UW Oshkosh is 11th in the Director’s Cup standings. Eau Claire is 18th, Stevens Point 24th, La Crosse 26th, and Carthage 36th. Washington of Saint Louis is Number One going into the spring competitions.

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