Tuesday State Sports Briefs: Brewers name Tomlin to be minor league pitching coordinator

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MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Brewers have named a 23-year baseball veteran to be their new minor league pitching coordinator. Rick Tomlin was named today to take the job held by Lee Tunnell before he was called up at mid-season to be the Brewers’ bullpen coach.

Tomlin has been a minor league pitching coordinator for both the New York Yankees and Mets. And he’s had roles with the Minnesota and Washington organizations. The only two managerial changes announced in the Brewers’ minor league system are at the rookie-league level. Tony Diggs will manage the Helena Brewers, after being the skipper of the Arizona Brewer rookies for seven seasons. Nestor Corredor will manage the Arizona Brewers after three seasons with the Milwaukee rookies in the Dominican League. The Dominican League staff will be announced later. Meanwhile, the Midwest League champion Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in lower-Class-“A” will bring its entire coaching staff back, led by Appleton native Matt Erickson as the skipper. Darnell Coles returns as the manager at Double-“A” Huntsville. Mike Guerrero returns to manage Triple-“A” Nashville.

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The Milwaukee Brewers have signed infielder Donnie Murphy to a minor-league contract, with a chance to make the big club at Spring Training. The Brewers have been looking for a back-up to Jean Segura at shortstop. Murphy, who turns 30 in March, played in 52 games with the Miami Marlins this past season, averaging .216 with three homers and 12 RBI’s. He started 26 games at three infield positions – second base, short, and third. Murphy has been in 244 career Major League games dating back to 2004. He has also played with Kansas City and Oakland.

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Another assistant coach appears to be on his way out of Wisconsin. Football-Scoop.com said yesterday that tight ends coach Eddie Faulkner will be re-united with Dave Doeren at North Carolina State after the Rose Bowl. Faulkner was the running backs coach and special teams’ coordinator under Doeren at Northern Illinois in 2011. Doeren, another former Badgers’ assistant, recently became the new head coach at N.C. State. Faulkner was a running back at Wisconsin from 1996-2000 – and he spent just one season as a UW assistant. At N.C. State, he’ll coach tight ends, fullbacks, and special teams. Doeren also hired Badgers’ offensive coordinator Matt Canada after he spent only one year in Madison. Six Badger assistants are now reported to be heading elsewhere. A seventh assistant, running backs’ coach Thomas Hammock, is reportedly considering an offer to join Bret Bielema at Arkansas – where Bielema went after leaving Madison 13 days ago.

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Plea hearings have been delayed until tomorrow for two of the three UW Madison students charged with assaulting Wisconsin running back Montee Ball. 22-year-old Robert Wilks and 21-year-old Wendell Venerable were scheduled to appear yesterday in Dane County Circuit Court. They’re expected to plead guilty, and prosecutors plan to recommend that both Wilks and Venerable be placed in a diversion program for first offenders. Ball and his father were expected to attend yesterday’s hearings – but they changed their minds, deciding they would only attend a sentencing proceeding. But officials say the plea hearing could be the last time that Wilks and Venerable appear in court – unless they violate the diversionary program, in which case they’d be sentenced to prison. The third defendant, 21-year-old Deonte Wilson, also had his hearing postponed yesterday. He’s due back in court in mid-January. Police said five men attacked Ball in the early morning hours of August first, a couple days after some of Ball’s teammates got into a fight at an off-campus house. Ball was not part of the original incident, but the attackers reportedly got back at Ball in an act of retaliation.

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Austin Ryf of UW-Stevens Point and Katie Kitzke of Oshkosh are the WIAC men’s-and-women’s basketball players-of-the-week. Ryf, a sophomore guard, had 18 points and a team-high three steals in the Pointers’ win over then-second-ranked Whitewater. He also shot 50-percent against Edgewood, and he averaged 13-and-a-half points over his two games. Kitzke, a senior guard, scored 25 points as she helped Oshkosh come back from double-digits down to beat Platteville by 14.

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Joel Borchardt and Autumn Peotter, both of Maranatha Baptist, are the basketball players of the week in the Northern Athletics Conference. Borchardt, a senior forward, had 30 points and 11 rebounds in a Maranatha loss to Concordia-Chicago. Peotter, a senior guard, had 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in a Crusader victory over Concordia-Chicago.

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The UW-Green Bay women’s basketball team will host North Dakota State tonight. The Phoenix has not played in 10 days, after winning at Marquette by nine points on December eighth. The Green Bay defense shined in that game by forcing 26 turnovers, including 16 steals. Freshman Kaili Lukan had six of those steals, while her older sister Megan had five steals. The Phoenix are 6-2 under returning coach Kevin Borseth. They’ll play a North Dakota State team that’s 3-7 with a four-game losing streak. The Bison are coming off a 63-42 loss at Creighton on Sunday in which North Dakota State shot just 26-percent from the floor, while making 11-of-12 free throws. Also tonight, the UW-Parkside women are in Las Vegas to play Grand Canyon.

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In Division III men’s basketball, Carthage will close out a holiday event at Northwood of Florida tonight, when it goes up against Saint Thomas of Florida. The Red Men lost 98-90 last night to Northwood, which is led by former Villanova coach Rollie Massimino. Also the Lakeland men will play Lawrence in Wisconsin Dells. And Marian of Fond du Lac travels to Martin Luther. On the women’s side, Wisconsin Lutheran will host a Northern Athletics Conference game against Concordia-Chicago this evening. And the Carthage Lady Reds play at Coe College.

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University of Wisconsin women’s basketball forward Jacki Gulczynski is the Big Ten’s co-player of the week, sharing the honor with Aulani Sinclair of Indiana. Gulczynski, a sophomore forward, set career highs in both scoring and rebounds in back-to-back games last week. She had 16 points and a game-high 11 boards against Florida Atlantic. And against Eastern Illinois, Gulczynski scored all of Wisconsin’s first 11 points – and she had game-highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds with three assists and two blocked shots. Gulczynski is the first Badger women’s player in four years to get a weekly conference honor.

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UW-La Crosse punter Christian Hallingstad is the only Wisconsin football player named to the AP’s “Little All-America” teams. Hallingstad, a senior, was the punter on the AP’s third team. The Little All-Americans include players from the NCAA Divisions II and III, along with the NAIA.

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UW-Stevens Point has made the Top-Five in the new Division-Three men’s basketball poll from D3hoops.com. The Pointers are 9-0 after a 15-point victory over Edgewood on Saturday. UW-Whitewater fell from second-place to sixth in the new poll, after losing its first game of the season. The Warhawks are 7-1 overall, after falling by 11 to Stevens Point last Wednesday night. UW-Stout made its first appearance in the Top-25. The Blue Devils are at No. 23 with a record of 9-1. La Crosse and Carroll also received votes. Virginia Wesleyan is still the men’s Number-One.

In the D3 women’s poll, Whitewater dropped two places to 18th. The Warhawks are 8-3 after losing to Hope College on Saturday. Stevens Point dropped seven spots to No.19, after a three-point loss to Whitewater last Wednesday. The Pointer women are at 6-3. Carthage, Superior, Saint Norbert, and River Falls also received votes. DePauw is still at No. 1.

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The defensive coordinator at Wisconsin Lutheran College has been promoted to head coach. Ben Murphy has been named to replace Dennis Miller, who stepped down after 13 seasons. The Warriors from Milwaukee went 7-3 last season, the best in Wisconsin Lutheran history. But Miller said it was the right time to step down, because the process is in place to keep moving the program forward. Miller has also been the school’s vice president of student affairs since 2005 – and he’ll stay in that position.

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Former long-time WIAA Executive Director John Roberts has died. The 92-year-old Roberts passed away on Sunday in Stevens Point. He headed the agency that governs Wisconsin high school sports from 1957 until he retired in 1986. Roberts was also a Big Ten wrestling champion for the University of Wisconsin. He was an NCAA runner-up in 1941. Roberts also played football for the Badgers.

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SCORES

Wisconsin boys' high school basketball

Bayfield 63, Winter 32

Brookwood 43, Kickapoo 39

Cashton 72, Coulee Christian 55

Cedarburg 52, West Bend West 51

Chilton 78, New Holstein 41

Columbus 59, Markesan 38

Crandon 76, Lena 34

Drummond 60, Minong Northwood 24

Eastbrook Academy 52, Wisconsin School for the Deaf 46

Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs 76, Sheboygan County Christian 36

Hilbert 63, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah 43

Hurley 63, Ashland 52

La Farge 40, Wonewoc Center 35

Lake Mills 59, Deerfield 48

Lakeshore Christian 60, Milwaukee School of Languages 52

Madison Abundant Life 51, St. Ambrose Academy 31

New Glarus 46, Argyle 34

Pardeeville 49, Horicon 37

Pecatonica 52, Belmont 50

Potosi 65, Wauzeka-Steuben 27

Sauk Prairie 72, Wisconsin Heights 55

Shiocton 59, Menasha St. Mary's 45

Shullsburg 54, Lancaster 42

Solon Springs 54, Butternut 32

Watersmeet, Mich. 48, Phelps 41

Watertown 62, Muskego 52

West Bend East 72, Kettle Moraine Lutheran 50

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Girls' high school basketball

Adams-Friendship 47, Pittsville 22

Altoona 48, Menomonie 44

Ashland 52, Washburn 19

Athens 49, Greenwood 43

Bonduel 66, Shawano 63, OT

Deerfield 62, Waterloo 27

Dodgeville 56, Wisconsin Heights 49

Durand 51, Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 50

Eastbrook Academy 69, Wisconsin School for the Deaf 55

Fall River 57, Princeton/Green Lake 43

Hilbert 37, Chilton 25

Milwaukee Hope Christian 52, Milwaukee St. Anthony 16

La Crosse Logan 44, Tomah 24

Lena 58, Crandon 31

Loyal 43, Black River Falls 32

Madison Abundant Life 50, St. Ambrose Academy 24

Marshall 72, Dodgeland 43

Neillsville 47, Auburndale 26

Palmyra-Eagle 41, Williams Bay Faith Christian 22

Phelps 48, Watersmeet, Mich. 38

Poynette 49, Watertown Luther Prep 32

Randolph 53, Hustisford 29

Solon Springs 58, Butternut 10

Stratford 47, Elcho 32

Westby 42, Bangor 34

Whitefish Bay Dominican 54, Greendale Martin Luther 31

Whitewater 48, Cambridge 24

Wild Rose 45, Almond-Bancroft 25

Wilmot Union 58, Somers Shoreland Lutheran 40

Winter 58, Bayfield 56

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