MILWAUKEE – When the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association polls came out for the first time this season, University School coach Tim Bartz was a bit surprised with what he saw.

After not being among those ranked in the Division 3 preseason poll, the Wildcats have ascended to the top spot.

Bartz is no doubt excited with the play the team has shown in earning wins, but was a bit surprised that University School jumped all the way to No. 1 in the poll.

“At the beginning of they year I would have almost told you this was going to be a rebuilding year with the number of guys we lost to graduation,” Bartz said. “We’re certainly not having a rebuilding year ranked No. 1.”

The Wildcats are off to a 9-1 start, including a 7-1 start in the Midwest Classic Conference South Division and suffered their first loss of the season Thursday to Racine St. Catherine’s in the second game of a doubleheader.

Bartz attributes the start to a “spring training” trip to Arizona for the first week of practice.

“We can throw, hit and pick up defense outside right from the start,” Bartz said. “It got us doing the little things well.”

University School has been waiting for all three phases to come together and show themselves at once. In the nine straight wins, that had not been the case and wasn’t in the loss Thursday, either.

“We’ve been fielding well and that has been keeping us in games,” Bartz said. “We’ve had great defense and good situational hitting.”

That defense has committed nine errors in nine games, which is skewed because the Wildcats committed four errors in one game. With an astounding 19 assists in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader , the defense was most certainly on task.

The pitching staff has been pieced together with two freshmen – Tommy Pennington and Josh Baker – and a junior. The backbone of the staff has been junior righty Alex Tesenky who served as the team’s closer last season, earned second-team all-conference honors in the position and is back in the role this season. He’s shined in that role again, not allowing an earned run in 10 innings with two saves and two wins to his credit.

“It shortens the game for those younger guys and anytime you do that it is huge,” Bartz said. “As a sophomore he was the closer for us and really performed well in that role which says a little something about his toughness on the mound.”

Excitement about the No. 1 ranking is tempered because there is a long season ahead and the fact that the Midwest Classic is one of the toughest medium to small school conferences in the state.

“You have to make sure you show up each and every night,” Bartz said. “If you’re not on you game in pitching, fielding and hitting and commit fewer mistakes you have a better chance of winning and need it to all come together in this conference.”