Seeing double with Donovan

Although many athletes may find Jeff Donovan's position on the football and baseball teams to be demanding and time-consuming, Donovan views his situation as a golden opportunity.

Donovan, the Warhawks' starting first baseman, finds himself in a position that is familiar to him, one he said he can handle.

While the Wauwatosa East graduate plays a significant role on the first-place baseball team, Donovan will enter the fall of 2008 as the likely candidate to become the new starting quarterback for the UW-Whitewater football team.

Despite the fact Donovan, a three-sport athlete in high school, received a scholarship to play baseball at Division I UW-Milwaukee, the humble sophomore indicated UW-Whitewater was the ideal school for him.

"UWM gave me a full-ride scholarship, which was a dream come true, but because I didn't just want to play baseball, I accepted UW-Whitewater's offer when they gave me the opportunity to play both of the sports I love," Donovan said. "It was always important for me to keep busy with numerous sports and keep my mind fresh with all of the sports I participated in."

Donovan, who trails only junior Kevin Zalnis for the most home runs on the Warhawk baseball team, acknowledged how people may find it problematic that he competes in two sports. He explained he has high expectations for himself but also recognized the downside of trying to please everyone.

"I've heard both sides of the story about doing one sport or the other, but ultimately I came here to leave my mark in both sports for four years," Donovan said. "I already know what I expect myself to do in both sports, but sometimes the hardest part about competing in two sports is when I leave both teams in their respective offseasons."

While Donovan's talents allow him to be successful on the field, UW-Whitewater head football coach Lance Leipold said the junior-to-be should receive equal recognition for being able to manage the time commitment of two collegiate sports.

"Jeff is an extremely talented athlete, and though it puts a large demand on him, I know he is more than capable of doing it," Leipold said. "While Jeff should be commended on his athletic ability, I believe many times his ability to juggle everything gets overlooked."

Indeed, Donovan's sophomore athletic campaigns have kept him quite busy. UW-Whitewater's football team played into the heart of December en route to capturing the school's first Division III football national championship. Meanwhile, the 'Hawks baseball squad has been in the midst of a long road trip, playing 14 of its last 16 games away from Prucha Field.

While Donovan said the depth of the Warhawk baseball team was a prime factor in its recent 15-game winning streak, head coach John Vodenlich believes Donovan's role on the team will continue to expand.

"Jeff had the most potential to play here coming out of high school, and I expect great things out of him, not just on the performance standpoint, but also from a leadership standpoint," Vodenlich said. "He's shown he can compete at both sports and do well at both and I'm excited to see him progress."

Even though Donovan recognized individual accolades are nice to have, the former high school all-state football and baseball player praised his baseball coaches and teammates for the triumphs both teams have experienced.

"The coaches have done an excellent job of preparing us for games and have made us mentally tough," Donovan said. "Additionally, the seniors and captains have made us one single unit and are a main reason we have been so successful."

Donovan and the rest of the Warhawk baseball team (28-5, 17-3 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference), won three of four games against UW-La Crosse last weekend, and will play a doubleheader today against Concordia University at Prucha Field.