Plaza pitches Whitewater to national title

Scott Plaza has taken his history of baseball success close to home and extended it to the national level.

The one-time Harper College and Prospect High School standout helped pitch Wisconsin-Whitewater to an NCAA Division III national championship on Tuesday.

Whitewater (43-7) topped Emory University 7-0 in Appleton, Wis., in the title game as Plaza went the distance. It was the first shutout in the title game since 2002.

Plaza struck out nine and shut down what had been an exceptionally strong offensive team, and was named the tournament's most outstanding player.

Plaza had company on the local level making an impact at Whitewater, as Matt Langlie, a freshman from Mundelein, amassed an 8-1 record in 62 innings with a 3.19 ERA. And junior Trey Cannon (Palatine) hit .303 for Whitewater.

It was quite year for the Warhawks, who ended up winning national titles in football, men's basketball and baseball.