MADISON, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the defending conference champion, is the preseason choice of the league's sports information directors to win the 2011 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) softball title.
The Eagles claimed the first conference championship in program history last season after establishing school records with 38 wins, 1317 at-bats, 283 runs scored, 431 hits, 254 RBIs, 67 doubles, 39 home runs and a 21-game winning streak. UW-La Crosse picked up six first-place votes in the preseason projections and entered the 2011 campaign ranked No. 23 nationally in a preseason poll conducted by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Senior Jenna Ahnen, the reigning WIAC Position Player of the Year, is second on the school's career chart with 180 hits and 118 runs scored, while senior Rachel Weyer is fourth with 110 runs scored and 14 home runs. Gone from last year's team is WIAC Pitcher of the Year Heather Schultz who posted a school-record 24 wins in 2010.
UW-Whitewater secured two first-place votes in the league survey and is expected to finish second in the nine-team derby. The Warhawks own eight regular-season conference championships and entered the season ranked No. 18 nationally. Senior Jessica Stang is a three-time All-WIAC first team choice and secured Pitcher of the Year recognition in 2008 and 2009. She ranks fourth on the WIAC all-time list with 527 strikeouts, sixth with 22 shutouts and ninth with 54 wins. UW-Whitewater has a 32-game home winning streak that dates back to the 2008 season when they finished as national runners-up.
UW-Superior claimed the remaining first-place vote in the conference poll and is slotted to place fourth. The Yellowjackets secured the regular-season title in 2002 and captured the tournament crown in 2004. Eight starting position players return from last year's unit that produced 25 wins which were the most since 2004. Junior Taylor VanDamme topped the 2010 team with a .440 batting average, .767 slugging percentage, .500 on-base percentage, 51 hits and 10 home runs, while classmate Ashley Martin ranked 14th in the NCAA Division III with 1.21 runs per contest.
UW-Eau Claire has totaled 10-plus WIAC wins in each of the last seven seasons and returns 131 of 196 runs scored, 175 of 316 hits, 109 of 166 RBIs and 12 of 14 home runs from a year ago. Junior Aleisha Harper had 10 multi-hit games last season. Head coach Leslie Huntington directed the squad to the national title in 2008 and needs 11 wins to surpass UW-Whitewater's Irv Madsen (264 wins) for fourth place on the WIAC all-time victory list.
UW-River Falls returns seven of its top 10 hitters from last year's team that set school records with a .351 batting average and a .480 slugging percentage. Sophomore Ashley Goettl was the team leader with a .459 batting average, 30 RBIs, 17 doubles and 8 home runs. The Falcons also welcome back three pitchers who accounted for 259 of the team's 266 innings pitched a season ago. Head coach Jody Gabriel needs 20 wins to reach 100 in her career.
UW-Oshkosh has posted seven consecutive winning seasons and returns four players who started at least 36 games a year ago. Senior Sydney Wyss tallied 11 multi-hit games during the 2010 campaign, including six contests with at least three hits. Wyss has started all 123 games during her first three seasons. The Titans lose 2009 WIAC Position Player of the Year Whitney Tornow, who batted .500 last year, while leading the NCAA Division III with 0.93 walks per game.
UW-Stevens Point has accumulated 20-plus wins for 17 straight seasons and claimed the 1998 NCAA Division III national championship. Senior Sarah Butts led the 2010 squad with a .363 batting average, 124 at-bats and 45 hits.
UW-Stout has nine true freshmen and added four transfers to this year's squad. In 2010, sophomore Alison Gray produced team-leading marks with a .352 batting average, .633 slugging percentage, 128 at-bats, 45 hits, 30 RBIs, 28 runs scored and 9 home runs. Head coach Chris Stainer, in her 12th season, is nine wins shy of reaching 200 in her career with the Blue Devils. She is the winningest coach in program history and the longest tenured softball coach at UW-Stout.
A year ago, UW-Platteville sophomore Brittany Caley led the team with a .354 batting average, 12 doubles and 12 bases on balls. Junior Chantal McReynolds became just the 13th player in program history to hit a grand slam in 2010.
2011 Preseason Predictions (Voted on by WIAC Sports Information Directors)
2010 Record
1. UW-La Crosse (6) 38-9, 16-0
2. UW-Whitewater (2) 31-15, 10-6
3. UW-Eau Claire 21-21, 11-5
4. UW-Superior (1) 25-11-1, 9-7
5. UW-River Falls 24-16, 9-7
6. UW-Oshkosh 22-21, 9-7
7. UW-Stevens Point 22-18, 4-12
8. UW-Stout 16-24, 3-13
9. UW-Platteville 11-27, 1-15
( )--First-place votes
Team Vitals (Entering the 2011 season)
UW-Eau Claire
Head Coach: Leslie Huntington; 10th season at UWEC; 254-133
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 12/5
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 5/4
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 2/1
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 1/1
Returning All-WIAC: Aleisha Harper, Jr., 2B/3B (2009-First, 2010-First); Emily Muller, Jr., C/IF/OF (2010-Honorable)
UW-La Crosse
Head Coach: Chris Helixon; 11th season (6th at UWL); 177-171-1 (overall) / 125-87 (UWL)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/10
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 7/2
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 1/2
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 1/1
Returning All-WIAC: Jenna Ahnen, Sr., INF (2009-First, 2010-Position Player of the Year); Katie Pietrowiak, Sr., C (2009-Honorable); Lauren Schaller, So., OF (2010-Honorable); Rachel Weyer, Sr., OF (2008-Honorable)
UW-Oshkosh
Head Coach: Cindy Suess; 7th season at UWO; 161-92-1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/6
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 5/4
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 2/1
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 0/1
Returning All-WIAC: Sydnee Wyss, Sr., SS (2008-Honorable, 2009-First, 2010-First)
UW-Platteville
Head Coach: Heather Townsend; 6th season at UWP; 55-129
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/10
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 4/5
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 2/1
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 0/0
Returning All-WIAC: Brittany Caley, So., 2B (2010-Honorable)
UW-River Falls
Head Coach: Jody Gabriel; 4th season at UWRF; 80-45
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 12/4
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 8/2
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 3/0
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 2/0
Returning All-WIAC: Hayley Buchanan, So., IF (2010-Honorable); Ashley Goettl, So., IF (2010-Honorable); Patty Olson, Jr., C (2010-First); Rose Tusa, Jr., RHP (2009-Honorable, 2010-First)
UW-Stevens Point
Head Coach: Tom Henke; 3rd season at UWSP; 43-38
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 17/4
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 7/3
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 4/1
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 3/1
Returning All-WIAC: Sarah Butts, Sr., OF/UT (2010-Honorable)
UW-Stout
Head Coach: Chris Stainer; 14th season (13th at UWS); 209-300 (overall) / 191-275 (at UWS)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 5/10
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 4/6
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 1/1
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 0/0
Returning All-WIAC: Alison Gray, So., C/IF (2010-Honorable)
UW-Superior
Head Coach: Roger Plachta; 11th season at UWS; 209-173-1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 12/7
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 8/2
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 3/1
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 2/0
Returning All-WIAC: Kalli Kucharyski, Sr., RHP (2010-Honorable); Ashley Martin, Jr., C/2B (2009-Honorable, 2010-First); Taylor VanDamme, Jr., OF (2010-First)
UW-Whitewater
Head Coach: Brenda Volk; 13th season at UWW; 361-162-4
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 16/7
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 6/3
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost: 3/1
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost: 1/0
Returning All-WIAC: Jessica Stang, Sr., LHP (2008-Pitcher of the Year, 2009-Pitcher of the Year, 2010-First); Kate McDonnell, Sr., 2B (2010-First); Emily Epifanio, So., C (2010-Honorable)
