WIAC Women's Softball Athletes of the Week

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Women's Softball
Athletes of the Week

Week of April 26 - May 2
Position
Jenna Ahnen, Junior (Sparta), Shortstop of UW-La Crosse
Ahnen hit .706 (12-of-17) in six games as UW-La Crosse clinched its first WIAC title in school history. The Eagles won all six games during the week and finished 16-0 in the WIAC. Ahnen had five games with multi-hits and scored five runs overall. She also had three RBI, one double, two walks and two stolen bases. Ahnen went 6-for-7 against UW-Whitewater; 2-for-4 against UW-Superior and 4-for-6 against UW-Eau Claire. She had the game-winning hit in UW-La Crosse’s 7-6 victory over UW-Whitewater.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Aleisha Harper, Sophomore, Secondbase, Mondovi (Eau Claire North)
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tornow, Senior, Outfield, Neenah
UW-Platteville, Chantal McReynolds, Sophomore, Shortstop, Mineral Point
UW-River Falls, Patty Olson, Sophomore, Catcher, Roseville, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Lauren Watkins, Junior, Firstbase, Baraboo
UW-Stout, Jamie Olson, Freshman, Thirdbase, Eau Claire (North)
UW-Superior, Kalli Kucharyski, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Superior
UW-Whitewater, Kate McDonnell, Junior, Secondbase, Aurora, Ill. (West Aurora)

Pitcher
Heather Schultz, Junior (Annandale, Minn.), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-La Crosse
Schultz went 4-0 with a 1.77 earned run average as UW-La Crosse clinched its first WIAC title in school history. The Eagles won all six of games during the week and finished 16-0 in the WIAC. Schultz recorded a pair of wins over UW-Whitewater on April 26 and also earned wins over UW-Superior on May 1 and UW-Eau Claire on May 2. She pitched 23.2 innings during the week, allowing 15 hits and six earned runs. Schultz had 18 strikeouts and three walks. She is 19-2 on the season, setting a single-season school record for victories. Schultz has 12 complete games.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Courtney Wautier, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Brussels (Southern Door)
UW-Platteville, Courtney Ryan, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Grayslake, Ill. (Carmel Catholic)
UW-River Falls, Jamie Klein, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Elk River, Minn.
UW-Stout, Kristy Hoffman, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial)
UW-Superior, Alexis Podpeskar, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Virginia, Minn.
UW-Whitewater, Jessica Stang, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Minnetonka, Minn.

Week of April 19 - 25
Position
Shauna Binsfeld, Freshman (Cedarburg/Grafton), Outfield of UW-Whitewater
Binsfeld helped the Warhawks to a sweep over the University of Dubuque (Iowa) on April 22, winning game one 9-0 in five innings and 5-4 in the second game. She was four-of-four at the plate with a pair of walks for 1.000 on-base percentage. Binsfeld had a pair of home runs for a 2.500 slugging percentage. Her home run in the second game sparked a four-run inning for the Warhawks. Binsfeld added three RBI and three runs scored in the two games.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Emily Muller, Sophomore, Leftfield, Lancaster
UW-La Crosse, Jenna Ahnen, Junior, Shortstop, Sparta
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tornow, Senior, Outfield, Neenah
UW-Platteville, Megan Pozezinski, Sophomore, Outfield, Elgin, Ill. (St. Edward)
UW-River Falls, Hayley Buchanan, Freshman, Secondbase, Eden Prairie, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Melissa Wenig, Senior, Secondbase, Oshkosh (West)
UW-Stout, Alison Gray, Freshman, Catcher, St. Cloud, Minn. (Apollo)

Pitcher
Jessica Stang, Junior (Minnetonka, Minn.), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Whitewater
In a 9-0, five-inning victory over the University of Dubuque (Iowa) on April 22, Stang threw a no-hitter. In the 18 batters that she faced, she struck out eight, walked three and had only one ball leave the infield.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Lacey Probst, Sophomore, Lefthanded Pitcher, Menasha
UW-Oshkosh, Courtney Wautier, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Brussels (Southern Door)
UW-River Falls, Rose Tusa, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Roseville, Minn. (St. Anthony Village)
UW-Stout, Kristy Hoffman, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial)

Week of April 12 - 18
Position
Katie Stalker, Senior (Madison/La Follette), Shortstop of UW-Eau Claire
Stalker helped the Blugolds to seven wins in eight games during week, including six WIAC victories to improve to 7-1 in conference play. She batted .571 (16-of-28) during the week, including one double. While the 16 hits led the Blugolds, she also scored nine of the Blugolds’ 38 runs which also led the team, and recorded one RBI. Stalker was walked four times and stole eight bases in 11 attempts. Starting eight games at shortstop, Stalker had 22 assists and 15 putouts, while committing no errors.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Jenna Ahnen, Junior, Shortstop, Sparta
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tornow, Senior, Outfield, Neenah
UW-Platteville, Jordan Johnson, Sophomore, Firstbase, Mineral Point
UW-River Falls, Ashley Goettl, Freshman, Firstbase, North Mankato, Minn. (West)
UW-Stevens Point, Jessica Berger, Senior, Shortstop, Bonduel
UW-Stout, Kat Nelson, Sophomore, Centerfield, Chippewa Falls
UW-Superior, Ashley Martin, Sophomore, Secondbase, Superior
UW-Whitewater, Emily Epifanio, Freshman, Catcher, Park Ridge, Ill. (Maine South)

Pitcher
Ashley Veroeven, Freshman (Mankato, Minn./West), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-La Crosse
Veroeven went 3-0 last week with a 1.17 earned run average. She picked up victories over UW-Platteville, UW-Stout and UW-River Falls, throwing complete games against UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls. Veroeven recorded 20 strikeouts in the three games, including 10 in a 4-1 win at UW-River Falls. Along with her 20 strikeouts, she finished with two walks in three appearances. At the plate, she hit a solo home run in UW-La Crosse’s 2-1 victory at UW-Stout. She hit .375 (3-of-8) for the week.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Kassie Krummel, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Walcott, Iowa (Durant)
UW-Oshkosh, Tatum Schultz, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Oshkosh (West)
UW-River Falls, Rose Tusa, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Roseville, Minn. (St. Anthony Village)
UW-Stout, Kristy Hoffman, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial)
UW-Superior, Kalli Kucharyski, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Superior
UW-Whitewater, Stacy Bahr, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Racine (Park)

Week of April 5 - 11
Position
Whitney Tornow, Senior (Neenah), Outfield of UW-Oshkosh
Tornow hit .857 (12-of-14) with three home runs, four doubles, 10 RBI and five runs scored as UW-Oshkosh played doubleheaders against UW-La Crosse and the University of Chicago (Ill.). In home losses of 9-2 and 13-5 to No. 17-ranked UW-La Crosse on April 10, Tornow combined to go 6-for-7 at the plate with one home run, one double, five RBI and one run scored. She had three hits in both contests, with a home run and three RBI during the 13-5 setback. UW-Oshkosh split a road doubleheader with the University of Chicago on April 11 as Tornow combined to go 6-for-7 at the plate with two home runs, three doubles, five RBI and four runs scored. She went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run, a double and two RBI during a 7-5 loss. In a 6-5 win, Tornow provided the Titans’ margin of victory by belting a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning. She finished the contest going 3-for-3 at the plate with one home run, two doubles and three RBI.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Kaity Acker, Junior, Firstbase/Designated Player, Cross Plains (Middleton)
UW-La Crosse, Rachel Croak, Senior, Outfield, Greendale
UW-Platteville, Whitney Foltz, Senior, Outfield, Mt. Carroll, Ill. (West Carroll)
UW-River Falls, Sarah Fern, Sophomore, Firstbase, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Park Center)
UW-Stevens Point, Melissa Wenig, Senior, Secondbase, Oshkosh (West)
UW-Stout, Morgan Beyer, Sophomore, Firstbase/Designated Player, Medford
UW-Superior, Alexis Podpeskar, Freshman, Outfield/Pitcher, Virginia, Minn.
UW-Whitewater, Lauren Cruz, Senior, Outfield, Des Plaines, Ill. (Maine West)

Pitcher
Jessica Stang, Junior (Minnetonka, Minn.), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Whitewater
Stang was 2-0 for the week with a 9-1 win over UW-Platteville on April 8 and 3-1 win over Wheaton College (Ill.) on April 10. For the week, she threw a total of 13.0 innings and had 18 strikeouts, five hits and one walk. Two runs were scored against her, only one earned, making her ERA for the week 0.54, while opponents batted .111 against her. Against UW-Platteville, Stang had a perfect game going until the last out of the fourth inning when the Pioneers collected their first hit. Against Wheaton, five out of the seven innings Stang threw, were three-up, three- down innings.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Heather Schultz, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Annandale, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Tatum Schultz, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Oshkosh (West)
UW-River Falls, Rose Tusa, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Roseville, Minn. (St. Anthony Village)
UW-Stevens Point, Chelsea Hensler, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Waterloo
UW-Superior, Kalli Kucharyski, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Superior

Week of March 29 - April 4
Position
Amanda LeBeau, Senior (Worth, Ill./Richards), Shortstop of UW-Whitewater
In four games during the week, LeBeau batted 8-for-15 (.533 average) as the Warhawks compiled a 3-1 record. She had two home runs and one double for a 1.000 slugging percentage. LeBeau added 11 RBI and five runs scored. She hit safely in all four games and had three multi-hit performances. Against No. 21-ranked University of Chicago (Ill.) on April 2, she was 5-for-7 with seven RBI. In the second game against the Maroons, her homerun in the sixth inning broke a tie game and gave the Warhawks the 8-7 victory.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tornow, Senior, Outfield, Neenah
UW-Platteville, Brittany Caley, Freshman, Outfield, Bloomington (Lancaster)
UW-River Falls, Patty Olson, Sophomore, Catcher, Roseville, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Sarah Butts, Junior, Outfield/Utility, Greenfield
UW-Stout, Alison Gray, Freshman, Catcher, St. Cloud, Minn. (Apollo)
UW-Superior, Jen Parchem, Senior, Catcher, Baraboo

Pitcher
Rose Tusa, Sophomore (Roseville, Minn./St. Anthony’s Village), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-River Falls
Tusa recorded two wins last week over Bethel University (Minn.) on April 1 at Ramer Field. In the first contest, she pitched four near perfect innings - not allowing a hit, striking out four batters and walking just one. She retired the first 10 batters she faced before allowing the walk. In the second game, Tusa worked the first four innings and allowed just two hits and no runs. She struck out seven and did not walk a batter. She struck out the side in the second inning. In the two games, Tusa pitched eight innings, allowed two hits and no runs. She walked one and struck out 11.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Ashley Kowalewski, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Greenfield
UW-Platteville, Courtney Ryan, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Grayslake, Ill. (Carmel Catholic)
UW-Stevens Point, Chelsea Hensler, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Waterloo
UW-Superior, Amanda LeBard, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Superior
UW-Whitewater, Sammy Kessler, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Northbrook, Ill. (Glenbrook North)

Week of March 22 - 28
Position
Amanda LeBeau, Senior (Worth, Ill./Richards), Shortstop of UW-Whitewater
In six games, LeBeau hit .556, going 10-for-18 at the plate. Of the 10 hits, she hit three doubles, one triple, and one home run, giving her a 1.000 slugging percentage. LeBeau also scored five runs, knocked in six RBI, drew one walk and had one sacrifice fly. She managed to hit safely in five of the six games, in addition to having four multi-hit games. LeBeau was 3-for-3 in an 11-5 victory over Western Connecticut State on March 23.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Sydnee Wyss, Junior, Shortstop, Monroe
UW-River Falls, Ashley Goettl, Freshman, Firstbase, North Mankato, Minn. (West)
UW-Stevens Point, Kim Liegel, Junior, Outfield, Madison (La Follette)
UW-Stout, Sammy Peterson, Sophomore, Secondbase, Hudson

Pitcher
Jessica Stang, Junior (Minnetonka, Minn.), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Whitewater
Jessica went 2-0 during the week with a pair of complete-game shutouts. She threw 14.0 innings, struck out 19 batters and only allowed five hits. Stang earned the victory over No. 7-ranked Luther College (Iowa), striking out 11 batters. She then threw a one-hitter against Buffalo State College (N.Y.). In the two games, Stang kept her opponents to a .111 batting average.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Courtney Wautier, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Brussels (Southern Door)
UW-River Falls, Rose Tusa, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Roseville, Minn. (St. Anthony Village)
UW-Stout, Kristy Hoffman, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial)

Week of March 8 - 21
Position
Taylor VanDamme, Sophomore (Superior), Centerfield of UW-Superior
VanDamme hit .548 (23-for-42) with six homeruns as she helped the Yellowjackets go 11-1-1 at the Gene Cusic Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla. She scored 12 runs, compiled 14 RBI and had a .821 slugging percentage. VanDamme currently leads the Yellowjackets in batting average, hits, homeruns, RBI, stolen bases and total bases.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Katie Stalker, Secondbase/Shortstop, Senior, Madison (La Follette)
UW-La Crosse, Jenna Ahnen, Junior, Shortstop, Sparta
UW-Platteville, Jordan Johnson, Sophomore, Firstbase, Mineral Point
UW-River Falls, Jessica Lundgren, Senior, Centerfield, St. Croix Falls
UW-Stout, Jenna Johnson, Senior, Firstbase, Menomonie
UW-Whitewater, Amanda Mertes, Freshman, Outfield, Des Plaines, Ill. (Elk Grove)

Pitcher
Kalli Kucharyski, Junior (Superior), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Superior
Kucharyski pitched 43.3 innings for the Yellowjackets at the Gene Cusic Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla., and picked up seven wins in all seven appearances she made. She struck out 39 batters, and allowed just five earned runs with a 0.81 earned run average. The Yellowjackets finished 11-1-1 on their spring trip.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Heather Schultz, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Annadale, Minn.
UW-Platteville, Melissa Anderson, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Schaumburg, Ill.
UW-River Falls, Jamie Klein, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Elk River, Minn.
UW-Stout, Kristy Hoffman, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial)
UW-Whitewater, Jessica Stang, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Minnetonka, Minn.

Week of Feb. 13 - March 7
Position
Lauren Schaller, Freshman (Onalaska/Holmen), Outfield of UW-La Crosse
Schaller hit .636 in UW-La Crosse’s first eight games as the Eagles went 7-1. She was 14-for-22 with nine RBI and eight runs scored. Schaller also hit four home runs with two doubles and a 1.273 slugging percentage. She leads UW-La Crosse in average, hits, home runs and total bases (28). Schaller had at least one hit in seven of eight contests, including five multi-hit games.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Amie Heinzelman, Senior, Outfield, Monroe
UW-Platteville, Whitney Foltz, Senior, Outfield, Mt. Carroll, Ill. (West Carroll)
UW-Stevens Point, Sarah Butts, Junior, Outfield, Greenfield
UW-Stout, Alison Gray, Freshman, Catcher, St. Cloud, Minn. (Apollo)
UW-Superior, Kalli Kucharyski, Junior, Utility, Superior

Pitcher
Heather Schultz, Junior (Annandale, Minn.), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-La Crosse
Schultz went 4-0 in four appearances to start the season with a 1.02 earned run average. She earned victories over Simpson College (Iowa), Concordia University (Wis.), Augsburg College (Minn.) and Concordia-Moorhead University (Minn.). Schultz has pitched 20.2 innings, allowing three runs and four walks while striking out 24. She had a complete-game win over Augsburg on March 5, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Courtney Wautier, Freshman, Brussels (Southern Door)
UW-Platteville, Melissa Anderson, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Schaumburg, Ill.
UW-Stevens Point, Michelle Jones, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Madison (La Follette)
UW-Stout, Kristy Hoffman, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial)
UW-Superior, Alexis Podpeskar, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Virgina, Minn.

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