2008 WIAC Softball Tournament Preview
Zenoff Park will be the place to be Friday, May 2nd and Saturday, May 3rd as it will be the home the 2008 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Softball Tournament.
This is the third time Stevens Point will host the WIAC Tournament. Stevens Point last hosted in 1999 and 1991. The Tournament begins Friday morning with a single-elimination game between the two lowest seeds. After that it is all double-elimination with two games going simultaneously for the majority of time. There will be at least 15 total games played with the possibility of a 16th game. The winner receives an automatic birth to the 59-team NCAA Division III Tournament.
UW-Eau Claire is the two-time defending champions of the tournament, winning as a four seed last year. The Blugolds and UW-Oshkosh faced each other three times during last year’s tournament as Eau Claire won the first contest 4-3 in nine innings. In the championship round the Titans got the Blugolds by a score of 2-1 to force a 16th and deciding game. In that game, Eau Claire hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth to capture the title by a score of 3-2.
Due to the number of cancellations around the league this season, the conference was forced to use a three criteria process to determine the seeds. Coaches ranked the teams in order from best to worst and that was 25 % of the criteria. Another 25 % was used for best overall win/loss percentage and the other 50 % was for conference win/loss percentage. The team with the least points was the top overall seed.
UW-Whitewater (28-6; 14-2) played all of its games and won the regular season title after being predicted to finish fifth in the preseason. Since getting swept by UW-Oshkosh, the Warhawks have won 12 games in a row. The last time the Warhawks won the conference tournament title was when they were the seven-seed in 2003. The No.1 seed of the tournament has only won it twice since 1999 and just six times since 1986.
The Warhawks lead the conference in batting with a .348 average and is second in pitching with a 2.10 earned run average. Lauren Cruz is third in the league with a .453 batting average and Amy Gaul, last year’s conference position player of the year, is at the top of the conference with five triples. The power comes from Amanda LeBeau, who has 10 home runs. Whitewater as a team leads Division III averaging 1.33 homers per game. On the mound, freshman pitcher Jessica Stang is on top of the conference with a 0.66 ERA in 14 appearances. The Warhawks also don’t beat themselves as they lead the conference with a .972 fielding percentage.
Last year’s regular season champion and this year’s preseason favorite No. 23 UW-Oshkosh (24-8; 10-3) is the No. 2 seed. After starting the season 6-6, the Titans have won 18 of their last 20 games. Pitching is once again carrying the Titans as they lead the WIAC with a 1.62 ERA. All-American Ronessa Stampfli leads the conference with 189 strikeouts this year and is the WIAC career record holder with 946 strikeouts. Her counterpart Amy Sullivan has a 1.66 ERA and 124 strikeouts this season. Oshkosh has not won the tournament since the 1985 season.
The defending two-time tournament champions No. 11 UW-Eau Claire (25-9; 10-4) is the No. 3 seed. Eau Claire had its highest finish in school history last season with a third place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. The Blugolds are the second-best hitting team in the league with a .342 batting average. Casey Leisgang is second in the WIAC with a .473 average. Leisgang needs just four home runs to tie the conference career mark. Freshman pitcher Jenny Ross has been nearly flawless in her first season with a 16-1 record and a 1.27 ERA. The 16 wins are the most in the conference.
UW-Stevens Point (23-9; 8-6) is the No. 4 seed. The Pointers jumped out to a 9-0 start this season, the best start since they were 10-0 to begin the 1996 season. The Pointers are in the middle of the pack in both offense and pitching. Laura Van Abel leads the squad with a .435 batting average and is the school record holder with 14 career home runs. The Pointers as a team broke the school record for home runs in a season for the second straight year with 29 so far. Hope Krause has thrown two no-hitters this season and Kayla Kastenmeier is 14-3 and is third in the conference with 132 strikeouts. The Pointers last won the tournament championship in 2001 as the No. 7 seed.
UW-River Falls (25-11; 8-8) enters as the No. 5 seed. The Falcons had a school record 15-game winning streak at one point this season and were ranked as high as ninth in the NFCA Division III poll. The Falcons started 21-1 this year, but have dropped 10 of their last 14 games. Emily Howlett leads the WIAC with a .512 batting average, 15 doubles, and 48 RBIs. Pitcher Ashley Bertrand is second in the league with 15 wins and she is on top of the conference with 128.2 innings pitched this year. Her 175 strikeouts rank her second in the WIAC. The last tournament title for the Falcons was back in 1994.
The No. 6 seed UW-La Crosse (22-15; 8-8) is in search of its first tournament championship. The Eagles started the season 11-1, but were just 11-14 the rest of the regular season. Liz Bradley is second in the conference with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs. Teammate Rachel Weyer is second in the WIAC with 58 hits. Rachel Croak has a team-high .423 batting average and a tied for the conference lead with 20 stolen bases.
UW-Platteville (13-19; 7-8) will be the No. 7 seed in this year’s tourney. The No.7 seed is the lowest seed ever to win the conference tournament. The Pioneers have played the top teams in the conference tough this season as they beat UW-Oshkosh in the conference opener, lost to Eau Claire in extra innings, and lost to Whitewater by a combined five runs. For the second consecutive season, Platteville has set a school record with 44 home runs. Tera Burr leads the WIAC with 12 dingers. She also leads the conference with a 1.000 slugging percentage.
UW-Superior (13-21; 2-12) and UW-Stout (7-28; 0-16) will play the first game of the tournament Friday morning in the single-elimination game. The Yellowjackets are the No. 8 seed having beaten the Blue Devils twice during the regular season. Becky Crane leads the Superior offense with a .361 batting average and 23 RBIs. Pitcher Nichole Tessier is fifth in the league with 100 strikeouts. The Blue Devils went winless in conference action during the regular season and have lost 27 straight, since starting the season 7-1. Katie Fichter has hit three home runs and has 14 RBIs to lead Stout.
All of the action begins at 9 a.m. Friday morning at Zenoff Park in Stevens Point.