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Monroe eager to get started on another great season -- Here is their Pre-Season Profile

04/15/2021, 4:30pm CDT
By Contributed

This is the type of coverage the Fastpitch Chronicle offers every team in the state of Wisconsin

Cheesemaker eye a return trip to the Division 2 Final Four in 2021

The following Monroe pre-season outlook was submitted from within the Monroe softball program. It arrived today and gets published right away because all that was needed was to copy, place a cursor and hit "Paste."

Your program, team and players can get this same kind of recognition if someone inside your program takes the time to get that recognition for them. 

The Monroe Cheesemakers 2021 Pre-Season Outlook
Special to The Fastpitch Chronicle

Monroe: Division 2 enrollment 723

Head Coach: Joe O’Leksy 4 years, Career Varsity Record 63-17 (25 years total coaching softball at Monroe HS)

2019: Division 2 State Runners Up, 1 Sectional, 2 Regional and 2 Conference Championships.

Assistant coaches: Noel Herbst (19 yrs.) Donna Skogen (16 yrs.) and Tom Witt JV (2nd year)

Monroe High School: 1 State Championship, 5 Runners up, 8 State Final Four appearances. 

Preview: In 2021 Monroe looks to compete for their 3rd straight Conference Title in the tough Badger South, and a return trip to Goodman Diamond. The Cheesemakers return 6 of 9 starters from the 2019 team that went 23-5 and finished Runners Up at State D-2. The team is led by senior shortstop Sydney Updike, a 2x WFSCA All-State Selection. In 2019 Syd finished at the plate with a .422 BA, .455 OBA, 30 R, 10 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR and 26 RBI’s. Senior catcher Katie Hayes: .365 BA, .390 OBA, 5 2B, 4 HR and 21 RBI’s, senior leadoff hitter and second baseman Alyse Maurer: .354 BA, .456 OBA, 16 BB, 4 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, and 32 Runs, senior third basemen Lizzie Snider: .321 BA .390 OBA, 11 BB, 4 2B, and 16 RBI’s, junior outfielder Sloane Ambrose .351 BA, .400 OBA, and 13 RBI’s and senior outfielder Sarah Prien .270 BA,  6 2B, 1 HR, and 12 RBI’s. With nearly ¾ of the 2019 runs, hits, extra base hits, and RBI producers back, Monroe looks to put some runs on the scoreboard in 2021. The Cheesemakers will also benefit from the addition of power hitting junior Karis Paulson, senior Maddie Leck, along with freshmen Katrina Sathoff who are coming off of super summer/fall travel softball seasons. The Cheese will not have a traditional power pitcher, as in the past, but will have 5 solid pitchers available to go into the circle. We will have the ability to rotate pitchers often in each game to keep teams off balanced. The plan is to walk very few batters, play excellent defense, and hit the heck out of the ball at the plate. With this approach, along with our very experienced group returning players and our always challenging schedule, we will hopefully have an opportunity to make a return visit to State.

Badger South outlook- Top Teams: Milton, Monroe, and Edgewood and dark horse Oregon. Milton (18-7) is an excellent hitting team and they return 1st team senior pitcher Erika Reif (187K). Edgewood will have a new coach but at (12-10) will return a solid battery of senior catcher Leah Jakusz and senior pitcher Michelle Schmitt. Oregon (15-9) is a solid team defensively, and returns senior catcher Megan Bloyer 1st team, and a very good pitcher in Amelia Spilde. Watertown might have graduated a ton of seniors in 2019, but don’t count them out because their excellent coach, Patty Jansen, will make sure they are more than competitive. Fort, Monona Grove and Stoughton all have enough good players to surprise any of the top teams.

Sectionial #3 (BigFoot) This sectional was one of the toughest in the state in 2019 and has some excellent teams again in 2021. Jefferson (23-4) leads the list with a great hitting team, led by junior catcher Aidyn Messmann and senior pitcher Claire Beck. East Troy (19-5) is led by a very experienced group of seniors including Megan Verbeten, Luci Kapelka and Sydney Raddeman. Edgewood should be in the mix along with traditional powers like Portage, Beloit Turner, Wisconsin Dells, Westfield and McFarland. As always, if Monroe is going to make it to State, they will have to earn it one game at a time.

 

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