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The WFSCA announced the 2022 Hall of Fame Inductees

10/15/2021, 8:00am CDT
By Bob Tomlinson

Three successful coaches and a contributor will be honored on Feb. 5th at the HOF Banquet at Chula Vista

Janel Batten who led Appleton East to four Final Fours and won the the Division 1 state title in 2000 and  runner-up finish in 2003. Her East squads made it to the Division 1 state tournament eight times (2000 1st, 2003 runner-up, 2008, 0-1, 2009, 1-1, 2010, 0-1, 2011, 0-1, 2012, 101 and 2013, 0-1). All in all Appleton East compiled a state tournament record of 7-7. Batten's Patriot teams won three Fox Valley Association titles. A great motivator and active personality in the third base coach's box, Janel was respected by her players and her contemporaries. Congratulations to her.

Patty Jansen has been the head coach at Watertown since 1991 (32 years as head coach).  Her ?Goslings teams have won 441 of the 669 games they have played in that time span. She has led her troops to 16 conference titles. Watertown has advanced to the Division 1 Final Four five times four of the five times they have qualified for the Division 1 state tournament. They finished as runner-up twice in those five trips (2015 and 2016). In an email to me Patty said, "It took a village to raise me. I was lucky to land and stay at the same spot for 32 years." Congratulations  Patty.

Jeff Hodgson has been the head coach at Belmont since 1995. He has led the Braves to 17 conference titles in during that span. Belmont has played in the Final Four seven times, winning in 2002 and 2019 while finishing runner-up in 2003 and 2006. Belmont has amassed more than 450 varsity wins during his tenure. He was named Coach of the Year by the WFSCA in 2019 and was named Regional Coach of the Year by the NFHS. Jeff served as District rep since 2003 and was the President of the WFSCA for five years and remains on as the District rep for the southwestern district of the state in the small schools divisions. Congratulations to Jeff.

Stephanie Hauser became the WIAA's softball program director in 2016 and held that position through the recent state tournament in Green Bay. She then took her position as Executive Director of the the WIAA a couple days after that event was over. She advanced the sport at the high school level by working closely with the coaches association, the umpires and the media. She was a tireless promoter for fastpitch softball. The state tournament series (regionals through state tournament) were highly organized. 

Congratulations to all four of these people for being selected from a large group of nominees to be inducted in February

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