The Dunn/St. Croix Conference race is up for grabs due to the graduation of some key players at several schools. Perhaps hit the hardest by graduation is Pepin-Alma as three tremendous players from there are all playing key roles on strong collegiate teams. A new coach at Elk Mound will also be added to the mix.
Here is a look at the some of the clubs in the Dunn/St. Croix Conference
Elk Mound
Head Coach - Dylan Pronshinske - First Year
Assistant coaches: Brandon Powell, Bob Huffman, and Molly Tiry
Number of student athletes (10 freshmen, 8 sophomores, 8 juniors, and 3 seniors)
1. Starters lost from last season and value to team (please include any honors and/or noteworthy statistics), and expectations for the season.
SS - Becca Kopp .408 BA, 29 RBI, 5 SB
LF – Katie Bergh .379 BA, 17 RBI, 5 SB
CF – Kaysi Meindel .379 BA, 6 RBI, 13 SB
C – Maddy Polden .350 BA, 19 RBI, 9 SB
1B - Kylynn Simon .323 BA, 13 RBI
2B - Amanda Ward .306 BA, 9 RBI, 8 SB
2. Returning starters along with contributions from last season (please include honors and/or noteworthy statistics) and expectations for this season.
P - Dayna Kotecki 13-6, 3.00 ERA, .423 BA, 19 RBI
3B - Kaity Johnson .353 BA, 5 RBI
RF - Elizabeth Schreiber .238 BA, 6 RBI, 4 SB
3. New athletes expected to make a contribution this season.
2B - Makenna Borofka
SS - Lexi DeLong
C - Morgan McDougall
OF - Morgan Polden
4. Assess last season and compare current team to last year's.
Last year was a senior dominated team that graduated 6 key starters. This year's team will be much younger and much more inexperienced. We have to fill a lot of holes left by last year's graduating class. We will return all three pitchers that saw significant time in the circle last year.
5. Identify this year's team's strengths and weaknesses and the keys to a winning year.
We lost a lot of offensive production from last year so finding ways to score runs is going to be key in our success. We have to replace 6 defensive positions so our defensive communication is going to be key, especially early in the season. Our biggest strength is going to be our pitching. We return all three girls who saw time in the circle last season and we have added a few more. Junior Dayna Kotecki will be entering her third year as our starting pitcher and has a solid group behind her to help carry the load: Morgan Polden, Lexi DeLong, and Abbey Olsen.
6. Goals set by you and/or your players and what will qualify as a successful season.
1. Improve every practice and every game.
2. Conference Championship
3. Regional Championship
4. Sectional Championship
7. List the top three conference contenders (and reasons why), and how your team fits into the picture.
Alma/Pepin - Program Tradition and returning starters
Boyceville - Returning Pitcher and Upperclassmen
Elk Mound - Returning Pitchers
Pepin/Alma
Head Coach - Matt Bellerive
The 2014 Pepin/Alma Eagles Fastpitch softball team is going to have a very different look than it has had in a few years! The end of the 2013 season marked the end of three of the greatest softball careers in the school's history.
The three positions that those three players filled for the last few years were the most important spots on the field! Our left handed speedy catcher and all time triples leader ,Kayla Meixner is now playing softball at UW Eau Claire. Our pitcher and the greatest power hitter and all time home run leader in program history, Breanna Ellison (and all time winningest pitcher).. is now playing softball at UW Stevens Point. And super-star shortstop and all time hits leader, all time doubles leader and all time leader in RBI's Ali Murray is now the starting short stop at UW River Falls. So that being said we have some holes to fill! We have six high school girls that can pitch......Junior lefty Emily Kircher and right handed Olivia Rotering will be the front runners for who fills the circle.....(Time will tell)......Returning seniors this season are 2nd baseman Tana Prokosch , Outfielder Allie Laehn, Haley Auseth and it will be nice to see Cori Terpstra back on the field this season after missing her junior year due to a blown out ACL she suffered last winter in a basketball game! Other Key returning starters include Junior Morgyn Steinke, Junior Katie Herold, Junior Maddie Hogue and Sophomore Andi Terpstra.
It will be an interesting 1st couple weeks of practice as there will be nine spots to fill on the field and I really don't know who will be in them! One thing is for sure this year, there will be a lot of girls busting their butts to get themselves into the starting line-up! That will be a fun thing to watch as a coaching staff.
The entire conference will have a whole different look this season as a lot of teams lost a lot of key players! The conference title should be a multi-team race and could be won by several teams! Our success just like everybody else's will depend on the consistency of our pitching staff! In order to succeed in this sport you must be able to pitch! PERIOD! Everything else is secondary! It will be fun to watch our pitching staff battle each other for the 1st 2 weeks to see who surfaces as the starter on opening day! Our scrimmage will come after only our 1st 5 practices and will take place in the dome in Rochester MN!
Elmwood/Plum City
2nd year as co-op team
Head Coach: Becky Baier 8th year as head coach
Assistant Coaches: Missy Bechel and Kristy Hoffman
Key players lost last year: McKayla Brunner (pitcher). Shelby Kannel (outfield), Krista Peterson (DP and First Base)
Out look for the season: We have several returning players, but uncertain at this point who will fill the positions.
Conference: Dunn - St. Croix There are several strong contenders in the conference.
Colfax
Colfax returns seven starters off last year's team that went 7-9. Mallie Doucette was 1st team all conference and Karina Wait was honorable mention all conference as was Emily Tuschl. Other returning starters include: senior Equality Wison, juniors Kori Buchanan and Courtney Ottinger and sophomore Lakken Meredeth. If Colfax is going to improve they must have more consistent pitching and defense. lThey struggled with both areas last year at key times. Sophmore Lakken Meredeth will have to have a great year pitching if the team is going to move up in the DSC standings.. Doucette hit .389 with 12 extra base hits including 4 homeruns. Team must replace Sam Simonson a thee-time all conference player who is playing at UW Superior.
Glenwood City
Head Coach - Pete Gaustad - First Year
Glenwood City's new Head Coach is Pete Gaustad whose journey to the coaching ranks at the high school level is an interesting one. For the past eigth years Gaustad has been toiling behind home plate and on the bases as an umpire. As a matter of fact he has worked the regional final the past three seasons.
If things go well for Gaustad he will work the regional final again this season only this time from the third base coach's box. One thing should be certain, there ought not be any umpires who know rules any better than Gaustad.
Glenwood city returns the entire roster from 2013. That should give them an edge in terms of varsity experience. "The Dunn-St. Croix lost some great ball players to graduation and it is a perfect time for Glenwood City to step up," stated Gaustad. "We have our starting pitcher back and she is much improved."
With a complete roster of varsity letterwinners at every position GC will look to put the pressure on the rest of Dunn-St. Croix. Gaustad noted that even though the entire roster returns there are also some talented 9th graders who are putting pressure on those returning players. "We will have a deep bench full of eager learners," the coach added.
Gaustad sees the pre-season list in the conference headed by Elmwood, Xolfax and Pepin/Alma. He thinks Boyceville, on paper is in the fourth spot followed by Spring Valley and the rest of conference which includes his club, Elk Mound (new coach there too), St. Croix Central and Mondovi.
