Several players helped end state droughts

The WIAA state softball tournament begins Thursday and in case you didn’t notice there are plenty of fresh names in the field.

Absent are regulars Germantown and Westosha Central and Wilmot.

Oak Creek is back for a second straight year and Menomonee Falls is making its third appearance in the six seasons, but when it comes to reaching state for area schools, this year has been about ending droughts.

Slinger will make its first appearance. Burlington qualified for the first time since 1988. Whitnall is in the field for the first time since 1995. The 17-yeardrought Waukesha North’s snapped is modest in comparison.

A team doesn’t get this far without the work of a number of players, but you also need some players to have special years. Here is a look at some of who have:

A winning formula

Hayley Wynn accepted the challenge. At the start of the postseason, Whitnall’s coaching staff told the junior she need to pitch more in the zone and walk fewer hitters.

The junior delivered, leading the Falcons to victories over state-ranked New Berlin West and Kewaskum, which was previously undefeated, in the sectional.

“Hayley is a very goal-oriented kid,” Whitnall coach Tom Hickman said. “She likes it when you give her tasks that she has to reach for and strive for.”

Wynn is a third baseman by trade, but she arrives at state with a 14-1 record and an ERA of about 1.40. Her forte has been to get hitters to chase pitches and then trust her defense to make plays.

At the plate, the Ball State recruit has been downright scary. She entered the sectional final hitting .617 with 29 RBI and a team-high 52 runs.

Klein in control

If Burlington had a breakthrough moment, it came in Game 5 of the year against Westosha Central.

The Falcons have been the dominant program in the Southern Lakes in recent years and the Demons thumped them, 6-1. Senior pitcher Josie Klein was in control, tossing a complete game with two strikeouts and hitting a double and scoring twice.

Burlington went on to win the league and went 4-1 against Central and Wilmot, teams that had dominated that conference.

Klein’s fingerprints are all over that success. The Southern Lakes player of the year comes to the state tournament hitting about .500 with an OPS near 1.500 and is 18-2 in the circle with an ERA of about 1.75.

Double trouble

Having a strong pitcher takes you a long way. Slinger has two in junior Keana Retzlaff and sophomore Maya Morris.

“One goes and the other goes the next game,” Slinger coach Tanya Villarreal said. “If one is having trouble or off that day, we will make a substitution, but for the most part they’ve been switching on and off.”

The pitchers had combined for a 0.79 ERA in their 23 appearances heading into the sectional final. Retzlaff had six shutouts. Morris had five. Morris had 10 complete games, Retzlaff had nine. Morris had allowed 10 earn runs, Retzlaff six.

Both were first-team all-North Shore picks. Retzlaff was the league’s player of the year.

Leading the charge

When you look at Waukesha North, it’s hard to get past Maddy Anderson. The junior has a 0.33 ERA with 263 strikeouts in 129 2/3 innings. She also leads the team in hitting (.448), RBI (19) and possesses a 1.275 OPS.

She’s a star, but there are more ways to be key for a team than produce big hits or strikeouts. That’s where Megan Johnson and Haley Marking come in. The seniors don’t have crazy stats, but as captains they’ve served important roles as the Northstars emerged from their sectional.

“Her and Haley have taken the reins and kept the ship guided and kept people focused,” North coach Shawn Grimm said. “Our two mottos all year have been playing for the team, playing as a team and playing one inning and one pitch at a time. They’ve done a great job of keeping the team focused on that.”

Johnson, an infielder, is hitting .250 with 14 RBI. She is the more vocal of the two. Marking, who also plays infield, is hitting .267. She does the job more by example.