Cleveland, OH — The UW-Whitewater softball team opened the 2025 NCAA Regional hosted by Case Western in spectacular fashion Thursday. Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) tossed the first no-hitter in NCAA play in league history as the Warhawks topped Penn College of Technology 5-0. 

The day didn’t start off as planned as a rainstorm popped up in the middle of warmups causing a delay. The Warhawks headed to a locker room to wait out the next two hours before heading back to field to re-warmup. The delay didn’t seem to have an impact as the Warhawks took an early lead and Hammen shutdown the Wildcats. 

JJ Jakosalem (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) took one for the team to lead off the bottom of the third. Kaitlyn Weidemann (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) laid down a nifty bunt and legged out the infield single followed by a walk from Bella Eggert (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) to load the bases. Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) put the ball in play and forced a miscue to push the first run across. Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) found the 5-6 hole beating the diving shortstop for a RBI single. Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) scored another on a grounder before Dani Peshia (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) tagged a ball up the middle. The second baseman made a diving stop but Peshia got the infield single and an RBI for a 4-0 lead. Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) plated the final run of the inning, and the game, on a grounder that the shortstop made a diving play on. Despite the great defensive effort, Giese was able to score from third and give UWW a 5-0 advantage.

The top of the fourth saw the lone Wildcat batter reach on a walk. Hammen threw to just one over the minimum, one batter away from the perfect game. 

The no-hitter is the first of Hammen’s collegiate career, the first seven-inning no-hitter for UW-Whitewater since 2017, and the first no-hitter by any WIAC pitcher in the NCAA tournament in conference history. 

The Warhawks advance to face Case Western Reserve, which beat Lebanon Valley 10-2 in five innings on Thursday. and Lebanon Valley tomorrow (Friday) at 10 AM CDT. All games of the Cleveland regional can be viewed live on NCAA Champs Pass. 

MADISON, Wis.–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Matt Scolan has been named the recipient of the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Baseball Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
A senior from Downers Grove, Ill. (South), Scolan is majoring in finance and sustains a 3.81 grade point average. He was selected the 2024 NCAA Division III Baseball Academic All-America® of the Year, selected by the College Sports Communicators. Scolan is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and been recognized on UW-Whitewater’s Dean’s List numerous semesters. He was a UW-Whitewater Chancellor Scholar Athlete this year.
 
Scolan was tabbed the WIAC Kwik Trip Position Player of the Year this season and received the award for the second consecutive year. He is a three-time All-WIAC first team selection helped UW-Whitewater win four conference titles and three tournament championships in his career. Scolan received All-America First Team honors a year ago from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com. He is a two-time ABCA All-Region honoree, claiming third team recognition in 2023 and first team accolades in 2024.
 
Scolan owns the conference career record in runs scored, and holds the program record for career at-bats, hits, and home runs. In 2024, he set single-season program marks with 228 at-bats, 81 runs scored, 92 hits and 78 RBI.
 
Scolan has provided community service at Helping Hand in Illinois. 
 
Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were: UW-La Crosse’s Tucker Bouche (Sr., Oconto Falls, Wis./Oconto Falls); UW-Oshkosh’s Mason Kirchberg (Sr., DeForest, Wis. /DeForest); UW-Platteville’s Brady Hoppert (Sr., New Berlin, Wis./Martin Luther); UW-Stevens Point’s Colton Martell (Sr., Sussex, Wis./Hamilton); and UW-Stout’s Justin Sedin (Sr., Poplar, Wis./Northwestern).
 
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, who served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference for 22 years from 1971-93. He oversaw the transition of the conference from NAIA to full NCAA membership. Sparger arrived at UW-Stout in 1959 and served the institution in a variety of capacities, including an assistant football and basketball coach, head wrestling coach and head football coach. He served as UW-Stout’s athletics director from 1969-71 and was inducted into the WIAC Hall of Fame in 2012.
 
In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade point average. In addition, he must be in his last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years. The award is based on academic achievements, athletics accomplishments and involvement in other campus activities, organizations and community service projects.

Editor’s note: Source – WIAC website

Update 5/14/25 @ 11 p.m.: UW-W Women’s Softball has its first game in the championship on Thursday, May 15 at 10 a.m. CDT. They play Penn College and livestream may be found here.

The Warhawk softball team, will make its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament starting Thursday, May 15, in Cleveland, Ohio.

UW-Whitewater (35-6 overall) will make its 25th appearance in the national tournament as an NCAA Division III member. The team takes on Penn College in its first game on Thursday, May 15, at 10 a.m. Central Time at the four-team Cleveland regional, which is being hosted by Case Western Reserve University.

The Warhawks claimed an at-large bid to the tournament after winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship for the third time in the last five years. UW-Whitewater reached the semifinals of the conference tournament last week in Whitewater.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater club softball team earned the 2025 National Club Softball Association Division II national championship — the program’s second consecutive title — after winning the World Series last weekend in Cranberry, Pennsylvania.

The Warhawks topped High Point University on Sunday, May 11, by a 5-1 score in the World Series final to clinch back-to-back championships and the second title in program history.

UW-Whitewater finished 3-0 in pool play before winning consecutive games in bracket play to capture the championship. The team qualified for the World Series after winning the NCSA Division II District IV Regional in Elkhart, Indiana, topping Northern Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, St. Thomas, and Michigan Tech to punch its ticket to Pennsylvania.

UW-Whitewater is home to more than 30 individual club sport programs. Warhawk teams have combined to earn 32 national championships in the university’s history. For more information on club sports at UW-Whitewater, visit uww.edu/rec-sports/club-sports.