By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Oshkosh, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team topped UW-Oshkosh 2-1 to claim the 2024 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title and secure the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The tournament title is the program’s eleventh overall and first since 2018.
UWW will find out where they are headed for next week for regional action in Monday’s selection show on ncaa.com at 10 a.m.
UW-Whitewater’s lucky numbers were one and two this week. The Warhawks won all four games of the WIAC Tournament by a score of 2-1. Coming in as the number four seed, two of UWW’s wins were against the number one seed, UW-Oshkosh, and a third came against number two seeded UW-Stevens Point. Warhawk pitcher Brooke Hock, who wears number 12, picked up a save in the first three of UWW’s games in the tournament and registered the win in the championship game Saturday. The theme would continue on the offensive end in the title game.
In the bottom of the second, Grace Wickman – sporting jersey number one – led off the frame with an absolute smash to left center. The second Wickman connected on the pitch, there was no doubt the ball was leaving the park. The Warhawks sprinted out of the dugout to meet Wickman at home celebrating the 1-0 lead.
With all of the momentum in Whitewater’s corner, Maggie Ward continued the frame reaching via catcher’s interference with one out. Kiera Jarrett singled up the middle and JJ Jakosalem took one for the team to load the bases with one out. The Titans opted to get the out at home on a fielder’s choice for out number two, but the bases remained loaded. Kaitlyn Weidemann – who wears number two – drew a walk to score Jarrett and give UWW a 2-0 lead.
UW-Oshkosh cut the lead in half in the top of the third using three hits to plate a single run in the frame.
After a fantastic start by Rhiann Dick, the senior passed the ball to Hock for the final four frames. Hock entered with one on base and zero outs but retired three consecutive Titans. After a leadoff walk in the fifth, Hock got the next three on a pair of groundouts and a fly out that Bella Eggert hauled in in center field.
UW-Whitewater thwarted another UWO opportunity in the sixth after the leadoff batter reached on a walk. With a full count on the next batter, the Titan runner at first bolted early on the pitch. Hock threw it by the UWO hitter for the strikeout as the first base umpire signaled indicating the runner left early and was out for a different version of a double play. Eggert tracked down a fly ball in center for the final out of the top of the sixth.
The top of the seventh went 1-2-3. Eggert captured the first out on a fly ball. Wickman fielded a grounder and threw a dart to Taylor Koehler at first for the second out. Ward secured the title by catching a deep fly ball in left field as the Warhawks streamed out of the dugout in celebration.
Each pitching staff allowed three hits in the game, all by different batters. Dick scattered three hits across three innings of work while striking out two. Hock no-hit the Titans the rest of the way fanning two to improve to 6-1 on the season.
