April 21, 2017 at 1:58 p.m.
An ace to an Eagle: Schickert commits to UW-L softball
An ace to an Eagle: Schickert commits to UW-L softball
On Monday, the senior hurler and reliever Stephanie Kuester combined to throw a no-hitter at Lakeland. On Tuesday, Schickert injured her knee during a loss against conference rival Mosinee and on Wednesday she announced, regardless of the severity of her injury, her softball career is not done, committing to play next year at UW-La Crosse.
As of Wednesday afternoon Schickert did not know the extent of the right knee injury she sustained while trying to field a ground ball less than 24 hours earlier, but said she took comfort in knowing whether the setback keeps her out of the Hodags' starting lineup for one day or one month, she will definitely be making a return to the diamond.
"I'm very happy because I know that I'm going to take it to the next level," Schickert said after announcing her collegiate intentions Wednesday afternoon. "Where if I knew that I wasn't, I think this would be a hard time. I enjoy softball so much and having my knee now, I don't know (if) I'd be done ... Now that I know that I'm for sure going to the next level, it's fine."
Through three games this season, Schickert is 2-1 with a 2.02 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings. That's following a season where she was unanimously selected to the All-Great Northern Conference first team as a pitcher.
"Obviously, she's in control of the game and there's not a lot of batters that are going to get solid contact with her," RHS head coach D.J. DeMeyer said. "She has a great dropball, great rise, curve. We're working on the changeup yet, but she's in control and she puts our defense at ease, too."
Schickert said she chose La Crosse over two other Division III programs, and a Division II program, and communication with the Eagles' coaching staff began late last spring after she and the Hodags knocked off defending WIAA Division 2 state champion La Crosse Logan in a weekend invitational.
"We've been talking back and forth for quite a while," she said of her conversations with UW-L head coach Chris Helixon. "I went there not really knowing who he was and he just knew a lot about me and made me feel like I would be a good asset to their team in the next few years.
"At this point, I want to play and I want to be where I want to be. I don't want to be far away from home. I want to be close enough to home and I want to be on a team that is like my high school team, where it's fun, it's upbeat but yet it's serious and I think La Crosse was the best for that."
Heading into Friday's play, UW-La Crosse was 20-10 overall on the season, 4-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and coming off a doubleheader sweep of 21st-ranked UW-Oshkosh.
Schickert said she is hoping to make an immediate impact on the team next year and DeMeyer said she has the tools to do it.
"She's going to bring the same thing she brings to the high school level, but she'll step it up another notch," he said. "She'll get more practice in on a consistent basis and she'll be a leader on that team, probably early on. I think she's got the talent to be very successful."
Schickert thanked her support group, which includes her family and coaches. In particular she thanked RHS pitching coach Danny McDonald, who Schickert began working with as a fourth grader.
"He's definitely been like my grandpa," Schickert said. "I call him my grandpa. I call him my best friend. He's definitely meant the most to me in just softball, in general. He's taught me life lessons that I'll never forget - not even on the pitching side, just the social side of it. He's a great pitcher and a great guy to learn from. Anyone who can take his advice, I would tell them to do it."
McDonald called Schickert one of his best pupils.
"She's definitely the best as far as movement and speed," he said. "She works extremely hard. Whatever you tell her to do she'll try to do, as far as throwing pitches she did. She became very good at it - good movement on everything.
"She won't be outworked. There's nobody that will out work her. Nobody."
Schickert said UW-La Crosse's education program also attracted her to the southwestern Wisconsin school. She said she plans to major in both special and elementary education.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.