June 20, 2018 at 1:13 p.m.
Team review: RHS softball
Inconsistency a constant for Hodag fastpitch in 2018
Team review: RHS softball
Consider this - the same team that beat this spring's WIAA Division 3 state runner-up also lost to a team that had not won a conference game in three seasons.
For all the ups and down the Hodags had this season, their record ended up where one would expect - a game above .500 overall (12-11) and right at .500 in the Great Northern Conference (6-6).
The Hodags' play varied greatly from game-to-game and sometimes inning-to-inning. Coach D.J. DeMeyer admitted earlier this month during the team's banquet that his squad left some games on the table.
"I apologize for not unlocking all of your potential," he said. "I still think there was more out there. I think we had a team that could (have made a deep tournament run). Not everything went well. We struggled when the games got close, making the routine plays and I put that on myself for not pushing you guys harder in practice on defense."
Here are five key storylines from the season.
Up and down
Rhinelander roared to a 3-0 start, scoring 12, 17 and 12 runs in those first three contests. But, from there, the team's performance was just as fickle as the spring Wisconsin weather that delayed the start of the season by three weeks.
Rhinelander lost to Wausau East 1-0 on May 1, its first loss to the former Wisconsin Valley Conference rival since 2010. A day later, the Hodags did something they had never done before, lost to Northland Pines by a 3-1 count in the second game of a doubleheader - after beating the Eagles 15-0 in the previous contest.
"I've got some thinking to do," a befuddled Hodag softball coach D.J. DeMeyer said following the Northland Pines doubleheader. "It's going to be a long season if they don't stop playing like this."
The Hodags also lost to Lakeland for the first time in Great Northern Conference play on May 7. Yet Rhinelander finished .500 in the conference thanks in part to a doubleheader sweep May 3 at Medford in which they rallied late in both games to win. Rhinelander also split a doubleheader with Tomahawk, defeating the Hatchets 3-2 on a walk off in the first game of the twin bill. The Hatchets advanced all the way to the Division 3 state finals, before losing to Poynette.
Double trouble
A compacted schedule meant more doubleheaders than normal for the Hodags, which did not seem to play into their hands.
A pattern started to develop, however, one game would likely end up a close contest and the other would end up a blowout. There were cases - such as Northland Pines and Lakeland, where the Hodags win in a blowout and lose a close game. In other instances - such as against Tomahawk and Antigo, the Hodags would win a close game and then get blown out in the next.
When Rhinelander played twice in one day, the average run differential between the games was 11.3 runs (see table above).
"I don't think our varsity team was really set up for doubleheaders every night," DeMeyer said. "I don't think that was our strength. But we got through it. We had a lot of injuries. As one point I think we were down to one pitcher between JV and varsity (due to) injuries. I don't think I've seen that before."
Offensive, defensive woes
Part of Rhinelander's up and down season could be traced back to inconsistency both at the plate and in the field. Rhinelander's .239 batting average in conference play was sixth best in the GNC, ahead of only Northland Pines.
Part of that was the fact that there was a great discrepancy between the top and bottom of the lineup. The players in the top five of Rhinelander's batting order combined to hit .378 with 58 RBIs, according to game-by-game statistics compiled by the River News, while the players in the bottom four of the order combined to but .162 with 27 RBIs.
Rhinelander also struggled defensively. Though the team finished fourth in the conference in total runs allowed (5.4 per game), the team allowed 34 unearned runs - finishing ahead of only Northland Pines (74) in that category.
Several seniors
For the most part, the strength of this year's team rested with its senior class - most notably twin sisters Stephanie and Makayla Kuester.
Makayla Kuester won the triple crown in 2017, leading the GNC in average, home runs and RBIs. Her numbers dropped a bit this year, hitting .410 overall with 13 driven in, but that was largely due to a number of teams opting to pitch around the power hitter.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Kuester, made the most of her opportunities at the top of the lineup, hitting .525 with 18 RBIs - both of which led the team.
Stephanie Kuester and Molly Wagler also pitched the lion's share of the innings for the team this spring. Kuester finished 7-3 with a 3.04 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 64 2/3 innings. Wagler was 5-7 with a 5.04 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 57 innings.
Wagler hit .266 overall on the year while another senior, Cami Buchmann hit .275 overall and earned all-conference honors. Hope Wissbroecker and Tori Roberts rounded out the group of six seniors who saw regular varsity action.
"It was fun coaching them for four years. There were six seniors there who are really good kids, phenomenal players," DeMeyer said.
What's next
Mikayla Evenstad is projected to be the team's only returning senior next year. She hit .338 with seven RBIs while batting in the No. 2 spot of the lineup and playing center field much of the season. Sophomore catcher Ella Mullikin also came on strong toward the end of the year, recording hits in nine of the team's final 11 games and hitting .368 overall.
Those two, along with infielder Sophia McGinnis, are the only starters slated to return.
The primary concern will be pitching. Sophomore Alex Oestreich was the only underclassman to see varsity action this season, pitching an inning of mop-up duty in a lopsided win at Baraboo.
Beyond that, several positions will be open on what figures to be a young Hodag softball squad next year.
"There's a lot of work for all of you and I hope you embrace that and take it as a challenge for next year," DeMeyer told the team during the banquet. "There's a lot of open spots next year on the varsity roster. That should be interesting for all you younger ladies who want to step up to the varsity level."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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