June 9, 2022 at 9:45 a.m.
The Hodags ran through six different pitchers and three different catchers during the season and had three players suffer either season-ending, or season-altering health issues.
As could be expected, the results of all the adversity showed in the Hodags final record as the team went 4-17 overall, finished tied for last in the Great Northern Conference and won only once in its final 16 games.
Yet, coach D.J. DeMeyer said his team battled through the challenges the best it could.
"We had a lot of adversity this year and it's not very often that you go through that many spots with adversity and most people just pack it in," he said. "I never felt like we packed it in. I felt the girls kept on working. They had some fun. We've got some things to work on during the offseason but, hopefully, next year we can have a healthy season. I'd like to see what this team can do when healthy."
Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.
Injuries mount
The first significant blow to the Hodags' depth came April 21 when junior pitcher Addi DeMeyer hurt her ankle in the sixth inning of a 9-0 loss at Antigo.
It was an injury that was aggravated by her pitching motion. While she continued to bat and play shortstop, she would not pitch over the final 10 games of the season. She was 2-5 on the season at that point with a 5.16 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 39 1/3 innings.
The injury seemed to affect her production at the plate as well. She hit .320 with a home run and seven RBIs in the 11 games leading up to the injury and only .111 with one RBI afterward.
"It could be part of the injury. She'll never admit it, but that's her plant foot when she steps," said coach DeMeyer, her father. "I'm sure it hurts and usually when you torque, you turn that ankle a little bit when you're batting. But she'll never make excuses. She's got a lot of ball to play this summer before her surgery and we'll move on."
DeMeyer is slated to have surgery on the ankle later this summer.
Compounding the situation, catcher Maddi Roeser appeared in only 11 games and missed the final eight games of the season due to an undisclosed medical issue. Despite that, she still was the team's leader in batting average (.323) and RBIs (8).
Rhinelander suffered one more blow when sophomore infielder and pitcher Chloe Felde injured her knee, costing her the final four games of the season.
Pitching carousel
The injuries especially impacted the Hodags' pitching situation as the team went as deep as what would have been its sixth and seventh options at the start of the season.
Just more than a week into practice, junior Abigail Bixby opted to leave the team, taking away the Hodags' No. 2 pitching option from 2021. So, once DeMeyer was injured, the bulk of the pitching load ended up on the shoulders of sophomore Laney Haenel, who went 2-10 on the season with an 8.45 ERA. She had 58 strikeouts and 47 walks over 58 innings this spring.
"She had, but a lot of pressure on her," coach DeMeyer said, following a doubleheader loss to Tomahawk April 26, Haenel's first games as the everyday starter. "Her and Addi have been childhood friends for a long time. She knows what's going on and probably feels she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. We'll work on that. Laney's got all the tools. She's just got to get focused and harness those tools, and I think she will."
Once Addi DeMeyer went down, the Hodags used Felde (0-1, 9.33 ERA) and JV call-up Austyn Iwen (0-1, 11.87 ERA) in platoon duty as relievers. When Felde was sidelined in May a pair of freshmen, Kelsey Winter and Kelsi Beran, made pitching appearances in relief during losses to Medford on back-to-back days.
Statbook
In part due to injuries to two of its top offensive players, the Hodags struggled at the plate this season, combining to hit only .179 as a team. Rhinelander was no-hit three times in conference play, including a seven-inning perfect game pitched by Lakeland's Saylor Timmerman May 7.
There were a few bright spots however, including Rhinelander's lone all-conference representative, sophomore Lily Treder. She ended up hitting .258 on the season, according to game-by-game statistics compiled by the River News, and had a team-best 16 hits on the season. She finished the year hitting .367 (11 of 30) over the final eight games.
Roeser, infielder Annika Johnson (.235), outfielder Kayla Tessman (.216) and Addi DeMeyer (.212) were the only other players to finish the season hitting above .200 for the Hodags.
Home sweet dome
Rhinelander was insulated, somewhat, from a late thaw that cost teams several games.
All 17 of Rhinelander's home games ended up being played in the Hodag Dome this spring as a combination of a late winter thaw, soft field conditions and threatening weather prevented the team from christening the new Haug Family Softball Complex adjacent to the dome.
"We thought we were going to get on our new fields this year and it just never worked out," coach DeMeyer said. "We practiced on it all last week and this week. I kind of wanted to break them in, but it might be even sweeter next year to be a healthy team and break them in."
What's next
The good news for the Hodags is they will lose only a couple of seniors in Annika Johnson and utility player Natalee Sundby. With 11 players off this year's varsity roster due back, coach DeMeyer said he's hoping for brighter days next year, provided a little good fortune shines on his team.
"Our younger girls responded and we're only going to get better because of this season. They know what they've got to work on and I think we'll be all right," he said. "I know the record doesn't show how good we really are, but if we have a healthy season next year we're going to surprise a lot of teams and it's going to be a fun season."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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