June 18, 2023 at 8:08 a.m.
Team review: RHS softball
Hodags improve in DeMeyer's final year
Team review: RHS softball
The Hodags went 10-14 this season, their highest win total since 2018, and nearly sent DeMeyer out with a major playoff upset, taking top-ranked Medford to extra innings in the WIAA tournament. A couple of weeks later, DeMeyer announced he was stepping down as head coach.
"The only thing that would have been better was if we beat them but, for my last game, I have no qualms about it," he said.
Still, 2023 was a big improvement over 2022 when the team, plagued by injuries, the Hodags scuffled to a 4-17 record - winning only one of their final 14 games. The Hodags tied for fourth in the GNC this year, and showed flashes of being able to compete with the top teams in the conference.
Coach DeMeyer pointed to the number of all-conference awards the team got this season as a measure of its improvement.
"We were able to get five of the is some accolades, which I think are well-deserved," he said. "And I think it shows too the improvement of our team from last year to this year. I think if we go back and look at what we talked about at the beginning of the season, I thought we'd be maybe fourth, maybe third if we had a really good season. We ended up fourth."
Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.
Early ups and downs
The Hodags had some highs and lows early in the season, winning some close games in a couple of early-season home tournaments while getting blown out in others.
Rhinelander found itself 4-3 seven games through the season but then went on a six-game losing streak that included conference losses to Medford (twice), Mosinee and Lakeland.
The toughest loss in that stretch game came on April 13 at Mosinee as the team relinquished a 5-3 lead in the second inning, allowed 15 unanswered runs and eventually lost, 18-5.
"We're dropping fly balls. We're not hitting cutoffs. We're not throwing the ball. They need to come together as a team and they need to decide how they want to finish this season," coach DeMeyer said after that game.
Finally outside
The Hodags responded from there, winning four of their next six games, which included a 9-6 win over Crandon in non-conference play April 28.
That game carried extra significance as it was the team's first outdoor home game since late 2021 and finally christened the Haug Family Softball Complex behind the Hodag Dome.
Rhinelander scored all nine of its runs in the first two innings and held off a late comeback from the Cardinals.
"I told the girls, 'We're not losing our first game on this field. Whatever we got to do, we're going to win,'" he said.
Playoff push
The Hodags ended conference play in style, edging ace pitcher Saylor Timmerman and Lakeland 1-0 in Minocqua May 11 in a game that Rhinelander won despite failing to collect a hit.
That moment led into the playoffs where the Hodags won another hard-fought game, edging Shawano 1-0 in first round of the WIAA tournament.
Senior pitcher Addi DeMeyer struck out seven and scattered six hits in a shutout effort. Outfielder Lily Treder tripled and eventually scored the lone run of the game. She also made a game-saving catch in the seventh inning as Shawano had the tying run on second base.
Rhinelander's reward for that win was a rematch with GNC champion Medford. Rhinelander tied the game in the sixth inning of that game, forced extras but came up short at Medford plated the winning run in the ninth.
"They battled, they battled, they battle, they battled," coach DeMeyer said afterward. "We had a good pitching performance. It was a good team effort and we just came on the short end there. Give credit to Medford. They're No. 1 for a reason, but we had them on the ropes and they knew it."
Statbook
A big source of the Hodags' struggles in 2022 was the fact that pitcher Addi DeMeyer and catcher Maddi Roeser were sidelined or limited due to health issues for the final two thirds of the season.
Both were back and healthy this year, which showed on the field.
DeMeyer, who was shut down pitching early last season, was back near 2021 form, going 8-11 on the season with a pair of saves, a 3.07 ERA and 184 strikeouts over 120 2/3 innings pitched. She was also led the team with 18 RBIs on the season, hit the team's lone home run and was tied for fourth on the team with a .273 average.
Roeser was third on the team, hitting .281 and drove in seven runs on the season while appearing in 21 of the team's 24 games.
Treder, who was the team's lone all-conference player in 2022, put up strong offensive numbers again this year, hitting a team-best .397 with 15 RBIs.
Overall, the Hodags finished fifth in both scoring offense (4.3 runs per game) and scoring defense (5.7 rpg) in the GNC this year, while finishing fourth in team batting (.238). DeMeyer was third in the conference in strikeouts (104) while Treder was second in stolen bases (9) and tied for sixth in total hits (14).
What's next
While the team improved this year, there are plenty of question marks entering the offseason, beginning with who will serve as head coach next season. The School District of Rhinelander is currently in the process of gathering applicants to find D.J. DeMeyer's replacement.
"I think I'm leaving the program on an uptick. Whoever the next person is, I want them to take it to another level. That's all I want, success," he said.
Beyond that, pitching will be the obvious void the Hodags will need to fill next year, following Addi DeMeyer's graduation. The team used three other pitchers, but all struggled to match DeMeyer's numbers. Senior-to-be Laney Haenel logged the second-most innings on the team this year at 19, but was 2-2 with a 14.00 ERA. She gave up 49 hits and 38 walks, compared to only 13 strikeouts. Two freshmen, Libbey Buchmann (0-0, 7.64 ERA, 3 2/3 IP) and Nevaeh Anderson (0-1, 31.50 ERA, 2 2/3 IP), saw limited varsity innings.
The team also graduated three of its top four hitters from the season in DeMeyer, Roeser and Abigale Johnson. Lucy Lindner (.242) will join Treder as the Hodags' two returning all-conference selections. Freshman Kadyn Taylor also stood out in limited varsity action, going 7-for-15 (.467) at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBIs.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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