March 22, 2023 at 8:24 a.m.
Team preview: RHS softball
Hodags hope to have more luck on their side in tough GNC
Team preview: RHS softball
Key injuries plus a top-heavy Great Northern Conference led to a 4-17 overall record last season, including losses in 15 of the team's final 16 games.
As head coach D.J. DeMeyer enters his ninth season at the helm, he's hoping that the law of averages cuts the Hodags a break this year.
"Hopefully we can have one of those seasons this year where we don't have all of the injuries, etc., which would be nice because we haven't had that in a couple of years," he said. "It's been really hard to go with your gameplan for the year when you have all those issues. I'm excited about a healthy, productive season and we'll see where it goes."
Rhinelander starts its season this weekend with the Danny Mac Invite at the Hodag Dome. The Hodags opened against Boyceville last night and will play twice more today to round out the tournament.
The Hodags will be bolstered by a pair of seniors who were limited or sidelined much of last season - pitcher Addi DeMeyer and catcher Maddi Roeser. DeMeyer went 2-5 with a 5.16 ERA and 57 strikeouts last year, but did not pitch in the Hodags' final 10 games due to an ankle injury that she eventually needed surgery to fix during the offseason. Roeser, meanwhile, missed the team's final eight games due to a health issue.
"In the game of fastpitch, probably 75-80% of it is your pitcher-catcher combo," coach DeMeyer said. "If you've got a good pitcher-catcher combo, you're going to be in most games and you're going to do well for the season. When you lose both of them, last year, it's really hard. I give a lot of credit to our team last year. We fought hard. We didn't give up on games. We were in a couple of games I thought we could have won."
Not only did Addi DeMeyer and Roeser make up Rhinelander's battery, when healthy, they were also two of the team's top hitters. Despite playing only 10 games, Roeser led the team hitting .323 with eight RBIs last spring. DeMeyer finished the season at .212 with a home run and eight RBIs, but was hitting at a .320 clip prior to her ankle injury.
"They were some of our best hitters too. That takes a lot of the offense out too. Hopefully, this year's we'll have two of our three seniors back healthy," coach DeMeyer said.
As a result, the Hodags struggled at the plate. The team hit .139 in the GNC and averaged 3.2 runs per game - both last in the league. Rhinelander was no-hit in three of its 12 conference games.
Addi DeMeyer figures to pitch the bulk of the innings for the Hodags this spring, though she may see some time at shortstop - where she was recruited by UW-River Falls to play collegiately. The Hodags hope she returns to her 2021 form, when she went 4-10 with a 3.18 ERA and 109 strikeouts over 81 1/3 innings.
"She has been our No. 1 for a couple of years now and she'll be throwing the majority of the innings," coach DeMeyer said. "We're going to be a little cautious too. If she's tired we don't want to put her on there. We don't want to risk an injury. I would say the ankle's, I don't ever want to say 100%, but I would say it's probably 90% right now. The other 10% is probably more confidence and building that confidence."
Junior Laney Haenel (2-10, 8.45 ERA) saw plenty of innings last year after DeMeyer got hurt and will come in as the team's No. 2 option. D.J. DeMeyer noted that a pair of freshmen - Libbey Buchmann and Nevaeh Anderson - could also see time in the circle either on varsity or JV.
"We've got four pitchers this year, which is probably more than we normally have," coach DeMeyer said. "There will be some girls depending on when JV plays and when varsity plays, bouncing back and forth."
The Hodags bring back one all-conference player from last season in junior outfielder Lily Treder. She hit .258 overall last season and was 11 for 30 in her final eight games, while patrolling centerfield for the Hodags.
"She controls the outfield out there," coach DeMeyer said. "We're trying to get her to be more vocal. That's what we're working on in practice and just to be a leader out in the outfield. We're starting to see that in practice. She can cover a lot of game."
Other key players returning from last year's squad include senior outfielder Abigale Johnson and sophomore infielders Lucy Lindner and Kelsi Beran. As the team entered its second week of practice, coach DeMeyer said a number of starting positions were still up for grabs.
"I have some ideas and there's open competition," he said. "That's good. We have some girls that are stepping up in practice now. I've seen some in open gym and, when we get some girls back, they're going to have to step up. The best players are going to play. Hopefully that team camaraderie, they'll cheer each other on and we'll go from there."
Rhinelander will have to figure things out quickly. The Hodags will face two of last year's GNC tri-champs - Medford and Antigo - at home in their first two conference games March 28 and April 4. While both squads have lost a few pieces, they have a number of players back will likely be back in the mix for the conference crown this year. Mosinee was the third team to split the conference title last year and coach DeMeyer said Lakeland, behind standout sophomore pitcher Saylor Timmerman, could be on the upswing as well.
"We have a tough conference and if everybody's healthy, I think it could be open to three or four teams. I really do," he said.
DeMeyer said health may be what makes or breaks the Hodags' season, too.
"I want to see us competing in every game, keeping the games close, playing as a team, communicating as a team, doing the little things right. I think winning will take care of itself," he said. "I want to see us healthy. I can't stress that enough. Healthy is the key. If we can be healthy, doing the little things, I think we can surprise some teams."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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