Hodag softball team hands out awards

CORRECTION:  In a story below the River News, citing incorrect information posted to the Great Northern Conference website, erroneously stated that Kelsey Winter earned the win in an April 6 game against Northland Pines. Laney Haenel pitched four innings and earned the win that day while Winter pitched three innings and recorded the save. 

The win and the save were transposed for the two in a statistical report published by the GNC based on data provided by the team. The discrepancy was discovered while gathering information for the RHS softball team review that will be published in the Friday, June 14 edition of the River News. The information has been corrected below.

The Rhinelander High School softball team put a wrap on its 2024 season Sunday with its year-end banquet in the RHS commons.

The team handed out five awards, led by the team’s two All-Great Northern Conference recipients. Freshman Chase Verbist earned the team’s Silver Slugger award while senior Lily Treder earned the Hustle award.

Junior Kelsey Winter was named the team’s Most Improved Player, junior Dawsyn Barkus received the Hodag award and sophomore Willow Mutter received the Team Spirit award.

Statistically, Verbist was one of the team’s top offensive players all spring. Her .414 average in Great Northern Conference play and .353 average overall on the year were tops on the team. She also racked up three extra base hits, three RBIs and a stolen base.

“For us it was pretty easy to give Chase the Silver Slugger award because she did great this year up at the plate,” Hodag co-coach Sadie Adamski said during the banquet. 

Treder also had some of the top offensive numbers on the season, batting .265 while leading the team with 5 RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. 

“She’s a player that will always, always hustle on and off the field,” Adamski said. “It helps that she’s a three-sport athlete because it’s an expectation, all-around in all three sports. Lily being a senior as well, she was a good leader. She was always hustling. 

“This was one, when we talked about it as coaches, Lily was one of the first names that came up because she’s such a good athlete and she hustles all the time.”

Winter was part of the Hodags’ pitching platoon and earned more innings in the circle as the season progressed. She earned the save in the team’s only win this season, a 14-6 triumph over Northland Pines April 6, in the Hodag Dome. She finished the season 0-7 with an 18.27 ERA and a team-high 21 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings. 

“Kelsey is a hard, hard worker, constantly pitching,” co-coach Ali Bender said. “She can’t get enough of it. We also played her in a lot of different positions. Outfield is one of her things. She’s very versatile player, willing to do what the team needs her to do.”

In presenting Barkus with the Hodag award, the coaches credited her selflessness and versatility for stepping in as backup catcher when starter Kadyn Taylor was forced to miss a number of games due to injury. The coaches credited Mutter, who split time in the spring between the varsity and JV squads for constantly being the loudest player on the field — typically reminding her fellow outfielders of their assignments or yelling encouragement to teammates at the plate. 

Additionally, the team handed out letters for the season. Treder and fellow senior Laney Haenel received their fourth varsity letters. Juniors Kelsi Beran and Lucy Lindner got the third. Second-year letter winners included senior Nora Rutkowski; juniors Barkus and Kelsi Beran; and sophomores Mutter, Taylor, Libbey Buchmann and Nevaeh Anderson. Senior Sadie Houghton earned her first varsity letter along with freshmen Verbist, Cassidy Lindner and Ava Rathbun. 

The Hodags went 1-16 on the year and tied for sixth in the GNC with a 1-11 mark. 

“We did not have the record we wanted, but that’s OK. We really enjoyed our tie together with everyone, even though, like I said, it was hard,” Bender said. “There were times where it was really hard, but the way you girls stuck together during the season is super impressive. You were great teammates to each other. We had four amazing (senior) leaders on our team this year.”

Freelancer Bob Mainhardt contributed to this report. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].