2002 WIAC Softball Athletes of the Week

2002 WIAC Softball
Athletes of the Week

Week of April 22 - 28
Position
Megan Koeller, Junior (Potosi), Outfielder of UW-Whitewater
Koeller batted 11-for-14 (.786) in four games on the week for the Warhawks. In a doubleheader sweep over Rockford (Ill.), she went 7-for-7 with three doubles, one triple, one home run and eight RBIs. Koeller also batted 4-for-5 in the second game of a doubleheader against Carroll College, leading the Warhawks to a 9-1 victory. On the week, Koeller posted a 1.429 slugging percentage and added six runs scored.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Emilee Planert, Sophomore, Shortstop, Eau Claire (North)
UW-La Crosse, Andrea Tsilis, Junior, Catcher, Sparta
UW-River Falls, Angie Garin, Senior, Outfielder, Inver Grove Heights, Minn. (Simley)
UW-Stevens Point, Amanda Sparks, Junior, First Base, Elcho
UW-Stout, Kaela Wold, Freshman, Outfielder, Altoona
UW-Superior, Sarah Tarasewicz, Freshman, Infielder, Hurley

Pitcher
Kim Czapla, Junior (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Eau Claire
Czapla pitched a one-hitter in an 8-1 conference triumph over Stout. She allowed a leadoff home run, then blanked the Blue Devils the rest of the way. Czapla allowed one walk and matched her season-high with eight strikeouts and faced only three batters over the minimum.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Sally Wenzel, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Mequon (Homestead)
UW-River Falls, Amy Brooke, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Spring Valley
UW-Stevens Point, Katie Knoedler, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Mosinee
UW-Superior, Abby Glawe, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Horicon
UW-Whitewater, Katie Brunner, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Hubertus (Hartford)

Week of April 15 - 21
Position
Megan Koeller, Junior (Potosi), Outfielder of UW-Whitewater
In five games during the week, Koeller went 10-for-19 (.526) with three runs scored and a pair of doubles. She hit safely in all five games, including a 4-for-4 performance with two doubles in a 2-0 win over Benedictine (Ill.). In the second game against Benedictine, Koeller had a pair of hits and a run scored.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jane Taragos, Junior, Outfielder, Wayzata, Minn.
UW-La Crosse, Kelly Fischer, Senior, Outfielder, Appleton (Hortonville)
UW-Oshkosh, Anne Stanislawski, Freshman, Shortstop, Amherst
UW-River Falls, Holly Olson, Shortstop, Waconia, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Stacy Karls, Senior, Catcher, Lodi
UW-Stout, Kim Caswell, Sophomore, Shortstop, Stanley (Stanley-Boyd)
UW-Superior, Jamie Busche, Senior, First Base, Duluth, Minn. (Central)

Pitcher
Karen Guckenberger, Junior (South Milwaukee), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Stevens Point
Guckenberger did not give up an earned run while appearing in all four of the Pointers games last week. She earned two wins against Oshkosh and a win and a save against Platteville. For the week, she had a 0.00 ERA, giving up three unearned runs on just nine hits. Guckenberger struck out 18 and walked just three.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Kim Czapla, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Arlington Heights, Ill. (Buffalo Grove)
UW-La Crosse, Sally Wenzel, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Mequon (Homestead)
UW-Oshkosh, Natalie Mlinar, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Whitewater
UW-River Falls, Leah Vanderploeg, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Cable (Drummond)
UW-Stout, Molly Kraft, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, St. Louis Park, Minn.
UW-Superior, Amanda Johnston, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Aurora, Minn. (Mesabi East)
UW-Whitewater, Heather Wendt, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Hampshire, Ill. (Burlington Central)

Week of April 8 - 14
Position
Tracy Steffens, Senior (Seymour), First Base of UW-Eau Claire
One of the reasons the Blugolds ended the week with a five-game winning streak was the hitting of Steffens who went 11-for-18 in the five wins for a .611 average. She scored five runs, drove in five runs, hit one double and one home run and stole a pair of bases. The Blugolds won all four of their games in the cluster tournament at Whitewater and Steffens raised her average during the week from .212 to .333.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Andrea Tsilis, Junior, Catcher, Sparta
UW-Oshkosh, Angie Long, Sophomore, Outfielder, Green Bay (Southwest)
UW-Platteville, Michelle Skaden, Junior, Catcher, Lewiston, Minn.
UW-River Falls, Emily Vogt, Junior, Outfielder, Annandale, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Amy Schumacher, Freshman, Infielder, Milwaukee (Wisconsin Lutheran)
UW-Stout, Sara Jensen, Junior, Outfielder, Eau Claire (Memorial)
UW-Superior, Melissa Nelmark, Junior, Outfielder, Duluth, Minn. (East)
UW-Whitewater, Kelly Punzel, Junior, Designated Player, DeForest

Pitcher
Heather Wendt, Senior (Hampshire, Ill./Burlington Central), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Whitewater
Wendt tossed three complete games on the week, defeating River Falls, Stevens Point and Stout. In the conference cluster tournament, she threw a pair of shutouts, defeating River Falls 2-0 and Stout 10-0. Her performance against Stout included nine strikeouts. In the three games, Wendt threw 19.0 innings with 17 strikeouts and allowed only eight hits and did not allow an earned run.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Kim Czapla, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Arlington Heights, Ill. (Buffalo Grove)
UW-La Crosse, Sally Wenzel, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Mequon (Homestead)
UW-Oshkosh, Lizz Fernelius, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Beaver Dam (Highland Park, Ill.)
UW-River Falls, Amanda Jo Decker, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Howard Lake, Minn. (Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted)
UW-Stevens Point, Karen Guckenberger, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, South Milwaukee
UW-Stout, Molly Kraft, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, St. Louis Park, Minn.

Week of April 1 - 7
Position
Kay Kueppers, Senior (South St. Paul, Minn.), First Base of UW-La Crosse
Kueppers hit .688 (11-for-16) in helping the Eagles to the championship of the Jenny Walter Memorial Tournament at Platteville. She scored 10 runs with three home runs, one double and seven RBIs. Kueppers also was three-for-three in stolen bases and had a 1.313 slugging percentage and .706 on-base percentage. The four victories in the tournament extended the Eagles’ winning streak to 10 games.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jannah Grinnell, Junior, Outfielder, Delano, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Brenda Feucht, Junior, First Base, Mayville (Hartford)
UW-Platteville, Andrea Krall, Sophomore, Second Base, Denmark
UW-River Falls, Anna Poulter, Sophomore, Outfielder/Catcher, Colfax, Iowa
UW-Stevens Point, Brooke Woller, Junior, Infielder, Wausau (West)
UW-Stout, Michele Harvieux, Sophomore, Catcher/Designated Player, Centerville, Minn. (Centennial)
UW-Superior, Theresa Williams, Junior, Third Base, Duluth, Minn. (Central)

Pitcher
Amanda Johnston, Senior (Aurora, Minn./Mesabi East), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Superior
Johnston fired a perfect game in the Yellowjackets’ 2-0 victory against Viterbo at the Jenny Walter Memorial Tournament in Platteville. She struck out six in the performance, becoming the second player in the WIAC this season to pitch a perfect game. Johnston has a 1.72 ERA on the season with 56 strikeouts. Johnston allowed six earned runs over 16 innings in the tournament, while striking out 11. She has a 1.72 ERA on the season with 56 strikeouts.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Kim Czapla, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Arlington Heights, Ill. (Buffalo Grove)
UW-La Crosse, Sally Wenzel, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Mequon (Homestead)
UW-Oshkosh, Natalie Mlinar, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Whitewater
UW-Platteville, Steph Wood, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Van Dyne (Horace Mann)
UW-River Falls, Amy Brooke, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Spring Valley, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Karen Guckenberger, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, South Milwaukee
UW-Stout, Leslie Barkin, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Buffalo Grove, Ill.
UW-Whitewater, Katie Evans, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Roscoe, Ill. (Hononegah)

Week of March 25 - 31
Position
Jill Van Wychen, Junior (Kaukauna/Freedom), Outfielder of UW-Stevens Point
Van Wychen led the offensive attack for the Pointers during their spring trip to Florida. She batted .559 on the trip (19-for-34), scoring 12 runs with one double and five RBIs. Van Wychen played in ten of the Pointers' 11 games and had a .571 on base percentage. She had multiple hits in seven games, including one three-hit game and one four-hit game. Her four-hit performance came in a 17-6 five-inning win against Hartwick (NY). The Pointers finished the trip with a 7-4 record.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Emilee Planert, Sophomore, Shortstop, Eau Claire (North)
UW-La Crosse, Jenny Nelson, Senior, Shortstop, Watertown
UW-Platteville, Stacey Yaeger, Freshman, Outfield, Lancaster
UW-River Falls, Tiffany Blumer, Freshman, Infielder, Albany
UW-Stout, Kaela Wood, Freshman, Third Base, Altoona
UW-Whitewater, Casey Starkey, Freshman, First Base, Schaumberg, Ill.

Pitcher
Jeanann Briski, Sophomore (Berlin), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Stevens Point
Briski made the most of her first career start for the Pointers, firing a 9-0 five-inning perfect game over Cardinal Stritch in Fort Myers, Fla. It was only her second career appearance for the Pointers. For the week, Briski pitched 12.1 innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs with nine strikeouts. She had a 1.14 ERA on the week.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Jessie Sharpe, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Oconto Falls
UW-La Crosse, Kedra Clough, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Dodgeville
UW-Platteville, Steph Wood, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Van Dyne (Horace Mann)
UW-River Falls, Leah Vanderploeg, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Cable (Drummond)
UW-Stout, Molly Kraft, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, St. Louis Park, Minn.
UW-Whitewater, Katie Evans, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Roscoe, Ill. (Hononegah)

Week of March 11 - 24
Position
Kay Kueppers, Senior (South St. Paul, Minn.), First Base of UW-La Crosse
Kueppers started all ten games on La Crosse’s spring trip to California. She hit .412 (14-of-34) in the Sun West Tournament. Kueppers finished with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, 23 total bases, six walks and .676 slugging percentage. She leads the Eagles in batting average, hits, at-bats, runs, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage. Her two home runs tied for the school record for career home run (10) with teammate Jenny Nelson.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Julie Barth, Sophomore, Outfielder, Neillsville
UW-Superior, Melissa Nelmark, Junior, Outfielder, Duluth, Minn. (East)

Pitcher
Sally Wenzel, Junior (Mequon/Homestead), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-La Crosse
Wenzel went 3-2 with a 0.88 ERA in the Sun West Tournament in Orange, Calif. She recorded victories over Central (Iowa) (1-0), Willamette (Ore.) (6-1) and Carleton (Minn.) (13-2). Central’s only loss of the tournament came against La Crosse. Wenzel pitched seven innings, allowing four hits and one walk with one strikeout against Central. Wenzel had four complete games and pitched 32.0 innings, allowing 22 hits, four earned runs and four walks with 17 strikeouts. Opponents batted .204 against her.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Lizz Fernelius, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Beaver Dam (Highland Park, Ill.)
UW-Superior, Abby Glawe, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Horicon

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