RELEASED:  Wednesday, May 7, 2008

UW-Oshkosh’s Stampfli, UW-River Falls’ Howlett and UW-Whitewater’s Stang Receive Top Women’s Softball Honors; UW-Whitewater’s Volk Named Coach of the Year

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Ronessa Stampfli and UW-Whitewater’s Jessica Stang were named Co-Pitchers of the Year and UW-River Falls’ Emily Howlett the Position Player of the Year to headline the 20 individuals selected to the 2008 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Softball Team by the league coaches.  In addition, Warhawk head coach Brenda Volk was voted the Coach of the Year.

Stampfli, a senior righthanded pitcher, claimed the pitcher of the year plaque for the fourth straight season.  She ranks second in the WIAC with 215 strikeouts and a .168 opponent batting average and third with a 1.45 earned run average, 135.1 innings pitched and 16 wins.

She logged 11 double-digit strikeout performances, including a season-high 18 against Bethel University (Minn.) on April 5.  Against Marian College (Wis.) on March 2, she registered 17 strikeouts in a 10-inning complete-game victory.

Stampfli tops the conference’s all-time list with 972 strikeouts and 27 shutouts, while ranking second with 662.2 innings pitched, third with 72 victories, fourth with 71 complete games and fifth with 116 appearances.   

A freshman righthanded pitcher, Stang leads the league with a 0.76 earned run average and .157 opponent batting average, while placing seventh with 102 strikeouts, ninth with eight wins and 10th with 83.0 innings pitched.  She reached double-digits in strikeouts in four games, including a season-high 11 against UW-Eau Claire on April 27.

This marks the second time in the seven-year history of the pitching award that it has been shared.  Stampfli split the honor with UW-Eau Claire’s Mallory McKinney in 2006.

Howlett, a senior third baseman, claimed first team honors for the third consecutive season and is the first player in program history to win the player of the year honor.  She leads the conference with a .500 batting average, 52 runs batted in, 69 hits, 17 doubles and 114 total bases, while ranking second with 47 runs scored, 138 at-bats and a .539 on-base percentage, third with a .826 slugging percentage and sixth with eight home runs.   Howlett set school single-season records in batting average, runs batted in, hits, doubles, runs scored and slugging percentage, while topping the Falcon career list with a .439 batting average and 52 doubles.  Her career totals rank second on the WIAC all-time chart.

She recorded at least one hit in 35 of 42 games and produced 24 multi-hit games, including six three-hit performances and two four-hit contests.  Howlett scored at least two runs in 13 games and had multiple runs batted in during 17 contests.

Repeat selections on the first team included:  UW-Eau Claire’s Jill Janke and Casey Leisgang, UW-La Crosse’s Liz Bradley, UW-Oshkosh’s Amy Sullivan, UW-Platteville’s Tera Burr, UW-River Falls’ Mindy Rudiger, UW-Stevens Point’s Laura Van Abel, UW-Superior’s Becky Crane and UW-Whitewater’s Amy Gahl.

Janke, a senior first baseman, and Leisgang, a senior second baseman, claimed first team recognition for the fourth straight season, becoming the third and fourth individuals in program history to accomplish the feat.

Janke places fifth in the conference with 39 runs batted in, seventh with 16 walks and ninth with 129 at-bats.  She holds the Blugold career record with 1,433 putouts.

Leisgang leads the WIAC with 53 runs scored and a .545 on-base percentage, while ranking second with a .457 batting average, third with 58 hits and 99 total bases, fourth with a .780 slugging percentage and three triples, sixth with eight home runs and eighth with 11 doubles.  She was named the conference’s co-position player of the year in 2006 and her 35 career home runs rank second on the league’s all-time list.  Leisgang tops UW-Eau Claire’s career chart with 176 runs scored and 84 walks.

Bradley, a senior third baseman, is third in the league with 45 runs batted in, 11 home runs and 99 total bases, fourth with 53 hits, fifth with 136 at-bats, seventh with a .728 slugging percentage and eighth with 11 doubles.  She was also a first team selection during the 2006 campaign.

Sullivan, a senior righthanded pitcher, claimed first team recognition for the second straight year.  She places third in the WIAC with a .191 opposing batting average, fourth with 141 strikeouts, fifth with a 1.71 earned run average, seventh with 10 wins and eighth with 94.1 innings pitched.

Burr, a junior second baseman, captured first team status for the third straight year after leading the conference with 12 home runs and a .943 slugging percentage, while placing second with 13 doubles, third with 99 total bases, fourth with 12 stolen bases and a .500 on-base percentage, fifth with a .438 batting average, sixth with 39 runs scored and 10th with 31 runs batted in.  Her 12 home runs matched a school record and she leads the Pioneer all-time list with 21 home runs and 32 doubles.

Rudiger, a junior shortstop, earned first team honors for the second consecutive season after securing honorable mention accolades in 2006.  She ranks third in the league with 137 at-bats, 45 runs scored, 22 walks and 11 home runs, fourth with 12 doubles and seventh with 93 total bases.

Appearing on the first team for the third consecutive season, Van Abel, a senior shortstop, tops the WIAC with five triples, while ranking fifth with a .481 on-base percentage, sixth with a .432 batting average, seventh with 38 runs scored, eighth with a .720 slugging percentage and ninth with 51 hits.  She leads UW-Stevens Point’s all-time list with 16 home runs and 13 triples and owns the second-longest hitting streak in conference history at 29 games.

Crane, a junior second baseman, earned first team status for the second straight year after ranking fourth in the league with three triples and fifth with 11 stolen bases.

Gahl, a junior centerfielder, was named the WIAC position player of the year last season and leads the conference with five triples, while placing seventh with 52 hits and 131 at-bats, eighth with 92 total bases, ninth with a .702 slugging percentage and 10th with a .397 batting average.   She shares the second-longest hitting streak in the league history with Van Abel at 29 contests.

Additional first team selections were:  UW-Eau Claire’s Michelle Butkus and Jenny Ross, UW-Oshkosh’s Dani Olsen and Whitney Tornow, UW-Platteville’s Katie Sutter, UW-River Falls’ Keri Feller and UW-Whitewater’s Lauren Cruz and Amanda LeBeau.

UW-Whitewater head coach Brenda Volk was voted the Coach of the Year for the third time in her career (1999, 2000) after directing the Warhawks to their seventh WIAC championship and a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament.  She is in her 10th season at UW-Whitewater and is the school’s all-time winningest coach with a 283-137-4 record.   Her 283 wins rank third on the conference’s all-time chart.

Individuals receiving honorable mention included:  UW-La Crosse’s Rachel Croak, Sarah Pfeifer and Rachel Weyer, UW-Oshkosh’s Amie Heinzelman and Sydnee Wyss, UW-Platteville’s Maggie Medlicott, Becky Swanson and Lindsay Weigand, UW-River Falls’ Ashley Bertrand, UW-Stevens Point’s Danielle Ashbeck, Korryn Brooks, Kayla Kastenmeier and Chelsea McIlquham, UW-Stout’s Savanah Oeltjen and Nelly Peterson and UW-Whitewater’s Suzanne Gersich.

Named to the inaugural All-Sportsmanship Team were:  UW-Eau Claire’s Tessa Pecha, UW-La Crosse’s Jess Iwanski, UW-Oshkosh’s Dani Olsen, UW-Platteville’s Patty Meoska, UW-River Falls’ Cassie Peterson, UW-Stevens Point’s Niki Schomer, UW-Stout’s Savanah Oeltjen, UW-Superior’s Alison Lundberg and UW-Whitewater’s Liz Yucuis.  The team was selected for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season.  It included one member from each school as selected by that school.

2008 All-WIAC Women’s Softball Team
First Team
Name, School, Year, Position, Hometown (High School)
Liz Bradley, La Crosse, Senior, Thirdbase, Platteville
Tera Burr, Platteville, Junior, Secondbase, Shawano
Michelle Butkus, Eau Claire, Senior, Thirdbase, Medford
Becky Crane, Superior, Junior, Secondbase, Altoona
Lauren Cruz, Whitewater, Sophomore, Leftfield, Des Plaines, Ill. (Maine West)
Keri Feller, River Falls, Junior, Firstbase, Austin, Minn.
Amy Gahl, Whitewater, Junior, Centerfield, Beloit (Parkview)
Emily Howlett, River Falls, Senior, Thirdbase, Eagan, Minn.
Jill Janke, Eau Claire, Senior, Firstbase, Black River Falls
Amanda LeBeau, Whitewater, Sophomore, Shortstop, Worth, Ill. (Richards)
Casey Leisgang, Eau Claire, Senior, Secondbase, Seymour
Dani Olsen, Oshkosh, Senior, Catcher, Verona
Jenny Ross, Eau Claire, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Mendota Heights, Minn. (Henry Sibley)
Mindy Rudiger, River Falls, Junior, Shortstop, Menomonie
Ronessa Stampfli, Oshkosh, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Brodhead
Jessica Stang, Whitewater, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Minnetonka, Minn.
Amy Sullivan, Oshkosh, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Oshkosh (West)
Katie Sutter, Platteville, Freshman, Thirdbase/Righthanded Pitcher, Barneveld
Whitney Tornow, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Outfield, Neenah
Laura Van Abel, Stevens Point, Senior, Shortstop, Kaukauna

Honorable Mention
Danielle Ashbeck, Stevens Point, Senior, Centerfield, Wabeno
Ashley Bertrand, River Falls, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, St. Paul, Minn. (Como Park)
Korryn Brooks, Stevens Point, Senior, Catcher, Stevens Point (SPASH)
Rachel Croak, La Crosse, Sophomore, Rightfield, Greendale
Suzanne Gersich, Whitewater, Junior, Rightfield, Wadsworth, Ill. (Warren Township)
Amie Heinzelman, Oshkosh, Sophmore, Outfield, Monroe
Kayla Kastenmeier, Stevens Point, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Ashwaubenon
Chelsea McIlquham, Stevens Point, Senior, Secondbase, Sun Prairie
Maggie Medlicott, Platteville, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Neenah
Savanah Oeltjen, Stout, Senior, Shortstop, Spring Valley, Minn. (Kingsland)
Nelly Peterson, Stout, Junior, Firstbase, Cumberland
Sarah Pfeifer, La Crosse, Senior, Secondbase, Watertown
Becky Swanson, Platteville, Senior, Outfield, Neenah
Lindsay Weigand, Platteville, Senior, Firstbase, Fort Atkinson
Rachel Weyer, La Crosse, Freshman, Leftfield, Loyal
Sydnee Wyss, Oshkosh, Freshman, Outfield, Monroe

All-Sportsmanship Team
Jess Iwanski, La Crosse, Senior, Utility, Grafton
Alison Lundberg, Superior, Senior, Centerfield/Pitcher, Osseo
Patty Meoska, Platteville, Senior, Catcher, Bagley (River Ridge)
Savanah Oeltjen, Stout, Senior, Shortstop, Spring Valley, Minn. (Kingsland)
Dani Olsen, Oshkosh, Senior, Catcher, Verona
Tessa Pecha, Eau Claire, Senior, Outfield, Eau Claire (North)
Cassie Peterson, River Falls, Junior, Secondbase, New Richmond
Niki Schomer, Stevens Point, Senior, Outfield, Marinette
Liz Yucuis, Whitewater, Junior, Catcher, S. Elgin, Ill. (St. Charles East)

Position Player of the Year:  Emily Howlett of River Falls
Co-Pitchers of the Year:  Ronessa Stampfli of Oshkosh and Jessica Stang of Whitewater
Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete:  Jill Janke of Eau Claire
Coach of the Year:  Brenda Volk of Whitewater