The Waterloo softball program achieved incredible heights in the spring of 2023. The Pirates enjoyed a Cinderella run through the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division 4 state tournament as a No. 4 seed. They knocked off a pair of No. 1 seeds to claim the Sectional 4 title and punch a ticket to state.
There, seemingly the entire town of Waterloo showed up to UW-Madison’s Goodman Diamond to watch as the Pirates took down Stratford to reach the 2023 Division 4 state title game. It took seven runs in the seventh inning for Iola-Scandinavia to steal away a 10-6 win in the ensuing title game, leaving Waterloo with a state runner-up finish.
Now, the Pirates are looking for more. While their run through the state tournament was an inspiring one, it came on the heels of relinquishing their crown in the Capitol — South conference to bitter rival Marshall. With a full supporting cast of returning talent, the Pirates have every right to have high expectations for themselves.
Headlining the returning Pirates are a pair of honorable mention all-state seniors, catcher Brenna Huebner and first baseman Katrina Freund.
Freund carried one of the most dangerous bats in Waterloo’s lineup. She tied for the team lead in RBIs with 22 thanks to eight doubles and two triples. She collected 29 total hits for a batting average of .420. Freund would also come around to score 18 times and led the team in slugging percentage at 1.051. She was clutch in stressful situations, too. In the Division 4 state semifinal, she went 3-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored to help erase a five run deficit and vault her team into the state championship game.
Huebner is a lethal double threat as both Waterloo’s backstop and one of its best bats in the lineup. At the plate, Huebner had by far the best batting average on the team last season at a stellar .551 mark. She also led the team in hits (38), singles (13), doubles (5), homeruns (2), and RBIs (22) and came around to score 22 times. Behind the dish, Huebner recorded 83 putouts, tallied 12 assists, and only committed one error for a fielding percentage of .979.
Joining Huebner and Freund in garnering Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association (WFSCA) honors was breakout freshman Emma Baumann. She was an immediate impact third baseman last season and earned honorable mention all-district honors. On top of her impressive glove skills, Baumann also wielded a dangerous bat from the cleanup spot in the batting order. She drove in 21 RBIs thanks to five doubles, a triple, and a homerun. She posted a batting average of .443 and a slugging percentage of .586, showing impressive levels of both consistency and power.
The honors don’t end there, either. Senior centerfielder Bri Lauersdorf is also back this spring after picking up second team all-conference honors from the Capitol — South as a junior. The speedster tallied 20 hits on the year, including three doubles and two triples, for a solid batting average of .323. She came in to score 16 times and drove in four RBIs.
Waterloo will also have two more familiar names from last season that return to their starting roles. Senior Leeah Dorn was solid as a rock at second base for the Pirates last season and was an arguable all-conference snub. Left fielder Alix McCarthy broke into the starting lineup as just a sophomore. She made some stellar defensive plays in the midst of Waterloo’s tournament run and returns for her junior season.
Even with all of these known commodities, the Pirates will be tested by the early portion of their schedule. Only one of their first nine games will be played at home, a conference rivalry matchup with Marshall on Monday, April 8. Their next home matchup with be a three-team tournament with Deerfield, Lomira, and Mineral Point on Saturday, April 20.
The 2024 season has already kicked off for Waterloo, as well. The Pirates took to the road on Tuesday, March 19 and handed non-conference River Valley a 14-3 loss.
It was a dominant day at the dish for Huebner and Baumann who both had two doubles and three hits overall. Huebner came in to score twice and added an RBI while Baumann knocked in two RBIs and scored once. Freund also connected on a double and knocked in two RBIs and came in to score three times.
Schaumann and Lawson split the pitching responsibilities, Schaumann pitching the first three innings and Lawson finishing out the final four. Schaumann only allowed two hits with no earned runs along with two strikeouts. Lawson struck out three and only one of the three runs that scored were earned.
Waterloo returns to the diamond on Tuesday, March 26 with a trip to Poynette. They’ll follow that with a visit to Lake Mills on Thursday, April 4 before starting off Capitol — South conference play with the Marshall game.
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