Titans Open Softball Schedule At UW-Oshkosh Rec Plex
The UW-Oshkosh softball team opens the 2020 season Feb. 21, when the Titans host Marian University for a doubleheader that will mark the first intercollegiate competition to be held in UW-Oshkosh's Rec Plex.
The inaugural Rec Plex games are the first of 14 home contests for the Titans, who have produced 16 consecutive winning seasons and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship two of the past three years. The Titans will also host 12 games at the UW-Oshkosh Softball Park, beginning with a doubleheader against Loras College (Iowa) on April 9.
In the season opener, the Titans, who compiled a 23-17 record last season, will face a Marian University (26-15 record in 2019) squad that placed fourth in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and finished as the runner-up in the league tournament.
UW-Oshkosh's 40-game schedule, which continues with trips in March to Illinois and Florida, includes 10 contests against teams that reached NCAA regional finals a year ago. The Titans will play four games at The Dome in Rosemont, Ill., from March 6-8 before their making their annual trip for 10 games in Florida from March 21-27. UW-Oshkosh then concludes the regular season with 24 straight games in the state of Wisconsin. The WIAC Championship will be held May 1-3 at the league's regular season winner.
The Titans' trek to Illinois begins against Lake Forest College (Ill.) and Buena Vista University (Iowa) on March 6 and closes with contests with Buena Vista University and University of Chicago (Ill.) on March 8. Lake Forest College (26-16), the two-time defending Midwest Conference champion, advanced to its regional's title game last season. Buena Vista University (19-17) finished eighth in the American Rivers Conference a year ago while University of Chicago is coming off a 13-19 campaign as a Division III independent.
The Florida stretch of UW-Oshkosh's slate commences against State University of New York at Plattsburgh and Calvin University (Mich.) on March 21 and continues March 22 against Oberlin College (Ohio) and Tufts University (Mass.). Calvin (31-10) and Tufts (32-10) universities both reached NCAA regional finals last season after Tufts University claimed the East Division title in the New England Small College Athletic Conference and Calvin University was the runner-up in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. SUNY Plattsburgh (13-19) finished seventh in the State University of New York Athletic Conference while Oberlin College (12-22) was eighth in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
Following a day off on March 23, UW-Oshkosh caps its Florida schedule against Wellesley (Mass.) and Elmhurst (Ill.) on March 24, Carleton College (Minn.) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology on March 25, and Thomas (Maine) and Augustana (Ill.) colleges on March 27. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (30-12-1), which reached an NCAA regional final a year ago, and Wellesley College (13-17-2) placed second and sixth, respectively, in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. Thomas College (24-10) is the reigning champion in the North Atlantic Conference while Carleton College (24-15) finished sixth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and Augustana (18-20) and Elmhurst (9-24) colleges placed seventh and ninth, respectively, in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
The Titans begin conference play with a pair of games at defending league champion UW-Whitewater (28-14) on April 1. UW-Oshkosh also plays WIAC road doubleheaders at UW-Eau Claire (28-13-1) on April 5 and at UW-Platteville (18-20) for the regular season finale April 25.
Rounding out UW-Oshkosh's conference schedule are home doubleheaders against UW-La Crosse (29-20) on April 11, UW-Stevens Point (17-20-1) on April 14, UW-River Falls (8-26) on April 18 and UW-Stout (19-18) on April 19 at UW-Oshkosh Softball Park.
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association listed two of UW-Oshkosh's 2020 opponents, 20th-ranked Tufts University and 23rd-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in its preseason poll of NCAA Division III programs.
UW-Whitewater secured the WIAC title last season with an 11-3 record. The Warhawks were followed in the league standings by UW-Eau Claire in second at 9-4-1, UW-La Crosse and UW-Platteville third at 8-6, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout fifth at 7-7, UW-Stevens Point seventh at 3-10-1 and UW-River Falls eighth at 2-12. UW-La Crosse won an NCAA regional title a year ago while UW-Eau Claire and UW-Whitewater both advanced to regional championship games.
UW-Oshkosh also hosts nonconference doubleheaders against Loras College on April 9 and St. Norbert College for the Titans' last regular season home games April 22. St. Norbert College (23-17) was the Midwest Conference runner-up a year ago. Loras College (10-27-1) finished ninth in the American Rivers Conference.
Completing UW-Oshkosh's 2020 slate are April nonconference road doubleheaders at Wisconsin Lutheran College on the 2nd, Lakeland University on the 7th and Ripon College on the 15th. Wisconsin Lutheran College (23-17) and Lakeland University (14-24) placed sixth and eighth, respectively, in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference standings last season while Ripon College (10-26) was eighth in the Midwest Conference.
UW-Oshkosh seventh-year head coach Scott Beyer brings back six members of last year's starting lineup among the 11 previous letterwinners returning. Beyer, the program's all-time leader with a .668 winning percentage, sports a 161-80 record at the helm of the Titans. Beyer's win total is tied for 11th in WIAC history.
Last year UW-Oshkosh led the conference in scoring at 5.4 runs per game as well as on-base (.379) and fielding (.972) percentages. The Titans also finished second in the WIAC last season with a .309 batting average, a .430 slugging percentage and 21 home runs.
Senior All-WIAC performers Acacia Tupa, Claire Petrus, Natalie Dudek and Amanda McIlhany headline the returning Titans, who are seeking the program's first WIAC regular season title since 2007.
Tupa was named All-WIAC First Team and All-Great Lakes Region Second Team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as an outfielder the past two years since transferring from NCAA Division I UW-Green Bay after her freshman season. Last year Tupa hit .347 and led the Titans with 27 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples and eight stolen bases while adding four home runs and 26 runs batted in.
Petrus, a pitcher and outfielder, was tabbed to the All-WIAC First Team a year ago at designated player after garnering all-conference honorable mention accolades in 2018. Petrus compiled a 9-9 record with two shutouts and a save in the pitcher's circle last season while batting .356 with a team-leading six home runs, 29 RBIs, 61 total bases and .587 slugging percentage.
Dudek, an all-league honorable mention selection at shortstop in 2017 and 2019, paced the Titans last year with a .374 batting average, 40 hits, eight doubles, 16 walks, a .465 on-base percentage and 88 assists.
McIlhany was selected to the All-WIAC Honorable Mention team at second base last season after hitting .325 with 39 hits while committing just four errors on the way to compiling a .976 fielding percentage.
UW-Oshkosh's returning letterwinners also include junior outfielders Natalie Dillon, Kailee Garstecki and Katie Fontanetta; sophomore pitcher and first baseman Sidney Budzinski; sophomore infielders and outfielders Gabby Buikema and Chloe Lambie; and sophomore catcher and infielder Grace Stevens.