Six Titans Collect All-WIAC Softball Honors
First Team selections Abby Garceau, Sydney Nemetz, Morgan Rau and Hannah Ritter headline UW-Oshkosh's honorees on the 2022 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Team.
UW-Oshkosh and league regular season champion UW-La Crosse both topped the conference with four players on the All-WIAC First Team. The Titans garnered at least four All-WIAC First Team honors for the 12th time in program history and first since four UW-Oshkosh players were also voted to the top team in 2018.
Six Titans received All-WIAC recognition this season as Maddie Fink and Sophie Wery were both named to the Honorable Mention Team.
Ritter, a junior first baseman, was a repeat selection on the All-WIAC First Team. Fink, a junior, was voted WIAC Pitcher of the Year last season.
Freshman utility player Garceau, freshman pitcher Nemetz, sophomore shortstop Rau and freshman catcher Wery earned their first All-WIAC recognition as UW-Oshkosh concluded the season with a 26-10 record and a second-place finish in the league standings.
The 2022 All-WIAC Team features a 21-player First Team and 16 members on the Honorable Mention Team. Selections were based on a player's performance during the 14 conference games only.
UW-La Crosse swept the league's major awards as the Eagles' third baseman Jordan McCormack was voted WIAC Position Player of the Year, Ellie Weinzierl Pitcher of the Year and shortstop Kyra Lard Newcomer of the Year. UW-La Crosse also earned WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors after finishing three games clear of UW-Oshkosh en route to clinching the regular season championship.
Ritter produced one of the best seasons in WIAC history, leading the league with a .543 batting average, a .611 on-base percentage, 17 runs scored and a 1.000 fielding percentage during the 14-game conference slate. Ritter also ranked second in the WIAC with 25 hits, fourth with 78 putouts, fifth with 12 runs batted in and eighth with a .630 slugging percentage.
Ritter had multiple hits in nine of the 14 conference games, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs during the opener against UW-La Crosse on April 19. In WIAC doubleheaders this year, Ritter went a combined 4-for-4 against UW-Stevens Point, 5-for-6 versus UW-River Falls, 6-for-9 against UW-La Crosse, 4-for-8 versus UW-Platteville and 3-for-8 against UW-Stout.
A 2021 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Third Team All-American, Ritter's overall statistics this season included a team-leading .500 batting average, 58 hits, nine doubles, 70 total bases, 14 walks, a .603 slugging percentage, a .554 on-base percentage and a .995 fielding percentage to go along with 30 runs scored, 29 RBIs and just five strikeouts in 131 plate appearances. A year after setting the school record for hits in a season, Ritter tied the WIAC record in batting average in 2022, becoming the sixth league player to hit .500 during a full season.
Ritter had a 17-game hitting streak – the third-longest in program history – this season and reached base safely in each of UW-Oshkosh's 64 games between April 6, 2021, and May 2, 2022. Ritter was announced among 50 total players on the NFCA's watchlist for the 2022 Division III Player and Pitcher of the Year awards.
Garceau hit .420 against conference rivals with 21 hits, 14 runs scored and a .463 on-base percentage. The Titans' leadoff hitter ended the season ranked fourth in the league in hits, sixth in runs, ninth in batting average and 11th in on-base percentage.
In WIAC play Garceau went 7-for-9 during a doubleheader at UW-Platteville, 5-for-10 versus UW-La Crosse, 4-for-8 against UW-Stout and 3-for-7 versus UW-River Falls.
Garceau's overall season numbers included a team-best 31 runs scored, a .444 batting average, 52 hits, a .476 on-base percentage and four stolen bases.
Nemetz compiled a 6-1 record against WIAC foes this year with a 2.48 earned run average, six complete games, one shutout, 26 strikeouts in 36.2 innings pitched and a .231 opponent batting average. Nemetz ranked second in the conference in victories, fourth in shutouts, fifth in opponent batting average, sixth in earned run average and strikeouts, and seventh in innings pitched.
Nemetz was the winning pitcher in both ends of a doubleheader against UW-Stevens Point. Nemetz also tossed a three-hit shutout at UW-Whitewater and picked up league wins against UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls and UW-Stout.
Nemetz went 12-2 overall in the pitcher's circle on the year with a 2.47 earned run average, three saves and 71 strikeouts in 82.1 innings. Nemetz's three saves were one shy of tying the school record while her 12 wins led the team.
Rau batted .350 against conference rivals during the regular season while reaching base at a .435 clip, driving in 11 runs and committing just one error for a .974 fielding percentage in the 14-game schedule. Rau's 11 RBIs in league play ranked seventh in the WIAC and her fielding percentage was best among conference shortstops.
Rau was 5-for-7 in the regular season doubleheader against UW-River Falls, 4-for-6 at UW-Whitewater and 2-for-5 at UW-Platteville. Rau went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer during the nightcap at UW-Whitewater on April 15.
Rau hit .291 overall this season with 15 runs scored and 17 RBIs.
Fink went 3-2 versus conference rivals in the regular season with a 2.89 earned run average, a WIAC-leading three shutouts and 41 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched. Fink ranked third in the conference in strikeouts, eighth in innings pitched and ninth in both earned run average and wins.
Fink tossed a three-hit shutout at UW-Platteville, a four-hitter against UW-River Falls and a five-hit shutout with a season-best 10 strikeouts at UW-Whitewater.
An NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Third Team selection last season, Fink was 10-6 in the pitcher's circle overall in 2022 with a team-leading 2.03 earned run average, six shutouts, 96 strikeouts in 110.1 innings and a .237 opponent batting average. Fink's six shutouts, which matched her total from a year ago, are tied for fifth most in school history.
Wery paced the conference with four home runs and 21 RBIs during the 14-game regular season. Wery compiled a .298 batting average in league play to go along with a .681 slugging percentage, four doubles and 83 putouts, ranking third in the WIAC in putouts, fifth in slugging percentage and seventh in doubles.
Wery opened the league schedule going a combined 7-for-14 at the plate with a pair of home runs and 10 RBIs during doubleheaders against UW-Stout and UW-River Falls. Wery also homered against UW-La Crosse before collecting seven RBIs in one game – one short of tying the program record and two shy of the WIAC mark – as she tripled and hit a grand slam at UW-Platteville.
Wery capped her debut collegiate campaign with a .294 overall batting average with 24 runs scored, eight doubles, 61 total bases, a .560 slugging percentage, a .995 fielding percentage, and team highs of three triples, five home runs and 42 RBIs.
Junior outfielder Emily Cliver represented UW-Oshkosh on the eight-member WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
UW-Oshkosh won at least 20 games for the WIAC record-tying 18th consecutive season. The Titans led the conference during league games in scoring, batting average and fielding percentage while ranking second in the WIAC in earned run average. UW-Oshkosh's .969 fielding percentage this year ranks fifth in school history and seventh best by a WIAC program.
The Titans won 10 straight games – tied for the fifth longest streak in program history – from April 5-15.