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APPLETON − The Lawrence University baseball and softball teams are in uncharted territory.
For the first time in school history, both teams are playing in the Midwest Conference Tournament in the same season, but these squads took divergent paths to reach a similar point.
Lawrence softball saw a late coaching change pay immediate dividends as the Vikings finished third in the regular season to earn their first trip to the league tourney since 2015.
"It's a big achievement, especially so because of where we were and we didn't have a coach," Lawrence softball standout Mattigan Haller said. "We were able to turn it around in basically four months."
Vote for the top athlete: Choose from track, golf, baseball and softball nominees for Cellcom Post-Crescent high school athlete of the week
Lawrence spent the fall searching for a new head coach after Tracy Cromer moved to an administrative position at McKendree University. That search eventually yielded a known commodity in Appleton native and Lawrence graduate Korey Krueger, who coached the baseball team for 10 seasons from 1998 to 2007.
"I think the players deserve a lot of credit for how hard they worked and buying into the new system so quickly," Krueger said. "It could not have been easy for them. I credit the upperclassmen leadership."
Once Krueger was on board, Haller was optimistic the Vikings might be poised for a breakthrough. A three-time all-Midwest Conference selection, Haller had seen the Vikings win just 23 games total in the previous three seasons. The Vikings have nearly equaled that win total this spring with a 19-19 record.
"When we started our conference games and started doing well, we thought, 'We've got a shot at this,' " Haller said.
A turning point came in mid-April when the Vikings knocked off Cornell College 9-8 and 8-7 for a first-ever sweep of the Rams.
"Those Cornell games were a moment where it was like, 'We've never done this before,' " Haller said. "The fact that we can battle back and we did battle back, that's played a role in our games. That was a huge confidence builder."
Krueger agreed the key to the conference season was the sweep of Cornell.
"We had two games (against Cornell) where we had to come from behind and did it twice," Krueger said. "There was a different attitude on the team that we could get the job done rather than, 'Oh no, we fell behind.' "
Lawrence won three of its next four league games and a huge showdown at Ripon College awaited. The Vikings roughed up Ripon 10-2 and 8-0 and all but assured themselves a place in the league tournament. Sophomore pitcher Avery Chilson then fired a three-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory at Beloit College to clinch a spot in the tournament. Chilson has been outstanding since conference play began with a 7-3 record with a 2.25 ERA. In that stretch, she’s struck out 40 and walked nine.
Third-seeded Lawrence opens MWC Tournament play May 9 at 10 a.m. against Illinois College. Top seed and host Lake Forest College faces Grinnell College in the other opening game. The tournament champion earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
"If you look at it, we have pretty much the same starters all around and honestly it took Korey and (assistant coaches) Tony (Krueger) and Taylor (Anderson) to bring it out in us," said Haller, who is hitting .364 this season.
"Being in the tournament right now, we have exceeded the expectations that we set for ourselves and what the conference had for us. ... Being in the tournament is the cherry on top. If we can make it to the tournament, why can't we win it? Why not us? I feel like we can compete with every team that's there."
Lawrence has seen its offensive production leap forward this year with a .311 batting average, and lead-off hitter Zoe Doherty is hitting a team-best .443 with eight doubles, four triples, five homers, 42 runs scored and 32 runs batted in. Haller, Janessa Gonzalez (.372), Jordan Wallin-Swanson (.345), Taylor Hughes (.303), Gillian Guerriero (.297) and Kourtney Mercer (.266) make up the heart of the lineup.
"We played a lot of tough teams in the preseason, and we've played all of these teams in the tournament tough," Krueger said. "If we play our game and limit our mistakes, we can play with anyone."
The other aspect for Krueger is the personal nature of the success both teams are having. Krueger was an all-conference baseball player and later the coach at Lawrence, and his wife, Wendy, was a standout softball player for the Vikings.
"I love Lawrence. I've always loved Lawrence as a student and a coach. I was really happy to come back and have a second chance to lead and coach. I've been pleasantly surprised by the response of the team and grateful to have a chance to be here," Krueger said.
"I'm also really proud that both the baseball and softball teams are competitors in this league now."
The baseball team had a familiar face take over the program and used its talented nucleus to win a second straight league championship and third in four seasons.
When coach Chris Krepline departed for the University of Cincinnati after the 2024 season, longtime assistant coach Trent Whitcomb was quickly tabbed to take over as interim head coach.
"The guys were still comfortable with me but had to see me in a bit of different role from before," said Whitcomb, who joined the Lawrence coaching staff in 2018. "Once we got into the groove and the groove of how I wanted to do things, that's where we made the turn in the season."
Whitcomb had lost all-Americans Jacob Charon and Quinn Berglin to graduation, and junior all-American Parker Knoll is now starring for the University of Minnesota. The Vikings still had some weapons at their disposal with all-American Edan Perez and all-conference returners Elden Santana, Taylor Freeman and Zach Leslie joining fellow returning starters Tate Hartlaub, William Zatkowski and Ben Gutowski.
"We had a lot of the core pieces there going into the season," Whitcomb said. "We just had to play with confidence and success to get back to the conference tournament."
"The culture was still instilled in us," Freeman said. "With Trent being under Krep, he knew how to run a tight ship and he knew how to motivate us."
Freeman has been leading the charge with a .438 batting average, good for 27th in all of NCAA Division III. His 12 home runs ranks 29th in homers per game.
"It's more of his pitch selection. Taylor's been a lot better laying off pitches he would chase in years past," Whitcomb said. "We talked about putting the ball in play more. Those walks and singles are turning into doubles."
Freeman has swiped 31 bases this season and ranks 20th in Division III in stolen bases per game. He broke Lawrence's career stolen base record this past weekend.
"The automatic thought process is I have to get on third so it's easier for the hitter to be able to drive me in," Freeman said.
Vote for team of the month: Which team was the best in April? Vote for the Piggly Wiggly Post-Crescent high school team of the month
With CJ Filipek, Perez and Leslie hitting behind him, that has been the case. Perez, who broke Lawrence's career hits record last weekend, is hitting .344, Filipek is at .305 and Leslie is at .297. And don't forget lead-off hitter and Kiel native Hartlaub batting a robust .366 while playing a stellar shortstop.
While Lawrence's offense has been rounding into form, the ace of the pitching staff has been a constant all season. Elden Santana is 6-1 with a 1.71 ERA. He has fanned 57 batters while walking just 28 in 52⅔ innings.
"He's been on a tear, and he's on an all-American pace from a pitching standpoint," Whitcomb said of Santana. "He's a fifth-year senior. He knows what it takes to be a winner."
The top-seeded Vikings (20-17) open the MWC Tournament against No. 4 seed Grinnell College at 12:30 p.m. at Don Hawkins Field on May 9. Second seed Beloit College takes on No. 3 seed Monmouth College at 9 a.m. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Lawrence won league titles in 2022 and 2024 and took the conference's automatic bid by winning the tournament in 2022. The Vikings fell short in the conference tournament a season ago and were eliminated without reaching the championship game.
"Last year there was more of an expectation that we were going to win it," Whitcomb said. "This year has been more of a grind. Every game has felt more like a playoff game in a sense. It's been a one- or two-run win or come-from-behind wins. We've been grinding out wins so when it comes to tournament time, we know what it takes to take care of business at the end of the day."
Freeman would like to wash away the memories of 2024 this weekend.
"This team has had the most heart of any team in my four years," Freeman said. "We realize we're the type of team that can get the job done. Try to win in whatever fashion possible. ... All the players on last year's roster have a chip on our shoulder. We still have that sour taste. We're entering this tournament in a way better mindset."
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Lawrence University baseball, softball teams play in MWC tournaments
Continue reading...
For the first time in school history, both teams are playing in the Midwest Conference Tournament in the same season, but these squads took divergent paths to reach a similar point.
Lawrence Vikings softball team thrives with new coach
Lawrence softball saw a late coaching change pay immediate dividends as the Vikings finished third in the regular season to earn their first trip to the league tourney since 2015.
"It's a big achievement, especially so because of where we were and we didn't have a coach," Lawrence softball standout Mattigan Haller said. "We were able to turn it around in basically four months."
Vote for the top athlete: Choose from track, golf, baseball and softball nominees for Cellcom Post-Crescent high school athlete of the week
Lawrence spent the fall searching for a new head coach after Tracy Cromer moved to an administrative position at McKendree University. That search eventually yielded a known commodity in Appleton native and Lawrence graduate Korey Krueger, who coached the baseball team for 10 seasons from 1998 to 2007.
"I think the players deserve a lot of credit for how hard they worked and buying into the new system so quickly," Krueger said. "It could not have been easy for them. I credit the upperclassmen leadership."
Once Krueger was on board, Haller was optimistic the Vikings might be poised for a breakthrough. A three-time all-Midwest Conference selection, Haller had seen the Vikings win just 23 games total in the previous three seasons. The Vikings have nearly equaled that win total this spring with a 19-19 record.
"When we started our conference games and started doing well, we thought, 'We've got a shot at this,' " Haller said.
A turning point came in mid-April when the Vikings knocked off Cornell College 9-8 and 8-7 for a first-ever sweep of the Rams.
"Those Cornell games were a moment where it was like, 'We've never done this before,' " Haller said. "The fact that we can battle back and we did battle back, that's played a role in our games. That was a huge confidence builder."
Krueger agreed the key to the conference season was the sweep of Cornell.
"We had two games (against Cornell) where we had to come from behind and did it twice," Krueger said. "There was a different attitude on the team that we could get the job done rather than, 'Oh no, we fell behind.' "
Lawrence won three of its next four league games and a huge showdown at Ripon College awaited. The Vikings roughed up Ripon 10-2 and 8-0 and all but assured themselves a place in the league tournament. Sophomore pitcher Avery Chilson then fired a three-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory at Beloit College to clinch a spot in the tournament. Chilson has been outstanding since conference play began with a 7-3 record with a 2.25 ERA. In that stretch, she’s struck out 40 and walked nine.
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Third-seeded Lawrence opens MWC Tournament play May 9 at 10 a.m. against Illinois College. Top seed and host Lake Forest College faces Grinnell College in the other opening game. The tournament champion earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
"If you look at it, we have pretty much the same starters all around and honestly it took Korey and (assistant coaches) Tony (Krueger) and Taylor (Anderson) to bring it out in us," said Haller, who is hitting .364 this season.
"Being in the tournament right now, we have exceeded the expectations that we set for ourselves and what the conference had for us. ... Being in the tournament is the cherry on top. If we can make it to the tournament, why can't we win it? Why not us? I feel like we can compete with every team that's there."
Lawrence has seen its offensive production leap forward this year with a .311 batting average, and lead-off hitter Zoe Doherty is hitting a team-best .443 with eight doubles, four triples, five homers, 42 runs scored and 32 runs batted in. Haller, Janessa Gonzalez (.372), Jordan Wallin-Swanson (.345), Taylor Hughes (.303), Gillian Guerriero (.297) and Kourtney Mercer (.266) make up the heart of the lineup.
"We played a lot of tough teams in the preseason, and we've played all of these teams in the tournament tough," Krueger said. "If we play our game and limit our mistakes, we can play with anyone."
The other aspect for Krueger is the personal nature of the success both teams are having. Krueger was an all-conference baseball player and later the coach at Lawrence, and his wife, Wendy, was a standout softball player for the Vikings.
"I love Lawrence. I've always loved Lawrence as a student and a coach. I was really happy to come back and have a second chance to lead and coach. I've been pleasantly surprised by the response of the team and grateful to have a chance to be here," Krueger said.
"I'm also really proud that both the baseball and softball teams are competitors in this league now."
Lawrence Vikings baseball team continues successful run with new coach
The baseball team had a familiar face take over the program and used its talented nucleus to win a second straight league championship and third in four seasons.
When coach Chris Krepline departed for the University of Cincinnati after the 2024 season, longtime assistant coach Trent Whitcomb was quickly tabbed to take over as interim head coach.
"The guys were still comfortable with me but had to see me in a bit of different role from before," said Whitcomb, who joined the Lawrence coaching staff in 2018. "Once we got into the groove and the groove of how I wanted to do things, that's where we made the turn in the season."
Whitcomb had lost all-Americans Jacob Charon and Quinn Berglin to graduation, and junior all-American Parker Knoll is now starring for the University of Minnesota. The Vikings still had some weapons at their disposal with all-American Edan Perez and all-conference returners Elden Santana, Taylor Freeman and Zach Leslie joining fellow returning starters Tate Hartlaub, William Zatkowski and Ben Gutowski.
"We had a lot of the core pieces there going into the season," Whitcomb said. "We just had to play with confidence and success to get back to the conference tournament."
"The culture was still instilled in us," Freeman said. "With Trent being under Krep, he knew how to run a tight ship and he knew how to motivate us."
Freeman has been leading the charge with a .438 batting average, good for 27th in all of NCAA Division III. His 12 home runs ranks 29th in homers per game.
"It's more of his pitch selection. Taylor's been a lot better laying off pitches he would chase in years past," Whitcomb said. "We talked about putting the ball in play more. Those walks and singles are turning into doubles."
Freeman has swiped 31 bases this season and ranks 20th in Division III in stolen bases per game. He broke Lawrence's career stolen base record this past weekend.
"The automatic thought process is I have to get on third so it's easier for the hitter to be able to drive me in," Freeman said.
Vote for team of the month: Which team was the best in April? Vote for the Piggly Wiggly Post-Crescent high school team of the month
With CJ Filipek, Perez and Leslie hitting behind him, that has been the case. Perez, who broke Lawrence's career hits record last weekend, is hitting .344, Filipek is at .305 and Leslie is at .297. And don't forget lead-off hitter and Kiel native Hartlaub batting a robust .366 while playing a stellar shortstop.
While Lawrence's offense has been rounding into form, the ace of the pitching staff has been a constant all season. Elden Santana is 6-1 with a 1.71 ERA. He has fanned 57 batters while walking just 28 in 52⅔ innings.
"He's been on a tear, and he's on an all-American pace from a pitching standpoint," Whitcomb said of Santana. "He's a fifth-year senior. He knows what it takes to be a winner."
The top-seeded Vikings (20-17) open the MWC Tournament against No. 4 seed Grinnell College at 12:30 p.m. at Don Hawkins Field on May 9. Second seed Beloit College takes on No. 3 seed Monmouth College at 9 a.m. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Lawrence won league titles in 2022 and 2024 and took the conference's automatic bid by winning the tournament in 2022. The Vikings fell short in the conference tournament a season ago and were eliminated without reaching the championship game.
"Last year there was more of an expectation that we were going to win it," Whitcomb said. "This year has been more of a grind. Every game has felt more like a playoff game in a sense. It's been a one- or two-run win or come-from-behind wins. We've been grinding out wins so when it comes to tournament time, we know what it takes to take care of business at the end of the day."
Freeman would like to wash away the memories of 2024 this weekend.
"This team has had the most heart of any team in my four years," Freeman said. "We realize we're the type of team that can get the job done. Try to win in whatever fashion possible. ... All the players on last year's roster have a chip on our shoulder. We still have that sour taste. We're entering this tournament in a way better mindset."
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Lawrence University baseball, softball teams play in MWC tournaments
Continue reading...
