- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,133,545
- Reaction score
- 59
Ashwaubenon senior Grace Aichele could have been the undisputed ace for many high school softball teams the past few years.
Just not the Jaguars. Not with former star Berritt Herr, who is in her freshman season for the University of Wisconsin, taking the lead role for a team that was one win away from the WIAA Division 1 state tournament in 2024.
So, when Ashwaubenon coach Raelynn Wingert is asked how Aichele has progressed this season in her role as the new No. 1, it’s a difficult question to answer.
Wingert and her players have always viewed the left-hander for the standout talent she is and what she brings to a team. Everyone knew she would get her day in the spotlight and shine.
“Of course, she has grown,” Wingert said. “She has grown confidently in a couple of her specific pitches and locations of where she hits and executes. But she has grown just in her presence on the mound and her ability to command the circle, be excited by her own successes but hold herself accountable for always being driven for wanting more.
“We have been allowed to show everyone what we have seen the past three years, which is really exciting.”
It must have been difficult to step into the spot vacated by Herr, who was the co-player of the year in the Fox River Classic Conference each of the last two seasons and had committed to play for the Badgers before her junior year.
Of course, Aichele deals with stressful situations quite well. Like last year, when the first day of her first job coincided with the opening night of the NFL draft at Lambeau Field.
She worked at the cash register in the Packers Pro Shop. With no training. With about 205,000 people in attendance.
Aichele, literally, was grace under pressure.
“I had a good group of people around me that helped me a lot,” Aichele said, laughing. “Kind of directed me on what they wanted me to do. It was a little bit overwhelming, but I kind of figured it out after a while.”
Just like this whole softball thing.
Aichele was overshadowed in the pitching department as a junior last season, but she still was one of the best players in the FRCC.
She was a second-team all-conference selection as an outfielder, hitting .385 with 13 RBI and four doubles.
Aichele also threw a previous career-high 42⅔ innings, striking out 53 batters and going 5-2 with a 1.31 earned-run average while limiting opponents to a .180 batting average.
She’s putting together an even bigger season in her final prep campaign.
Entering a doubleheader against Green Bay Southwest on May 16, Aichele is 11-6 and has struck out 122 batters in 106 innings.
She leads the Jaguars’ offense in batting average (.417), on-base percentage (.485), OPS (.1002), hits (25), doubles (4) and triples (1).
Aichele has allowed two or fewer earned runs 12 times and recently had a four-game stretch in which she permitted three runs and struck out 30 in 23 innings.
She is coming off a dominant performance in a 2-0 win over Pulaski on May 14, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out 10.
It’s not always smooth. There are some struggles in any season.
Aichele gave up 11 earned runs and 13 hits in five innings in a nonconference loss to Waunakee. She allowed six earned runs and 15 hits in a win over Green Bay Notre Dame and five runs on 10 hits in six innings in a loss to Green Bay Preble.
Of all the ways Aichele is described by her coach, from spontaneous to quirky, it’s her transparency that often stands out.
If she misses a pitch or gets hit hard, she’s the first to say she didn’t locate or execute well enough.
No excuses.
“That really speaks to the type of success she has,” Wingert said. “She has an ability to hold herself accountable on the field and off the field. But she’s also, as you hear the kids coming back, she is someone that they look to and laugh to and trust when they are struggling or need a confidant.
“That allows you to be a really good leader. You can lead by example, but you can also have others trust you to follow alongside. That’s what really sets Grace apart.”
Although she pitched only a combined 67 innings as a sophomore and junior, Aichele did more than enough to convince college recruiters she could thrive at the next level.
She displayed her talents during summer months playing travel ball for Impact Sports Academy, almost always against top competition.
Aichele spoke with multiple schools before announcing her commitment in October to play for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, an NCAA Division II school in Kenosha.
When she signed her letter of intent a month later, she received a congratulatory phone call from Herr.
The two were teammates in softball and swimming, and Herr knew Aichele wanted to play in college. In turn, Aichele always felt Herr was one of the people who encouraged her the most.
“Grace is one of the sweetest people I know and an amazing teammate,” said Herr, whose Badgers recently made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. “She was my biggest supporter, and Ashwaubenon wouldn’t have been the softball program it was these last couple years without her. She pushed me every day to be a better player and teammate. Having an amazing pitcher like her on the team made it even easier to pitch, knowing she would support me if I needed help.
“Grace has proven herself time and time again over the years. I know great things are about to come in her future. I always knew she had amazing spin, and now, the confidence she presents on the mound makes her lethal. I remember completely whiffing at her changeups during live at-bats, and she always stayed humble. I cannot wait to see her at the next level and see the amazing things she will do in softball and in life.”
Ashwaubenon still hopes to accomplish a few things before Aichele graduates next month.
It entered its games against the Trojans at 14-1 in league play, one game behind Preble with three to play.
The teams meet in a conference finale May 19.
The Jaguars and Hornets also will be two of the top teams in their sectional, with Ashwaubenon hoping to make the big stage for the first time since winning a state championship in 2006.
“I think we have all the tools to put it together,” Aichele said. “We have been working pretty hard in practice. If we keep that mental side of it separate, we can compete pretty well.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Ashwaubenon's Aichele is grace under pressure for Jaguars softball
Continue reading...
Just not the Jaguars. Not with former star Berritt Herr, who is in her freshman season for the University of Wisconsin, taking the lead role for a team that was one win away from the WIAA Division 1 state tournament in 2024.
So, when Ashwaubenon coach Raelynn Wingert is asked how Aichele has progressed this season in her role as the new No. 1, it’s a difficult question to answer.
Wingert and her players have always viewed the left-hander for the standout talent she is and what she brings to a team. Everyone knew she would get her day in the spotlight and shine.
“Of course, she has grown,” Wingert said. “She has grown confidently in a couple of her specific pitches and locations of where she hits and executes. But she has grown just in her presence on the mound and her ability to command the circle, be excited by her own successes but hold herself accountable for always being driven for wanting more.
“We have been allowed to show everyone what we have seen the past three years, which is really exciting.”
You must be registered for see images attach
It must have been difficult to step into the spot vacated by Herr, who was the co-player of the year in the Fox River Classic Conference each of the last two seasons and had committed to play for the Badgers before her junior year.
Of course, Aichele deals with stressful situations quite well. Like last year, when the first day of her first job coincided with the opening night of the NFL draft at Lambeau Field.
She worked at the cash register in the Packers Pro Shop. With no training. With about 205,000 people in attendance.
Aichele, literally, was grace under pressure.
“I had a good group of people around me that helped me a lot,” Aichele said, laughing. “Kind of directed me on what they wanted me to do. It was a little bit overwhelming, but I kind of figured it out after a while.”
Just like this whole softball thing.
Aichele was overshadowed in the pitching department as a junior last season, but she still was one of the best players in the FRCC.
She was a second-team all-conference selection as an outfielder, hitting .385 with 13 RBI and four doubles.
Aichele also threw a previous career-high 42⅔ innings, striking out 53 batters and going 5-2 with a 1.31 earned-run average while limiting opponents to a .180 batting average.
She’s putting together an even bigger season in her final prep campaign.
Entering a doubleheader against Green Bay Southwest on May 16, Aichele is 11-6 and has struck out 122 batters in 106 innings.
She leads the Jaguars’ offense in batting average (.417), on-base percentage (.485), OPS (.1002), hits (25), doubles (4) and triples (1).
Aichele has allowed two or fewer earned runs 12 times and recently had a four-game stretch in which she permitted three runs and struck out 30 in 23 innings.
She is coming off a dominant performance in a 2-0 win over Pulaski on May 14, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out 10.
It’s not always smooth. There are some struggles in any season.
Aichele gave up 11 earned runs and 13 hits in five innings in a nonconference loss to Waunakee. She allowed six earned runs and 15 hits in a win over Green Bay Notre Dame and five runs on 10 hits in six innings in a loss to Green Bay Preble.
Of all the ways Aichele is described by her coach, from spontaneous to quirky, it’s her transparency that often stands out.
If she misses a pitch or gets hit hard, she’s the first to say she didn’t locate or execute well enough.
No excuses.
“That really speaks to the type of success she has,” Wingert said. “She has an ability to hold herself accountable on the field and off the field. But she’s also, as you hear the kids coming back, she is someone that they look to and laugh to and trust when they are struggling or need a confidant.
“That allows you to be a really good leader. You can lead by example, but you can also have others trust you to follow alongside. That’s what really sets Grace apart.”
Grace Aichele noticed by those outside Ashwaubenon
Although she pitched only a combined 67 innings as a sophomore and junior, Aichele did more than enough to convince college recruiters she could thrive at the next level.
She displayed her talents during summer months playing travel ball for Impact Sports Academy, almost always against top competition.
Aichele spoke with multiple schools before announcing her commitment in October to play for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, an NCAA Division II school in Kenosha.
When she signed her letter of intent a month later, she received a congratulatory phone call from Herr.
The two were teammates in softball and swimming, and Herr knew Aichele wanted to play in college. In turn, Aichele always felt Herr was one of the people who encouraged her the most.
You must be registered for see images attach
“Grace is one of the sweetest people I know and an amazing teammate,” said Herr, whose Badgers recently made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. “She was my biggest supporter, and Ashwaubenon wouldn’t have been the softball program it was these last couple years without her. She pushed me every day to be a better player and teammate. Having an amazing pitcher like her on the team made it even easier to pitch, knowing she would support me if I needed help.
“Grace has proven herself time and time again over the years. I know great things are about to come in her future. I always knew she had amazing spin, and now, the confidence she presents on the mound makes her lethal. I remember completely whiffing at her changeups during live at-bats, and she always stayed humble. I cannot wait to see her at the next level and see the amazing things she will do in softball and in life.”
Ashwaubenon still hopes to accomplish a few things before Aichele graduates next month.
It entered its games against the Trojans at 14-1 in league play, one game behind Preble with three to play.
The teams meet in a conference finale May 19.
The Jaguars and Hornets also will be two of the top teams in their sectional, with Ashwaubenon hoping to make the big stage for the first time since winning a state championship in 2006.
“I think we have all the tools to put it together,” Aichele said. “We have been working pretty hard in practice. If we keep that mental side of it separate, we can compete pretty well.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Ashwaubenon's Aichele is grace under pressure for Jaguars softball
Continue reading...
