The race for the Central Wisconsin Conference-8 softball title won’t be settled in the first two weeks of the season, but for Bonduel High School, those games could go a long way toward finding its place in the league food chain.
The Bears will play four of their first six games against Shiocton, Oconto and Pacelli. Shiocton and Pacelli shared the conference title last year and handed the Bears back-to-back defeats that began a five-game losing skein for the Bears after a 4-2 start.
The April 11 doubleheader against nonconference foe Oconto gives Bonduel a chance to avenge last year’s regional-final defeat. Oconto eliminated Bonduel from the postseason with a 4-2 win.
Strong pitching is the panacea to all ailments on a softball diamond, and with senior Jen Dowden back on the mound, the Bears are already ahead of the game. Dowden, who also plays infield, was a first-team all-conference pick from a year ago.
Senior first baseman Lexi Reinke, a second-team all-CWC-8 choice in 2014, is an excellent defensive player and a reliable stick in coach Chris Reinke’s arsenal. Junior catcher Kaylee Rynish was an honorable mention all-conference player whose return gives the Bears a veteran battery, and sophomore shortstop Kaylee Pedersen is back to shore up the middle infield defense.
Dowden, Lexi Reinke, Rynish and Pedersen are hard-swinging veterans who represent the nucleus of what could prove to be a potent offense for Chris Reinke, whose previous teams include the 2012 group that went 13-11 and advanced to the sectional final.
A wild card in coach Reinke’s armory is the return of senior Dea Zernicke, who missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury sustained during basketball season. One of the best base-runners on the team, Zernicke is a letter-winner who can play a number of positions.
Other returning letter-winners include junior left fielder Taylor Weier, who will step in for the graduated Morgan Sorenson, and sophomore pitcher Cameri Gehm, who can play second base in place of the Bears’ other graduated starter, Courtney Schmidt.
A pair of sophomores, Brittany Wudtke and Kelsey Krueger, round out the returning letter-winners for Bonduel, which will seek to improve on a 9-9 record that included 6-7 in the CWC-8.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Chris Reinke said. “(Dowden) has looked good in practice so far. It’s huge that we have a good pitcher coming back. But ours is such a tough conference. Shiocton and Pacelli are going to be tough again. Both of them have good pitching. And Iola-Scandinavia has a lot of really good hitters. I don’t know if I’d feel very safe in the third base coach’s box with that lineup hitting.
“We’ve got a lot of talented underclassmen who will compete for a couple of spots. We could be right in the thick of the race, but we have to perform early in order to challenge for any conference honors.”
Categories
