If you subscribe to the time-worn postulate about pitching being 90 percent of baseball, then you can appreciate the level of optimism at Gresham Community School this spring. The Wildcats, who return seven starters from last year’s squad, have a glut of talented arms at the ready, and a serious run at a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 title is anticipated. “We’re looking forward to a great season,” Gresham coach Scott Cerveny said.

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.

A good indicator of the resiliency of the Shawano Community High School girls soccer team last season was in evidence during a two-week stretch that began with the Hawks on the business end of a 10-0 pasting, compliments of Neenah in their April 17 season opener. How does a team bounce back from a loss like that?

The Shawano Area Writers will be well-represented at an event designed to showcase the authors who walk among the regular folks of rural northeast Wisconsin. The Shawano City-County Library is hosting an “Afternoon With the Authors” from 3-6 p.m. April 14 as part of its observance of National Library Week.

Shawano Police Department March 25 Police logged 23 incidents, including the following: Truancy — Police logged six truancy complaints from the Shawano School District. Suspicious — Police responded to a suspicious person complaint at Sacred Heart School, 124 E.

Sharon D. Lozier, 75, of Marion, passed away Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at Pine Manor Healthcare Center, Embarrass. The Eberhardt-Stevenson Funeral Home and Crematory, Marion, is assisting the family. eberhardtstevenson.com

Harvey L. Patzer, 87, of Shawano, formerly of Tigerton, passed away on Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in Shawano. Harvey was born on Dec. 18, 1925, in Waupaca, the son of the late Ourley H. and Helen (Petrowski) Patzer. He served his country by enlisting in the United States Army. In May 1949, Harvey was united in marriage to Delores Umland in Birnamwood.

Alice Smith, 97, Manawa, died on Wednesday, March 25, 2015. She was born on Sept. 16, 1917, in Wild Rose, the daughter of Gilbert and Janet (Lane) Stevenson. Alice was raised in Wild Rose and in the town of Union, where she attended Dellwood and Marble schools. She married Everett Smith on June 10, 1936, and lived on a farm in the town of Bear Creek until moving to Manawa in 1989.

When cancer strikes, it affects many lives. Mark Buettner and his children, 12-year-old Isabella and 10-year-old Isaac, have been learning to cope with the loss of their wife and mother, LoriLynn, who passed away Nov. 26, 2014. “It’s going good,” said Buettner, a registered nurse at Shawano Medical Center. where his wife was also a registered nurse.