For the Wynn: Whitnall junior named All-Suburban Softball Player of the Year. Here's the rest of the team.
Curt Hogg
The 2018 All-Suburban Softball Team was selected independent of position and chosen the Now Newspapers and Journal Sentinel sports staff. Consistent with other All-Suburban teams during the 2017-18 season, this year's team is larger than in years past with the addition of Lake Country and Waukesha schools.
Player of the Year
Haley Wynn, jr., Whitnall
Wynn did more than enough during the regular season to merit serious consideration for All-Suburban Player of the Year. Then, her postseason performance put her over the top.
The junior and Ball State commit did it all to lead the Falcons to the Division 2 state championship. Wynn was a prolific leadoff hitter with a .614 average and .680 on-base percentage. With excellent speed and bat control, she stole 51 bases in 54 attempts and could slap the ball wherever she wanted. Wynn also showed some power, hitting two homers and six triples en route to a 1.492 OPS. In the circle, she went 16-1 with a 1.21 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings.
In the playoffs, Wynn defeated five teams either ranked or receiving votes in the Division 2 state rankings, including a sectional-final shutout of No. 2 Kewaskum. She allowed just one earned run in two games at state. Overall, she threw 42 innings, struck out 42 batters and had an ERA of 0.83 in the playoffs.
RELATED:Behind Haley Wynn's gem, Whitnall wins Division 2 state softball championship
Coach of the Year
Tom Hickman, Whitnall
In his seventh and final season as the Falcons head coach -- his family will be moving out of the state this summer -- Hickman led Whitnall to its first softball state title in school history. With only four senior starters, the Falcons developed a deep lineup at the plate and won 14 of 15 to close out the year. After looking for more out of the team's pitching as late as mid-May, Hickman and his staff helped develop Wynn into a bona fide ace. The Falcons showed they could beat teams with their offense during the regular season and then flipped the script with pitching and defense against a gauntlet of tough opponents in the postseason.
RELATED:For his final act, Whitnall head coach Tom Hickman wins state title in his final game
The rest of the team
Maddy Anderson, jr., Waukesha North
The junior right-hander was on a tear all season long to lead the Northstars to the Division 1 state tournament for only the second time in school history. Anderson was second in the state with 276 strikeouts on the season in 137 2/3 innings. She gave up just 12 earned runs (14 overall) for an ERA of 0.46, threw two no-hitters on the year and struck out 17 hitters in a game three times. Perhaps her masterpiece of 2018 came in a 1-0 sectional win over Arrowhead in which she struck out 11, allowed two hits and scored the game's lone run. Anderson could swing it, as well, finishing with a 1.246 OPS and two homers.
RELATED:Averaging two strikeouts per inning, Maddy Anderson leads the charge for Waukesha North
Kayla Bates, soph., Nicolet
Bates played a significant role in Nicolet's breakout season in which the Knights tied the school record with 18 wins. Switch hitting at the top of the order, she reached base at a .557 clip while hitting seven triples en route to a 1.470 OPS, good for fifth-highest in the area. On the bases, Bates stole 19 bases and wasn't thrown out once. Defensively, she was a vacuum at shortstop, only committing two errors on the year in 97 chances.
Mimi Bradley, sr., Arrowhead
Earning honorable-mention All-State, Bradley was the ace of a 20-2 Warhawks squad. She struck out out 131 batters with a 1.01 ERA and sported a 16-2 record en route to being named Classic 8 Conference co-player of the year with Anderson.
Kat Burkhardt, soph., New Berlin West
Part of a powerhouse group of Woodland Conference catchers alongside Mackenzie Sutton and Taylor Johnson, Burkhardt made a big impact both at the plate and behind it for a 22-4 Vikings team. She recorded 13 extra-base hits, drew 16 walks, stole 14 bases and posted a 1.300 OPS while serving as a tough defender as West's backstop.
Morgan Dercola, sr., Sussex Hamilton
Part of a very catcher-heavy All-Suburban team, Dercola followed up a year in which she was Greater Metro Conference player of the year with a first-team nod. In addition to being a versatile defender, she was a heavy hitter at the plate, slugging five homers through the second week of May while batting over .400.
Tori Gorski, soph., Cudahy
Few players had a better season swinging the bat than the Packers sophomore. Gorski was among the state's leaders with nine homers and an OPS of 1.672 that only Oleniczak topped in the area. She also slugged nine doubles and drove in 42 runs while reaching base at a .610 clip.
Taylor Johnson, sr., Greenfield
The Hawks senior was an on-base machine atop the lineup for 24-2 Greenfield, the Woodland East champion. Johnson's .625 OBP ranked third among all area players, and she recorded a 1.212 OPS, as well. She reached base safely in all but one game this year.
Bernie Moyer, jr., Homestead
Moyer led the way for a heavy-hitting Highlanders team. Her six homers were tied for fourth-most in the area. While also playing an excellent center field, Moyer hit .482 with a .807 slugging percentage.
Becca Oleniczak, sr., Oak Creek
Last year's All-Suburban Player of the Year, Oleniczak capped a standout career in memorable fashion this season. At the plate, hit eight homers and 11 doubles, and posted a .724 OBP and 1.724 OPS. Led the Knights to the state tournament in the circle, too, with a 1.42 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 133 innings. Threw three no-hitters and 10 shutouts and was named the Softball Player of the Year at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel High School Sports Award Show.
Sydney Rogowski, sr., Arrowhead
The Warhawks catcher was a standout on both offense and defense en route to a sectional final appearance. Rogowski didn't make any errors in the field all year and allowed just one stolen base. Offensively, she posted a .479 OBP and 1.124 OPS.
Amy Schmidt, sr., West Allis Hale
Schmidt absolutely mashed for the Huskies this year, hitting .484 and matching Oleniczak for with a slugging percentage of 1.000. She hit seven homers and 12 doubles, as well, to lead Hale to a 14-7 record.
Cheyenne Sowinski, sr., New Berlin West
The winning pitcher in the D-2 state title game two years ago and Woodland Conference West player of the year in 2018, Sowinski recorded a 1.19 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 191 strikeouts in 130 innings. At the plate, she hit .500 with a homer, 13 doubles and a 1.309 OPS to earn an honorable-mention All State nod.
Cami Stigler, sr., Menomonee Falls
The Indians senior split time between the infield and the pitcher's circle this year, but she did much of her damage at the plate. A second-team All State honoree, Stigler hit .441 with four homers as a part of Falls' state semifinal team. As a pitcher, she went 8-4 with a 1.50 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings.
Mackenzie Sutton, sr., Whitnall
Sutton hit cleanup on an offense that averaged over 10 runs per game while also working as an exceptional receiver and blocker behind the plate for the D-2 state champion. She hit .424 with two long balls, 13 doubles and a 1.145 OPS while also stealing 22 bases in 23 attempts.
Sara Traxel, jr., Oak Creek
The Knights weren't even sure they would get Traxel in the lineup this year while she returned from a back injury, but she went on to be the spark plug at the top of the lineup. She was the owner of a .542 average and .611 OBP, and also anchored the infield defense in her first year at shortstop.
Jenna Trewyn, so., Oak Creek
The Knights catcher followed up an All-Suburban freshman season in which she set the school single-season RBI record with an OPS of 1.364 that ranked among the area's best. She batted .460 with a .548 OBP, slugged six homers and drove in 45 batters.
Alyssa Vilkoski, sr., Greenfield
Vilkoski went 20-2 on the year for the Hawks en route to first-team All-State honors. She just surpassed her mark of 256 strikeouts last year with 258 in 2018 while posting a 0.82 ERA in just over 137 innings. Hit .475 with four homers and a 1.314 OPS, as well.
High honorable mention
PITCHER: Katie Cervenka, fr., Kettle Moraine; Maddy Cieczka, sr., Cudahy; Kenzie Poetzel, sr., Menomonee Falls;
INFIELD: Abby Cunningham, soph., Whitnall; Taylor Hall, jr., Nicolet; Dakota Johnstone, sr., Oak Creek; Hannah Ruffert, sr., Greenfield; Lexi Rayborn, jr., Brookfield Central; Lou Sciortino, sr., Menomonee Falls; Megan Traxel, jr., South Milwaukee;
OUTFIELD: Megan Abatto, sr., Kettle Moraine; Joette Kassa, soph., West Allis Central; Samantha Salaj, soph., Oconomowoc; Grace Salaja, jr., Arrowhead;
COACH: David Berghaus, Nicolet; Emily Martin, Arrowhead; Lou Sanicola, Menomonee Falls; Jeff Trask, Oak Creek
Honorable mention
PITCHER: Analiese Glawe, jr., Wauwatosa East; Jena Hicks, sr., Pewaukee; Jacky Holloway, jr., Waukesha West; Molly Howe, sr., Lake Country Lutheran; Elizabeth Koch, soph., Franklin; Jenny Nimtz, sr., Cedarburg; Breanna Roberts, jr., Franklin; Maddie Steffes, jr., Nicolet; Claire Terp, sr., Muskego
CATCHER: Arianna Bruner, soph., West Allis Central; Hannah Drummond, jr., Cudahy; Madison Knitter, jr., Pewaukee; Megan Lauret, sr., Lake Country Lutheran; Emma Neale, jr., Menomonee Falls
INFIELD: Sophia Ahlborn, soph., Oak Creek; Athena Binelas, soph., Oak Creek; Keri Bohlman, sr., Hamilton; Claudia Bucholz, soph., Kettle Moraine; Erica Buechel, sr., New Berlin Eisenhower; Jordyn Case, jr., Grafton; Rayne Conroy-Hubbard, fr., West Allis Central; Alyssa Danes, jr., Franklin; Julia Eberhardt, soph., Cedarburg; Abby Hafemann, fr., Martin Luther; Jenny Justus, jr., Greendale; Ally Kormanik, sr., Catholic Memorial; Madison Lenzke, sr., Whitnall; Riley Morin, sr., Muskego; Mariah Mundt, sr., West Allis Hale; Hayden Nelson, jr., Whitefish Bay; Lilly Olson, jr., Oconomowoc; Allison Rataczak, fr., Waukesha North; Mackenzie Rudy, jr., Arrowhead; Regan Schultz, sr., Greenfield; Cat Seiberlich, soph., Homestead; Andrea Stephens, sr., New Berlin West; Emily Versnik, sr., Franklin
OUTFIELD: Ava Alt, jr., Whitefish Bay; Lauren Arnholt, jr., Germantown; Riley Breider, jr., Wauwatosa East; Izzy Bruder, soph., Franklin; Taylor Earing, sr., Hamilton; Lexi Hess, jr., West Allis Hale; Megan Jackson, sr., Menomonee Falls; Paige Kowalewski, jr., Greenfield; Meagan Loewus, sr., New Berlin Eisenhower; Kim Lyon, soph., Nicolet; Mya McDaniel, jr., Brown Deer; Abby Matthews, soph., Franklin; Erin Posig, sr., Oak Creek; Tori Rodriguez, jr., Oak Creek; Brook Runte, jr., Franklin; Molly Schlosser, fr., Oconomowoc; Kenna Strunsee, fr., Waukesha South; Ashley Lesser, soph., Franklin
COACH: Shawn Grimm, Waukesha North; Greg Klotz, New Berlin West; Jack Miller, Greenfield; Ed Raue, Wauwatosa East