After three appearances over four years, Madison College has not been to the NJCAA Division II Softball Championships in three years. The WolfPack are focused on making sure that absense doesn't carry on for another year. Head coach Leo Kalinowski and his 2023 team reached the Region 4 championship, and the roster for 2024 returns nine pieces, while adding some very valuable parts with an 11-member incoming class.

Offensively, Madison College lost four of its top six bats from last spring. Outfielder Karis Paulson led the WolfPack with 37 runs batted in, and owns the best batting average (.372) and runs scored (35) among the returners. In addtition, she led the team with 18 stolen bases. Shortstop Jenna Redders batted .318 as a freshman, and finished the season with 23 runs and 23 RBI, while catcher/utility Mackenna Schultz posted 26 runs scored and 17 driven in. Fellow position players Lillie Pluer, Madison Coubal, Brooke Cimler, and Hailey Richter are expected to further their development and production.

Hannah Aldrich and Ella Wyskochil are the top returning pitchers for Madison College, and both will also contribute at the plate and in the field. Aldrich went 6-4 with a 4.75 earned run average and 34 strikeouts over 56.0 innings last season. Wyskochil posted a 1-4 mark with a 4.85 ERA in her 34-plus innings in the circle.

"The returning group has collectively demonstrated very strong leadership that will serve our team well throughout the season," commented Kalinowski. "They bring back good offensive punch to the lineup and possess strong defensive skills."

Speed and pitching depth are the primary focal point of a talented group of newcomers ready to represent the WolfPack on the 2024 roster. Kendall Weik, Brooke Steinhorst, and Audriana Edwards will all see time in the circle in meaningful games this season. Steinhorst won a state championship at Poynette HS, Weik was a two-time conference player of the year while at Phillips HS, and Edwards was an all-state honoree at Beaver Dam HS.

Weik and Steinhorst could also see action in the field and the plate, joining a group of new position players expected to create havoc on the base paths, as well as solid plate with their bats and gloves. That group includes infielders Brooke Anderson, Tailer Bartelt, Maya Dzick, Rylee Rogers, and Ava Stahl, and outfielders Jenna Johnson, Emily Nichols, and Abbey Remington. As prep players, Anderson was a two-time first team all-state selection, Rogers was a three-time all-state recipient, and Stahl competed at the state tournament and was a conference player of the year.

"This is a talented class that will fill several key spots lost due to graduation, and they will do so immediately and at a high level. It includes a solid trio of pitchers likely to see plenty of time on the mound."

The 2024 schedule got a jump start thanks to unseasonably warm temperatures in late-February, allowing the WolfPack to split a season-opening doubleheader with in-state rival Milwaukee Area Technical College. That twin bill featured a one-hitter from Steinhorst as she fanned eight batters in her collegiate debut. Following another Region 4 doubleheader against Sauk Valley Community College on March 5, Madison College will take their annual spring break trip to a new location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There they will play ten games over six days, a slate that includes matchups with WVU Potomac State College on March 11 and Louisburg College on March 12, two teams ranked #20 and #3, respectively, in the NJCAA Division II Poll. Once back in the Midwest, the WolfPack will travel to South Suburban College - ranked #16 in the NJCAA Division II Preseason Poll before opening a six-game homestand at Robert D. Goodman Softball Field. Some key matchups on the schedule include a road games at #4 Joliet Junior College (Division III) and a home series April 23 with Rock Valley College, a perennial power that beat the Pack in the finals last season and opened the season at #12 in the preseason poll.

Postseason play will begin on May 4-5 with a newly formated Region 4 Tournament Quarterfinal featuring a three-team round robin hosted by the higher seed. Winners advance to the NJCAA Region 4 Division II Midwest District A & B Tournaments on May 11-12. The ultimate goal is earning a return trip to the Palmetto State with a berth in the 2024 NJCAA Division II Softball Championships in Spartanburg, South Carolina, from May 20-25.

"We anticipate being a very strongly competitive team with good all-around speed. A solid core of pitchers will be key to the team getting back to the national tournament. We're looking forward to the challenge."

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