Panthers meet goals, 2010 looks bright

PLYMOUTH – A young Plymouth softball squad met all three of its goals for the 2009 season that added up to five more wins than the previous year.

Keyed by strong hitting and pitching, the Panthers finished third in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference at 9-5 and were 15-7 overall. PHS won its Division 2 regional opener over Mayville before losing to EWC rival Campbellsport in the semifinals.

“Our goals were to have another winning season, finish in the top three [in the EWC] and win at least one game in the WIAA tourney. We met all three goals,” said Panther head coach Gale Grahn.

The Panthers had an explosive attack with a .323 batting average and a scoring average of 6.9 runs per game. PHS set a school record for the most hits in one season at 211 (previous mark was 2008 in 1997).

Plymouth’s pitching was again in the very capable hands of sophomore Emma Olig who was 15-7 with an impressive 1.73 ERA. Her strikeout total increased an outstanding 25 percent over last year.

The Panthers’ bats were led by senior right fielder Danielle Klister and sophomore center fielder Kaitlyn Hoffmann. Klister slugged a team-high five home runs and was the hitting leader with a red-hot .451 average.

Hoffmann, who was named to the All-EWC first team for the second straight year, hit .425 and had a team-high 26 RBIs.

Grahn commented on each of the varsity players.

“Emma had an excellent sophomore season. She lowered her walks by 40 percent and had an excellent changeup to go with a solid location on her fastball,” Grahn said.

“Kaitlyn set a team record for hits [in one season] with 34. She is an excellent defender in center field and had five outfield assists and some great catches.

“Sydney Holdridge [sophomore catcher] threw out 40 percent of possible base stealers. She hit .375 the last 12 games.

“Danielle had a monster offensive year. She set a team record for slugging percentage with .803 and home runs,” the coach said.

“Lauren Pieper [senior shortstop] had another excellent defensive season.

“Danielle Grahn [senior] was a solid defensive player, She saved a number of errors with her glove work at first base.

“Taylor Tischauser [junior designated player] finished hitting a solid .325 in her first varsity season and led team in stolen bases with 11,” coach Grahn pointed out.

“Sam Carr [senior left fielder] switched to a left-handed hitter this year and improved her average greatly. She was a very productive No. 9 hitter.

“Allie Iserloth [senior second baseman] was a first-year starter and had a solid season, and provided good leadership.

“Stephanie Hunter [freshman third baseman] came up from the junior varsity midway through the season and gained valuable experience in the infield,” said Grahn who has guided PHS to 14 straight winning seasons.

“Shyanne Heimerl [sophomore third baseman] and Samantha Sippel [sophomore outfielder] were parttime starters and provided good baserunning as courtesy runners for Olig,” the coach said.

One of the highlights of the season was a six-game winning streak about midway through.

Coach Grahn is optimistic about next season.

“We have a good outlook with our pitcher, catcher and center fielder all returning for two more seasons. We return seven letter winners,” he said.

“We will continue to work hard in the summer and fall leagues to improve and move up in the [EWC] standings.”

AWARDS, FINAL STATS

Olig, an All-EWC first-team pick, was voted the Panthers’ “Most Valuable Player” for the second straight season by her teammates. She fired six shutouts and struck out 136 batters in 145-2/3 innings.

The other award-winners were Hoffmann and Klister, “Top Offensive Players;” Tischauser, “Most Improved;” Pieper, “Top Defensive Player;” and Grahn, Klister, Carr, Iserloth and Pieper, team captains.

Klister paced PHS in on-base percentage with .494. Hoffmann scored a team-high 25 runs. All 12 players earned varsity letters.

FINAL PLYMOUTH SOFTBALL STATISTICS