Five girls from the Bluejay softball team found themselves rewarded with All-Conference voting after a third-place WVC season, and First Team shortstop Lindsay Krueger worked herself all the way to a First Team All-District and Third Team All-State berths from the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association.
“Lindsay just had a phenomenal year,” MHS coach Matt Ellenbecker said. “There wasn’t a girl in the area who consistently hit the ball harder than Lindsay did. Our offense struggled to produce throughout the year, which made Lindsay’s production even more important.
“She didn’t pick on the lower competition either, with some of her bigger games coming against DC Everest and SPASH. Since she had such a strong offensive year, I think Lindsay’s defense gets overlooked. She moved from second base to shortstop this year and played outstanding. She plays with great athleticism, but also is a very heads-up player.”
Krueger pounded out a .460 batting average and a huge 1.120 slugging percentage, and offered a .509 on-base percentage, 23 RBI, 23 hits, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 6 home runs and 14 runs. She led or tied for the lead in all those categories, and was second in runs with 11.
Senior centerfielder Brianna LaMonica and junior catcher Leesha Kleinschmidt both made the Second Team, while junior second-baseman Reegan Byer and sophomore pitcher MaKayla Heckendorf picked up Honorable Mention.
LaMonica hit .338, with a .444 OBP and .551 slugging. She scored a team-high 14 runs and drove in 7. Kleinschmidt hit .361, had a .410 OBP and .444 slugging.
“Bri has been an offensive threat for three years, but this year I think she took her greatest strides in the outfield,” Ellenbecker said. “She had to be a leader out there with two first-year varsity players on each side of her for most of the year, and by the end of the year she did just that. It was great to see that kind of growth and change in attitude in a player who had already established herself as one of the top players in the conference. We identified an area that she could improve in and she embraced it. She was a real leader in the outfield, but also of our entire team.
“Leesha is a tough ballplayer. She is one of our most important players as she is one of our best hitters and also plays a very demanding defensive position for us and does it quite well. She works well with our pitcher and does a great job of keeping balls in front of her and has a strong throwing arm, as well. Coaches often compliment her play after games, and maybe more importantly, umpires do. If she doesn’t do her job well, they take a beating. Leesha is the kind of player who could potentially step up and be one of the best players in the conference next year if she really embraces that opportunity.”
Byer batted .298, with a .365 OBP and .456 slugging. She ripped 7 doubles and scored 10 runs. Heckendorf pitched 107 innings and posted a 4.58 ERA. Her strikeout-to-walk ratio was 63-to-36. She collected 7 wins.
“Reegan took a step back in batting average this year after an unbelievable sophomore season, but she still drove the ball well and did a good job getting on base,” Ellenbecker said. “It is nice to have a leadoff hitter who can hit gaps, and Reegan certainly did that this season. I think that she made some big strides defensively, which is impressive considering she moved positions from third base over to second base. She is a tireless worker and really works to get better. As a player she is selfless and does a great job of asking questions in order to help herself improve. Coaches recognized her athleticism at second base and a solid approach at the plate. I look forward to a big year from Reegan next year and see her really stepping into a leadership role.
“MaKayla had somewhat of an up-and-down season, but she was very instrumental to the success that we had. I was extremely nervous coming into the season with really one pitcher who was a sophomore coming up from the JV level. To make matters worse, the weather forced us into more doubleheaders than we would have liked to play. MaKayla was tough as nails throughout. It was great to see her open up and show a competitive streak that you wouldn’t guess is there if you only knew her off the diamond. She showed tremendous growth throughout the season and you have to feel good things lie ahead for her. She was actually just one vote shy of being a second team player this year.”