UW-Whitewater softball finally had their first home games of the 2025 season on April 3 against Illinois Wesleyan. The Warhawks spent the first few weeks of the season on the road, and while the home opener was originally slated for April 2, inclement weather postponed the games by a day.
Even though the Warhawks did enjoy their time on the road, they were happy to be back in front of the home crowd.
“I think it’s a lot of fun. The energy is always so fun in the dugout, and [it’s good] just being back at home,” senior Kiarra Kostroski said.
Coming into the home opener, Whitewater sported a perfect 14-0 record, with 12 of those wins coming during “THE Spring Games” in Florida, and the other two in a sweep of Carroll University.
It seemed like the cold weather cooled off the Warhawks’ bats in game one of the double header with Illinois Wesleyan, as they trailed 1-0 headed into the bottom of the third inning. However, a pair of hits from JJ Jakosalem and Claire Kohlne put a runner in scoring position, which Kostroski promptly drove in to tie the game at one run.
“Honestly our big thing is just to pass the bat. You know, just getting base hits,” Kostroski said of her mentality with runners in scoring position. “We’re not going for those huge home runs all of the time, instead just making contact [with the ball].”
The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth inning, where Kohlne hit a solo home run to give the Warhawks a 2-1 lead. The scoring wasn’t done there though, as Kostroski and Grace Wickman each doubled, giving the Warhawks an insurance run and a 3-1 lead.
The rest of the game would go smoothly for the purple and white, as the offense added another insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and relief pitcher Brooke Hock retired Illinois Wesleyan’s batters with ease to secure a 4-1 victory and advance to 15-0.
Starting pitcher Rhiann Dick got the game one start, coming into the appearance she had allowed just six earned runs on the season. That success continued, as she threw four innings while striking out six and allowing one earned run.
“I feel very relaxed [in the circle], I have all my trust in the defense and in the girls who are hitting,” Dick said. “I’m really proud of the team and everyone’s doing their jobs.”
Head coach Brenda Volk spoke highly of Dick and the impact that she’s had pitching this season.
“With this being her fifth year, she should have all of the confidence in the world,” Volk said. “It really helps just to have that experience out there.”
Game two of the double header did not go as well for the Warhawks, as they suffered their first loss of the season. The team lost 3-0 with the offense tallying just two hits and failing to score. In fact, the only scoring of the game came in the top of the second inning, with Illinois Wesleyan’s three runs.
Although the box score shows a lackluster game offensively, Whitewater was making good contact throughout the game, but came up with nothing to show for it.
“We’ve been hitting very well. These are probably the two best pitchers we’ve faced all season,” Volk said. “Even though we were one-hit for a while, I thought we still made good contact. It just happened to be right at people.”
The second game of the double header provided another strong pitching performance, as Madi DeBennette closed out the final 4.2 innings of the game, allowing no runs and just three hits. The defense also made some significant plays, as Wickman and Kostroski each caught line drives to prevent Illinois Wesleyan from scoring.
Going forward, the Warhawks look to continue their successful season and build up momentum through their next four double headers before WIAC play starts.
