A game that can not only change the player’s lives, but also change the division title of the club. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s very own club softball team was able to win the NCSA Division II World Series Championship for the second time in a row.

Noli Hillmann is one of the softball players who competed to make history for her team and the future of UW-W club softball.

“It was exciting winning the World Series Championship. I felt so happy to win and to reach the standards that we set for ourselves,” Hillmann said.

Her personal goal moving forward is to make it to regionals and help the new players adjust to the club and navigate through the practices. 

Lydia Miller helped the team achieve its goal of winning the Championship within its final moments. 

“In the moment, as the ball left the bat, my heart was rushing with adrenaline, and before I had time to process what happened, the ball was in my glove,” Miller said.  “I felt a sense of overjoyment and overwhelming emotions.” 

Miller stated how satisfying and joyful the big accomplishment was. The game was one of her biggest accomplishments as a player, and her next goal is to take one game at a time while seeing how far the team can go, while enjoying the sport.

Ava Cheney described the win as her biggest accomplishment since she wasn’t thinking she would be continuing the sport in college.

“In the moment, I was a catcher in the game, and as soon as I saw Lydia catch the ball, I wanted to hug her; luckily, the team dog piled on her in victory,” Cheney said. “The win was a breath of fresh air, and it felt amazing to do it with my new family in the softball club.”

Miller stated how the win made her feel more confident in softball, and she wants to continue growing the sister bond within the team.

President of the Softball Club, Kate Cavanaugh, was one of the few players on the team who was there for winning both the 2024 and 2025 World Series Championships.

“When I saw Lydia catch the ball, I immediately threw myself on the ground,” Cavanaugh said. “I knew we would win; we had a comfortable win of 5-1, and all we needed was the third out.” 

She expressed how many memories she made with the team on the 8-hour road trip, and being able to hang out while bonding with the new players and essentially the new team. Her next goal is to gain more wins while having fun and having a great experience with the team.

With all of the emotions from the huge accomplishment, club softball was able to publicize more, and this year they added up to 20 new members. A lot of new members saw how much the team grew closer in bond, but to be able to compete at such a high level.

Club softball is now officially within Division I for club softball. A lot of eyes are on them as news spreads fast. That doesn’t faze the club as they are hungry for another win.

“It is going to be tougher competition, and our main goal is to get top 2 in the conference,” Cavanaugh said.

“We have a target on our backs as we move up back to back, as we have built an image of a hard team to face,” Cheney said.

“The win has given me a drive that helps me want to compete while having fun,” Miller said.

“I am hoping the team makes it to regionals and hopefully nationals as we approach our first division I game,” Hillmann said.

The first two games that the club softball team will compete against are Marquette and Madison Sept. 20 and Oct. 4.