The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team will recognize the 30th anniversary of its 1987 NCAA Division III national runner-up team as part of its annual Alumni Day this Saturday at van Steenderen Softball Complex against No. 9 UW-Eau Claire.
First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Warhawks will hold a brief ceremony prior to the opener, and former head coach Sue McKeown will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. In addition, UW-Whitewater will join the
baseball team in donating all ticket proceeds to the JwegStrong Fund.
UW-Whitewater will recognize its four seniors following Sunday's doubleheader against Coe (Iowa), which begins at 2 p.m.
Jessica Kaemerer (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way West),
Haley Morelli (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein),
Amy Ricci (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) and
Cara Smoczynski (Aurora, Ill./Rosary) will be honored by their teammates and coaches immediately after the conclusion of the second game.
The 1987 Warhawks won the NCAA Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich., to reach the NCAA Championship round in Willimantic, Conn. After dropping its first game, the team rattled off three straight wins to reach the title game and place as the national runner-up, the highest finish in program history at the time.
UW-Whitewater finished with a 28-11 record for the season. Terri Roemer led the team's pitching staff with a 20-7 record, including 26 complete games and seven shutouts in 165 2/3 innings.
Roemer was named first team all-conference along with Jolie Kreuser and Jill Schyvinck. Kreuser hit .309 with a team-high six home runs, while Schyvinck batted .252 with 10 runs batted in. Shelly Stanicek recorded a .287 batting average with four home runs and a team-best 29 RBI.
Morelli, Ricci and Smoczynski are all four-year members of the Warhawks, while Kaemerer is in her third year with the program. Over the last four years, UW-Whitewater has accumulated more than 115 wins and has claimed two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championships, three WIAC Tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a national third-place finish in 2014.
