Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team has seen six of its players earn recognition as All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) for the 2025 season. The announcement was made on Tuesday, highlighting three first-team all-conference selections and three honorable mentions.

Paige Lathrop, a junior from South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Molly Marquardt, a sophomore from Manhattan, Illinois, and Kenna Strunsee, a senior from Waukesha, Wisconsin were named to the first team All-WIAC. Lathrop leads the team with a .448 batting average this season and ranks fourth in runs batted in (RBI) with 26. She has successfully stolen 25 bases out of 28 attempts.

Marquardt plays third base and is hitting .405 this spring. She set a school record with 23 doubles this season and leads the team with seven home runs and 50 RBI. Her slugging percentage stands at .770 with 31 extra-base hits.

Strunsee boasts a .420 batting average while leading the team in runs scored with 53. She also holds the highest number of steals on the team at 33 without being caught stealing this season. Additionally, she has eight doubles to her name.

Honorable mentions include Norah Kutnink from Winneconne, Wisconsin; Jacie Schultz from Lake Crystal, Minnesota; and Brooklyn Swanepoel from New Richmond, Wisconsin. Kutnink maintains a .342 batting average along with 14 RBI. Swanepoel is second on the team in batting average at .446 and holds an impressive .531 on-base percentage. Schultz has performed well as a pitcher with a record of 12-4 alongside an ERA of 1.75 and tallying up to 51 strikeouts.

Emma Raikowski from Stevens Point, Wisconsin was recognized for her sportsmanship by being named to WIAC's All-Sportsmanship team.

The Blugolds are scheduled to face Baldwin Wallace in their opening round of NCAA regionals on May 15 in Angola, Indiana at 1:30 p.m., Eastern time.

For ongoing updates throughout the season follow Blugolds via their website Blugolds.com or through their app Blugold Sports available on social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.