Titans are tournament bound after a hard-fought conference championship
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (BVM) — The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC)聽 softball season came to an end Sunday with a final meeting between the regular season co-champions. UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater faced off in the final game of a best-of-three series with the winner being named conference tournament champion and receiving an automatic bid for the national tournament.聽
鈥淥ur entire mindset was these are the last games of the World Series,鈥� Titans head coach Scott Beyer said. 鈥淲hen we split on Saturday our mantra on Sunday in the championship game was, 鈥楬ey, it鈥檚 game seven of the World Series, let鈥檚 take it.鈥欌�澛�
Leading up to Sunday, Oshkosh had played two regular-season doubleheaders against Whitewater with both teams winning at home. Then on Saturday, the Titans won the first game against Whitewater but were beaten 9-0 in the second.
鈥淚 could see it in the eyes of our kids after that second when we got our butts kicked that they were ready,鈥� Beyer said.聽
This was a veteran group for Oshkosh and it had experience bouncing back after games like the one against Whitewater. Even going back to the six games it was able to play in 2020, this has been a team that fights through adversity to finish the game or series on top.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a testament to the maturity of our team as a whole,鈥� Beyer said. 鈥淭o come back from being beat up 9-0, it hurt but you could tell it didn鈥檛 phase us as much maybe as a younger team because we had been there before.鈥澛�
That veteran leadership has been vital to the Titans鈥� success throughout the season and even before it. It was that group of seasoned players that helped the team navigate the preseason and enter the 2021 campaign prepared for success.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how many more wins on paper it gives us but to have that leadership back is an incredible sense of calmness for the whole team,鈥� Beyer said.聽
It was that calmness that let the Titans know that no matter what happened off the field or during practice, once they stepped on the diamond for a game, it didn鈥檛 matter. Just go out there and play. The mantra worked and early into the season the Titans began putting the pieces together for late-season success.
鈥淵ou could see we had something special early on,鈥� Beyer said.聽
It was their leadership mixed with the talents of young players like sophomore WIAC Pitcher of the Year Maddie Fink and freshman catcher Hannah Ritter that made them special. All of it leading up to Sunday鈥檚 showdown between the two best teams in the WIAC.聽聽聽
In the end, the Titans were able to beat Whitewater, finishing their own personal World Series against the Warhawks and winning the WIAC tournament championship. With an automatic bid to the tournament secured, now all that was left was to see what seed they would be.聽
They would find out Sunday that they were聽 named the No. 1 seed in the Eau Claire Regional.聽
We're heading to Eau Claire for regionals as the #1 seed!鈦� (24-11) begins its 9th trip to the NCAA Div. III Championship on May 21 against Illinois College (25-12).
— UW-Oshkosh Athletics (@UWOshkoshTitans)
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 expect anything,鈥� Beyer said. 鈥淲e knew we were going to be in the tournament and we were happy about that.鈥澛�
The Titans have believed they have been underrated throughout the season, and even prior to the No. 1 seed, they had been ranked fifth in the region during the regular season.
鈥淲e thought we were a top-3 team all year long,鈥� Beyer said.聽
Being underrated was fine with Oshkosh, who played with a chip on their shoulder the entire season, but the No. 1 seed was validation of everything they have been able to accomplish. However, now they are no longer underrated, but instead are the top dog in their region.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e the one seed and you have to do it,鈥� Beyer said.聽
Their first test will come against Illinois College, a team they have never played and know little about.聽
鈥淜nowing nothing about them is awesome and I think it takes a lot of pressure off our offense,鈥� Beyer said.聽
Not knowing their opponent well means the Titans will rely on what got them there and that has been defense first and foremost this season.
鈥淲e are top six in the nation in fielding percentage and our kids take a lot of pride in that,鈥� Beyer said.聽
Their defense has supported their pitching, given their offense confidence and helped form their identity. Now with the tournament beginning, it will be what continues to give them success.
