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Vern Hollister - Correspondent

Starting Northern Lakes Conference softball pitchers against Laona/Wabeno should be prepared for the Rebels to take their cuts. Three of their returning starters average over .400, three others over .360, and two players who entered three-fourths of the games hover near the .380 mark. That's a bevy of heavy aluminum powered softballs.

Collecting a tie for the top spot in the conference with a final game win over Crandon to finish 13-1, the Rebels return not only their heavy hitters but starting pitcher Kristin Zimmer with a 16-2 record, an era of 2.23, 111 K's, and her battery mate, Cassy Huettl, one of the hard swingers.

"Our battery is back," co-head coach Don Huettl said, "and our entire infield is back, and I've got a good pitcher in Allyssa Tinsman coming up. She'll compete for an outfield position."

Catcher Huettl with a .449 batting average, the same as shortstop Katie Sharko, leads the potent attack. Melanie Albrecht at third base hit .405, second baseman Megan McLaughlin .396, and first baseman Kenzie Krawze .361. That leaves the outfield where the only real competition occurs. Holly Ambrosius, after roaming in center for a couple years, graduated; but in all likelihood, Autumn Aderholdt and her .383 average will move from right to center. That leaves left and right fields as the two positions for which Huettl and co-coach Melissa Peters must make choices.

"I'm excited for the season," Peters said. "We're returning a majority of our players, good athletes, from a good season. I'm looking for an exciting year. A lot of these seniors have been starters since they were sophs. We want to win the conference and go farther into the playoffs."

The M & O Conference slipped in to move past both Crandon and Laona/Wabeno a year ago, a change from when the NLC mainstays kept taking the region crown.

"We played all the M & O we could last year," Huettl said. "This year we're playing every M & O team. We start with four M & O's and play two during the season."

Somewhere along the line, Huettl anticipates meeting one of the teams again, most likely in playoffs. Maturity, an added year of experience, and summer ball all will contribute to Laona/Wabeno's success. Some players went through Little League and then played in the senior girls league where pitcher Tinsman developed.

"They won the senior league with her pitching," Huettl said.

The catcher-pitcher coalition of Huettl and Zimmer, both seniors, didn't sit idle from spring to spring. Zimmer said she began throwing in the latter part of December/ early January.

"Cassy and I went to a pitching-catching camp February 10 in Oshkosh," Zimmer said.

How it helped was difficult to glean as both laughed to say what they remembered the most was a training exercise where they threw two balls at once. While Zimmer pitched, Huettl threw a ball back at the same time.

Huettl explained that the idea was to enhance both their releases and quickness. When Zimmer released a pitch, Huettl fired a return throw to Zimmer. "She throws a fast ball, a change-up, a riser and a drop," Huettl said of Zimmer.

A multi-sport athlete, Zimmer played volleyball and basketball, which left little time to practice her pitching.

"Ones that were able to play did," Peters said. "A lot of our players are multi-sport athletes."

Huettl dedicated herself to softball and hopes to play for Oshkosh where she has been accepted. She spent the off-season training and lifting weights, she said. Then Huettl headed for the batting cage and hammered balls that echoed inside the gym from her bat's impact.

With four freshmen, five sophomores, four or five juniors and five seniors, the Rebels aren't class-heavy, a sign that their youth program keeps providing players. When Zimmer graduates, Tinsman will be ready to step in.

Once more, Laona/Wabeno should finish at the top, their major competition from Crandon. Their goal, of course, is to advance beyond last year's finish, but don't be surprised if the Rebels meet the Cards for a third time. As long as their hitters keep powering the ball behind the hurling of Zimmer, they'll be up there, trying to improve on a 17-2 season.

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