Pioneer Softball Opens 2023 Season On Thursday

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team will open its 2023 season on Thursday with two games in Peoria, Illinois. The Pioneers were predicted to place seventh in the WIAC Preseason Poll and return 11 letterwinners from a year ago.

Head Coach Becca Runde returns for her fourth season at UW-Platteville after going 13-19 last year, including a 5-9 mark in conference play.

2022 First Team All-WIAC honoree Claire Bakkestuen returns after pacing the Pioneers in several offensive categories a year ago. The senior finished with a team-leading five home runs and 29 RBI while hitting .385 with a .500 on-base percentage. Bakkestuen also made 26 appearances in the circle, finishing with a 3.99 earned run average across a team-high 91.1 innings and 99 strikeouts. She tallied four wins and recorded a pair of saves.

Sophomore Jordan Johnson will join Bakkestuen on the pitching staff after throwing 51.0 innings and winning seven games last season. Johnson tossed one complete game across 17 appearances and posted a 5.22 ERA. She also hit .325 and was third on the team with 13 RBI.

Other key returners include senior Amanda Stanczuk and junior Danielle Trumbo. Stanczuk played in all 32 games while batting .320 with 13 RBI while Trumbo totaled 23 hits and a .271 batting average across 29 games.

The Pioneers will face four different teams this weekend in Peoria before playing 10 games in Winter Haven, Florida in the middle of March. The home opener will be on Thursday, March 30 against Dubuque and the conference schedule begins on the road April 7 against UW-Whitewater.