Pioneers Picked Sixth In WIAC Preseason Poll

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team was picked to finish sixth in the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) preseason poll that was released on Wednesday afternoon.

Defending conference champion UW-Oshkosh was voted to finish atop the standings, with the Titans entering the season ranked fourth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III poll. Two more NFCA ranked teams in UW-Stevens Point (No. 23) and UW-Whitewater (No. 21) rounded out the top three in the WIAC poll.

UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire finished just ahead of the Pioneers in the preseason predictions, while UW-Stout and UW-River Falls rounded out the poll.

Head Coach Becca Runde will lead the program for the sixth season after going 22-16 in 2024 with a 2-12 mark in conference play. She welcomes back 22 letterwinners from last year's team, including seven starting position players and a pair of starting pitchers.

Junior Melissa Dietz, the 2023 WIAC Position Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, returns after missing all of 2024 due to an injury. In her freshman campaign, Dietz posted a .469 batting average with eight home runs and 25 RBI en route to taking home a pair of conference awards.

Three 2024 WIAC Honorable Mention will join Dietz as returners, including senior Taylor Roughen, senior Jordan Johnson, and sophomore Allison Peters. Roughen was the Pioneers top starting pitcher last season, throwing 127.2 innings and recording a 1.81 earned run average while striking out 135 batters. Johnson led UW-Platteville in several offensive categories last season, hitting .368 and driving in a team-high 23 runs. Peters played all 38 games as a freshman last season and was second on the team in hits (36) and runs batted in (20).

Other key position player returners are senior Felicia Teubert and sophomore Mia Savage, who both started most of the game for the Pioneers last season. Teubert hit .347 with a team-high 21 runs scored, while Savage had a .284 batting average with 16 RBI. In the circle, junior Carlie Jo Brownlee joins Roughen to create a solid pitching duo. Brownlee threw 81.1 innings last season with a 2.75 ERA and 75 strikeouts.

The Pioneers open the season on Thursday, February 20 against Edgewood in Peoria, Illinois. Following the four-game stretch in Peoria, UW-Platteville plays twice in Rochester, Minnesota to begin March before traveling to Clermont, Florida for 10 games over spring break.

After four straight road doubleheaders to open April, the Pioneers will host Dubuque on Thursday, April 10 for the first home games of the season. Conference play begins on Saturday, April 12 at home against UW-River Falls and the WIAC Tournament takes place May 9-11.