By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – A five-game stretch in eight days, starting with a doubleheader against Wausau West on Saturday, will determine whether the Marshfield softball team is a contender for the Wisconsin Valley Conference title.
The Tigers take a 3-1 Valley mark (9-5 overall) into Saturday’s twinbill at the Central Wisconsin Fairgrounds against West in a pivotal matchup. The Warriors are tied with D.C. Everest at 2-1 in third place behind Marshfield and 4-0 Stevens Point.
While Stevens Point looks like the cream of the crop in the Valley again this season, having outscored its opponents 52-1 in its four wins, the Tigers are hoping to build a win streak heading into another doubleheader next Saturday – at home against the Panthers.
“After losing those two last week (to Hudson last Saturday), we have to go get our confidence back,” Marshfield coach Mike Voss said. “I think if they want to be one of the top teams in the conference, they have to show that they can come back and play some quality softball and get some wins, especially playing at home on our own field in a conference race that’s kind of up in the air right now.
“If we can get these two games this weekend, and we play D.C. Everest next Tuesday and win that and go in on a streak against Point, I like our chances against them too.”
A big reason Marshfield is in the conference title chase is because of pitcher Rhiannon Baierl, who is 3-0 with a 3.24 ERA. She has thrown a no-hitter, a one-hitter and a three-hitter in her three victories.
“I feel a lot more safe because of the defense behind me,” Baierl said. “They are really strong this year.”
Voss sees her confidence rising as the season goes on.
“The biggest thing with her this year is she’s shown consistently she’s able to throw strikes,” Voss said. “Last year was an adjustment for her, learning to pitch at the varsity level. She’s not one of those girls that’s going to strike out 10-12 girls a game. She’ll go out there and get four or five at the most, but the rest of the stuff is placement and getting them to swing at some bad pitches. She needs to rely on the defense and that’s what she does.”
The Tigers are also hitting the ball well, scoring in double digits in eight of their last nine games.
Leading the way at the plate is senior center fielder Andie Varsho, who will playing softball at Purdue University in the Big Ten in the fall.
Varsho, the three-time defending batting champion in the Valley and a three-time all-state player, is off to another incredible start, hitting .706 in conference play (12-for-17), with seven doubles.
“As I’m focusing on team goals, I’m also focusing on individual goals,” Varsho said. “After doing so well the last three years, I just have to keep my game up and keep supporting my teammates. As long as I’m doing well as an individual, I’m contributing to our team success as well.”
As for the big week ahead for her team, Varsho said it’s all about playing hard and preparing for the postseason, which starts June 1.
“It’s definitely going to be a deciding factor,” Varsho said of the five games lying ahead. “Overall, if we go out there and play well, give it our best shot, if we come up with a victory or a loss, we can all say we tried our hardest.
“We want to play well so in the playoff season when we play these teams, we can do better.”
