This story is sponsored by Forward Bank
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
Auburndale had three unanimous first-team selections to the 2021 All-Marawood Conference South Division Softball Team, as voted on by the six conference coaches following the season.
All 10 of the first-team picks this year were unanimous selections by the coaches, with Auburndale picking up three of those spots.
Seniors Kaitlyn Kundinger and Hailey Grimm, along with sophomore Ashlyn Grimm were named to the first team for the Eagles.
Kundinger hit .469 this season with 13 RBIs and 32 runs scored, and Hailey Grimm hit .312 with 15 runs and 19 RBIs, while splitting time on the pitching mound with sister Ashlyn Grimm. Hailey Grimm was 8-2 with a 3.66 ERA and 44 strikeouts, while Ashlyn was 6-4 with a 5.69 ERA, two saves and 55 strikeouts, while also batting .438 with six home runs, 27 runs scored and 26 RBIs for the Eagles, who tied for second in the conference with a 7-3 record and finished with a 16-6 overall record.
Assumption senior Sammy Nelson, and sophomores Ava Schill and Cristin Casey; Edgar freshman Makayla Wirkus and junior Skylee Manecke; Marathon senior Linsday Pintor; and Wausau Newman Catholic senior Angela Donath round out the first-team picks.
Schill, the Assumption pitcher, was named the Marawood South Player of the Year after helping the Royals to the conference title with a 9-1 record (16-2 overall). She hit .420 with 20 RBIs, and also went 14-2 on the mound with a 0.47 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 89 innings.
Casey hit an astounding .705 (43-for-61) with a home run, 13 RBIs and scored 42 runs. Nelson had a .647 average (33-for-51) with 24 RBIs and 31 runs scored for the Royals.
Manecke hit .439 with 17 RBIs and Wirkus hit .594 (38-for-64) with a team-best 21 RBIs, four triples and 39 runs scored.
2021 All-Marawood Conference South Division Softball Team
*Denotes unanimous selection
First team: *Ava Schill, so., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; *Sammy Nelson, sr., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; *Cristin Casey, so., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; *Kaitlyn Kundinger, sr., Auburndale; *Hailey Grimm, sr., Auburndale; *Ashlyn Grimm, so., Auburndale; *Makayla Wirkus, fr., Edgar; *Skylee Manecke, jr., Edgar; *Lindsay Pintor, sr., Marathon; *Angela Donath, sr., Wausau Newman Catholic.
Second team: Sadie Galbreath, so., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; Maleia Kolo, so., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; Kendall Schmidt, sr., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; Lydia Smits, fr., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; Georgi Schmutzer, sr., Auburndale; Erin Griesbach, so., Auburndale; Reagan Borchardt, so., Edgar; Morgan Streveler, fr., Edgar; Andrea Seymour, sr., Marathon; Stevie Samuels, sr., Wausau Newman Catholic.
Honorable mention: Abbi Berard, sr., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; Maddie Abbot, fr., Wisconsin Rapids Assumption; Leah Davis, so., Edgar; Karlin Lipinski, jr., Edgar; Jada Prihoda, jr., Marathon; Allison Wokatsch, jr., Marathon; Lily Zeimetz, jr., Wausau Newman Catholic; Maria Christophersen, so., Wausau Newman Catholic; Maria Schoenfuss, sr., Stratford; Bailey Linzmaier, so., Stratford; Samantha Stanton, fr., Auburndale; Regynn Lau, fr., Auburndale.
Player of the Year: Ava Schill, Wisconsin Rapids Assumption.
Coach of the Year: Charlie Nelson, Wisconsin Rapids Assumption.