UWO hoping for revenge tour at WIAC Tournament after 33-5 regular season

OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) - UW-Oshkosh softball had high expectations coming into this year, returning eight starters. And they came out hot, starting the season 17-0.

“It’s kinds of incredible, something we’ve never done before. We didn’t expect it,” Titans head coach Scott Beyer said. “We kept doing our jobs. We kind of joked around like, ‘hey we could be 40-0 at the end of the season’ type of thing.”

Well, that didn’t happen. But even when they got their first loss, after that, they went on a 10-0 stretch, so 27-1 to start.

“We came out pretty hot, and doing that, honestly, it was more fun than I think I’ve ever had. We all just played really well together and meshed,” UWO pitcher Sydney Nemetz said.

Oshkosh finished the regular season 33-5 and is nationally ranked at No. 21 in Division III. However, some of their toughest competition is right here in Wisconsin in the WIAC.

“It’s super tough knowing that every time we go into conference, it’s dog eat dog. It’s going to be a battle no matter what,” Titans catcher Sophie Wery said. “You never know what’s going to happen in our conference. Everyone beats everyone. We’re going to get a new game every time.”

Four of the Titans’ five losses this season were in the WIAC. Two were to Whitewater, who won the regular season conference title, one loss was to Stout and one to Stevens Point.

So if they want to win this conference tournament and get an automatic NCAA bid, they’ll have to potentially play some revenge games.

“We would’ve loved to have come out as the number one seed obviously,” Nemetz said. “We just want to focus on staying hungry, like revenge tour.”

“It’s a battle of attrition to be honest with you. It’s a double elimination tournament with six of the best teams in our conference. So we know going into it that we have to perform well and play well,” Beyer said.

“It’s going to be a battle no matter what. We’re going to go on some revenge tours, especially against Whitewater,” Wery said.

The conference tournament starts on Thursday where the Titans will either face La Crosse or Eau Claire in the first game.

Copyright 2023 WBAY. All rights reserved.