Arlington Heights's Catino Earns Spot on 2018 UW-Whitewater Softball Roster

2018 Mar 19

Caitlin Catino, a native of Arlington Heights, IL, and graduate of Buffalo Grove High School, will compete for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team during the 2018 season, which begins next week.

Catino, a junior at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in marketing.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team looks to continue its extraordinary run of success within the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and at the national level during the 2018 season, which begins next week.

The Warhawks posted a perfect 17-0 record against WIAC opponents last season, winning the conference regular season championship for the third time in four years with a 14-0 mark, the team's first perfect league run through the regular season since 2009.

UW-Whitewater then claimed its fifth straight WIAC Tournament title and its fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, and was selected to host a four-team regional. The team finished 37-9 for the season with a No. 15 final national ranking from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

The 2018 Warhawks are the preseason favorite of the WIAC's head coaches and athletic communications personnel to repeat as conference champions and are currently ranked 10th in the nation by the NFCA.

UW-Whitewater plays its first of 14 games at the National Training Center Spring Games Wednesday against Tufts (Mass.). The team is also scheduled to face fourth-ranked Williams (Mass.) on Wednesday and again on March 27. Other featured contests include a doubleheader against No. 21 St. Thomas (Minn.) on March 24 and a game against No. 9 Luther (Iowa) on March 29.

The Warhawks' home opening doubleheader is scheduled for April 5 against Carthage at van Steenderen Softball Complex. The team kicks off the WIAC season two days later at home against UW-River Falls.

Other highlights of the schedule include doubleheaders against 2017 NCAA Tournament participants Chicago (away, April 14), UW-Oshkosh (home, April 21), Illinois Wesleyan (away, April 23) and UW-La Crosse (away, April 29). UW-Oshkosh is ranked 25th in the latest NFCA poll, while Illinois Wesleyan is 16th.

See below for a complete breakdown of the 2018 UW-Whitewater softball team.

Infield

Returning starters on the infield include senior Michayla Swanson (Randolph, Wis./Randolph), junior Kelly Berglund (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls), sophomores Meg Cohrs (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) and Nicole Neitzel (Verona, Wis./Verona Area).

Cohrs enjoyed a strong rookie campaign at third base last spring, garnering first team All-WIAC and first team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region accolades. She ranked among league leaders in batting average (.376), runs batted in (40), home runs (5) and total bases (75), and committed only one error in the field.

Swanson, the team's primary starter at second base, batted .276 with four doubles, two home runs and 17 RBI. At shortstop, Berglund hit .327 with five doubles and 24 RBI.

Neitzel started all 46 games last season and served as starting catcher during her first year with the program. She collected six doubles and 15 RBI, and threw out nine runners trying to steal, good for the second-most in the conference.

Other returning infielders include juniors Molly Ethington (Rock Island, Ill./Alleman Catholic), Emily Rux(Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) and sophomore Mattie Klingenmeyer (Mayville, Wis./Mayville). Ethington appeared in 13 games as a pitcher and first baseman last season, while Rux started 13 of the 15 games she played in, missing a large portion of the season due to injury. Klingenmeyer, a first baseman, appeared in 19 games in 2017.

Sophomore catcher Nikki MIkosz returns to the team in 2018 after collecting honorable mention All-WIAC recognition as a freshman in 2016. She batted .311 that season with a team-high 12 doubles to go along with 25 RBI.

Newcomers: Megan Schweitzer (Appleton, Wis./East), So., 2B; Michelle Birkholz (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg), Fr., 1B; Taylor Briehl (Spring Green, Wis./River Valley), Fr., C; Kaleigh O'Brien (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge), Fr., C/1B.

Outfield

Senior Mallory Klotz (New Berlin, Wis./West) and junior Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove)highlight the Warhawks' returning outfielders and form the 1-2 punch at the top of the team's batting order.

Klotz was named first team All-America by the NFCA in 2017 after garnering first team All-Great Lakes Region and first team All-WIAC honors. A four-year starter and three-time all-conference and all-region selection, Klotz finished sixth in NCAA Division III with a program-record 71 hits and ranked among national leaders in total bases (116), runs per game (1.27), batting average (.470), on-base percentage (.531), slugging percentage (.768) and home runs (9).

Klotz, along with sophomore pitcher Bella Matthias (Greenfield, Wis./Greenfield), appear on the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year Watch List.

Catino collected all-region and all-conference recognition for the second straight year after batting .373 with team highs of 16 doubles and 20 stolen bases. She added 48 runs scored and 29 RBI.

Junior Kayla Seymour (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West), sophomores Dani Biesiada (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North) and Sam Lattner (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) return after serving in reserve roles last season. Seymour appeared in 34 games primarily as a pinch runner, while Biesiada played in 27 games as a pitcher and designated player and batted .242 (15-for-62). Lattner appeared in 19 contests.

Newcomers: Megan Schweitzer (Appleton, Wis./East), So.; Alexis Addante (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs), Fr.; Kaiden Jackson (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg), Fr.; Vera Pflugradt (Lake Zurich, Ill./Stevenson), Fr.; Abby Weinert (Richfield, Wis./Slinger), Fr.

Pitching

Matthias and junior Julia Camardo (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) top the UW-Whitewater pitching rotation.

Matthias was named WIAC Pitcher of the Year, first team All-WIAC and first team All-Great Lakes Region last spring after tallying 10 shutouts, good for seventh in the nation, and tallying an 18-4 record with a 1.31 earned run average and 133 strikeouts in 138 2/3 innings pitched. She held opponents to a .201 batting average and tossed a pair of no-hitters during her standout freshman campaign.

Camardo registered an 11-3 mark with 94 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings. She posted a 3.24 ERA and totaled seven complete games, including two shutouts. Camardo also finished 12-of-48 (.250) at the plate and knocked in six runs.

Biesiada was one of the Warhawks' best relief options in 2017, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.01 ERA in 24 1/3 innings, all in relief. She added 19 strikeouts and held opponents to a .229 batting average.

Newcomers: Makena Creekmore (Beach Park, Ill./Zion-Benton Township), Fr.; Sarah Hutchinson (Twin Lakes, Wis./Wilmot Union), Fr.