Arlington Heights's Catino Named All-Conference for UW-Whitewater Softball

2018 May 8

Caitlin Catino, a native of Arlington Heights, IL, and graduate of Buffalo Grove High School, is one of six members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team to earn all-conference accolades as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2018 All-WIAC Softball Team.

For the second consecutive season, UW-Whitewater swept the two Player of the Year awards. Junior pitcher Julia Camardo (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) was named WIAC Pitcher of the Year, and freshman utility player Vera Pflugradt (Lake Zurich, Ill./Stevenson) was selected WIAC Position Player of the Year. Camardo is the Warhawks' third Pitcher of the Year in the last six seasons, while Pflugradt is the team's fourth Position Player of the Year in the last seven years.

Camardo and Pflugradt are joined on the first team by junior outfielder Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) and sophomore pitcher Bella Matthias (Greenfield, Wis./Greenfield). Camardo and Matthias are now two-time first team all-league honorees, while Catino is a two-time first team selection and three-year all-conference pick.

Seniors Mallory Klotz (New Berlin, Wis./West) and Michayla Swanson (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) earned honorable mention. Klotz is now a four-year All-WIAC outfielder, and Swanson, an infielder, is an all-conference honoree for the first time in her career.

All six players have helped the Warhawks sweep the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships for the second consecutive season and reach the NCAA Division III Tournament for the sixth straight year.

UW-Whitewater will host a four-team NCAA Regional starting this Friday, when the team will face Benedictine (Ill.) at 2:30 p.m.

Camardo enters Friday's first game of the NCAA Regional with a 12-5 record and a 1.76 earned run average (1.08 in conference only), ranking among the top three in the league in both statistical categories, to go along with four shutouts. The two-time WIAC Pitcher of the Week is holding opponents to a WIAC best .214 batting average (.201 conference only) and is second in the conference with 102 strikeouts.

Pflugradt ranks among WIAC leaders in batting average (.392) and slugging percentage (.557), and enters the week with five doubles, 19 runs scored and 17 runs batted in. In conference games only, she ranks second in the WIAC in batting average (.429) and is fourth in slugging percentage (.667), on-base percentage (.467) and hits (18). Pflugradt was named WIAC Position Player of the Week for games April 2-8.

Catino is among WIAC leaders in doubles (11), triples (4), walks (14) and stolen bases (16). She enters Friday's game with a .337 batting average with 26 runs scored and 13 RBI.

Matthias, the WIAC Pitcher of the Week for games on April 9-15, is 8-4 with a 2.66 ERA. She has pitched nine complete games, including one shutout, in 16 appearances, and owns 90 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .222 batting average, good for second in the conference.

Klotz, a finalist for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III National Player of the Year, is batting .353 with team highs in runs scored (32) and RBI (32), ranking among league leaders in the latter two categories.

Swanson enters the NCAA Tournament batting .311 with six RBI, and hit .353 in conference games only. She is also the Warhawks' representative on the WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.