Lauren Janczak
  • education
  • Class of 2019
  • Carol Stream, IL

Carol Stream's Janczak Earns Spot on 2017 UW-Whitewater Softball Roster

2017 Mar 15

Lauren Janczak, a native of Carol Stream, IL, and graduate of Bartlett High School, will compete for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team during the 2017 season.

Janczak, a sophomore at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in education.

With a majority of their 2016 squad returning this spring, the Warhawks aim for their third Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title in the last four years and a fifth straight trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament as they begin the season this Friday at the National Training Center Spring Games in Clermont, Fla.

The Warhawks finished last season with a 29-14 record, including an 8-5 mark in the conference, and claimed their fourth consecutive WIAC Tournament championship with a dramatic 2-1 victory in 13 innings over UW-Eau Claire. The team earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and posted a 1-2 record at the Lake Forest (Ill.) Regional.

UW-Whitewater, which returns six position players who started 28 or more games and three pitchers with starting experience, was selected to finish second in the WIAC in a preseason poll of the league's coaches and athletic communications personnel and currently ranks tied for 21st in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 25.

The Warhawks begin their seven-day, 12-game trip Friday with a doubleheader against Roger Williams (R.I.). Other highlights of the trip include a game against No. 16 St. Catherine (Minn.) on Sunday and a game against St. Thomas (Minn.), which defeated UW-Whitewater in the NCAA Tournament last season, on March 23.

After a doubleheader at fellow 2016 NCAA participant Lake Forest (Ill.), which knocked the Warhawks out of the postseason, UW-Whitewater hosts seven doubleheaders at van Steenderen Softball Complex between over a three-week span, starting with the team's WIAC opener against UW-La Crosse on April 1.

The Warhawks also host Chicago (April 2) and Dubuque (April 6) before holding Alumni Day and a recognition of the 1987 national runner-up team during a doubleheader on April 8 against UW-Eau Claire.

UW-Whitewater hosts Coe (Iowa) on April 9 and UW-Platteville on April 12, visits UW-Stevens Point on April 14 and wraps up its regular season home slate April 19 against Illinois Wesleyan.

The Warhawks conclude the regular season with five consecutive away doubleheaders from April 20-30. The WIAC Tournament takes place on May 5-7 at the winner of the conference's regular season championship.

See below for a position-by-position preview of the 2017 UW-Whitewater softball team.

Infield

The Warhawks return their starting right side of the infield with senior first baseman Amy Ricci (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) and junior second baseman Michayla Swanson (Randolph, Wis./Randolph).

Ricci was selected first team All-WIAC in 2016 after compiling a .333 batting average with 36 runs batted in and a .992 fielding percentage. She also led the conference and finished 14th in the nation with four sacrifice flies. Swanson started 28 games a season ago, batting .211 with three doubles, one home run and seven RBI.

Sophomore Emily Rux (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) returns as the team's starter at shortstop. The third team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region and first team All-WIAC honoree started all 43 games and posted a .341 batting average with 37 RBI, good for first on the team and tied for second in the league.

Other returning infielders include sophomore Kelly Berglund (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) and Molly Ethington (Rock Island, Ill./Alleman Catholic). Berglund, a third baseman, batted .225 in 20 games a year ago, while Ethington, a first baseman, hit .333 in 12 games.

Outfield

Junior Mallory Klotz (New Berlin, Wis./West) and sophomore Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) return to form one of the conference's top 1-2 punches at the top of the UW-Whitewater order.

Klotz, a two-time All-WIAC and 2016 second team All-Region honoree, led the team in hits (53), batting average (.368) and on-base percentage (.431) last spring. The left fielder also tied for the league lead with 41 runs scored and finished fourth in the WIAC with 69 total bases.

Catino registered a .365 batting average with four home runs, 41 runs scored, 31 RBI and a team-best 73 total bases. She garnered second team All-Great Lakes Region and first team All-WIAC accolades after a standout rookie showing in centerfield.

Senior Haley Morelli (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) made 29 starts last season, recording a .313 batting average with seven doubles, three homers and 18 RBI.

Other returning outfielders include senior Jessica Kaemerer (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West), sophomores Lauren Janczak (Carol Stream, Ill./Bartlett) and Kayla Seymour (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West). Kaemerer totaled 13 runs and seven RBI, Janczak hit .267 with three doubles and Seymour scored eight runs in 23 appearances.

Pitching

Sophomore Julia Camardo (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) highlights a staff that returns three and adds four freshmen to the mix.

Camardo enjoyed a standout rookie campaign in 2016, earning third team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region and first team All-WIAC honors. She finished the year with an 18-6 record, two saves, a 1.94 earned run average and 170 strikeouts, most in the conference, third most in one season in program history and 22nd-most in the nation. Camardo tossed 162 1/3 innings in 30 appearances, including 20 starts and four shutouts.

Senior Cara Smoczynski (Aurora, Ill./Rosary) appeared in nine games last season, earning a 1-1 record with a 2.90 ERA in 19 1/3 innings pitched. Ethington made seven appearances, including three starts, and finished with a 1-2 record.