Catino, UW-Whitewater Softball Win WIAC Tournament, Earn NCAA Berth

2016 May 11

Caitlin Catino, a native of Arlington Heights, IL, and graduate of Buffalo Grove High School, is a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team, which won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament over the weekend and will compete starting Friday at the NCAA Division III Tournament in Lake Forest, Ill.

The Warhawks (28-12 overall) claimed their fourth consecutive WIAC Tournament championship and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. It's the program's fourth straight trip to the national tournament and 19th overall.

UW-Whitewater faces St. Thomas (Minn.) this Friday at 2:30 p.m. in an NCAA Regional contest at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill. The regional is a double-elimination format.

Catino is a freshman at UW-Whitewater and is majoring in business.

See below for a complete preview of this weekend's regional.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team has earned an automatic berth to the 2016 NCAA Division III Tournament and will compete this week in the NCAA Regional at Lake Forest (Ill.) College.

UW-Whitewater is making its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 19th overall after finishing 4-0 last weekend to win the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship title. The Warhawks allowed an average of one run per game at last weekend's tournament, defeating top seed and host UW-Eau Claire in a walk-off, 13-inning victory by a 2-1 score.

UW-Whitewater has reached the NCAA Tournament nine times in 18 seasons under head coach Brenda Volk. The team reached the championship round in 2008 and 2014, when it finished second and third in the nation, respectively. The program also posted national top-five finishes in 1984 (4th), 1985 (3rd) and 1987 (2nd).

Weekend Schedule

Friday, May 13

Game 1: Lake Forest vs. Aurora, 12 p.m.

Game 2: St. Thomas vs. UW-Whitewater, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 14

Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 10 a.m.

Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12:30 p.m.

Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 3 p.m.

Sunday, May 15

Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 11 a.m.

Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary), 1:30 p.m.

Regional Opponents

No. 12 University of St. Thomas (Minn.) - Game 1 opponent

Record: 38-6

Warhawks vs. St. Thomas all time: 7-4 (last meeting - UST 1, UWW 0 on 3/19/16)

Aurora (Ill.) University

Record: 32-12

Warhawks vs. Aurora all time: 24-8 (last meeting - UWW 11, AU 3 on 5/4/99)

Lake Forest (Ill.) College

Record: 28-12

Warhawks vs. Lake Forest all time: 4-2 (last meeting - UWW 14, LFC 11 on 4/7/16)

Last Time Out - UW-Whitewater 2, UW-Eau Claire 1 (13 innings)

In the WIAC Tournament championship game on Sunday, the Blugolds took a 1-0 lead on a home run in the top of the 13th, but the Warhawks responded in the bottom half of the frame down to their last out. With the bases loaded, freshman centerfielder Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) laced a double to the gap in left center, plating two runs to give UW-Whitewater a dramatic walk-off victory and the team's fourth straight title. Freshman pitcher Julia Camardo (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) (17-4) tossed all 13 innings, scattering eight hits and two walks while striking out nine in her 16th complete game performance of the season.

UW-Whitewater NCAA Tournament History

The Warhawks will appear in their fourth straight NCAA Tournament and 19th in program history. UW-Whitewater has appeared in the Division III Championship round five times, finishing as national runner-up in 1987 and 2008, placing third in 1985 and 2014 and fourth in 1984. The Warhawks' all time record in NCAA Tournament play is 48-43, including a 27-21 mark under current head coach Brenda Volk.

Second Time's The Charm?

UW-Whitewater will compete in its second straight regional at Lake Forest College. Last season, the team was eliminated after two games, falling 10-7 against Hope (Mich.) and 3-2 against Lake Forest. The Warhawks have played their last four regional/super regional rounds in the state of Illinois, claiming the regional title at the University of Chicago and the super regional championship at Illinois Wesleyan in 2014 on the way to the program's national third-place finish.

Familiar Foes at NCAA Regional

The Warhawks faced their first opponent, St. Thomas (Minn.), and a potential opponent, Lake Forest, during the 2016 regular season. On March 19 in Clermont, Fla., UW-Whitewater was held to five hits and left runners in scoring position in each of the last three innings during a 1-0 loss against St. Thomas. The Tommies posted the lone run of the contest in the third inning. The Warhawks split a doubleheader against Lake Forest on April 7, falling 9-8 in the opener before taking the second game by a 14-11 score in a game called after five innings due to darkness. Freshman shortstop Emily Rux (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley)knocked in six runs in the nightcap, and freshman centerfielder Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and knocked in five in the first contest.

Six Warhawks Tabbed All-WIAC

Six Warhawks were named All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for their performances during the 2016 season. Junior first baseman Amy Ricci (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township), freshman pitcher Julia Camardo (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove), freshman outfielder Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) and freshman shortstop Emily Rux (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) were selected to the first team. Sophomore outfielder Mallory Klotz (New Berlin, Wis./West) and freshman catcher Nikki Mikosz(Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) garnered honorable mention accolades. Past honorees include Ricci, who received honorable mention in 2014, and Klotz, a 2015 first team selection. Junior pitcher Cara Smoczynski (Aurora, Ill./Rosary) was selected as the team's representative on the WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

Camardo Dominant During WIAC Tournament

After allowing seven runs in six innings on May 1 at UW-La Crosse, freshman pitcher Julia Camardo(Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) allowed just three in 28 2/3 innings during the Warhawks' run to the conference tournament championship last weekend. In four appearances during the stretch, she tallied a 3-0 record with one save and a 0.73 earned run average. Camardo posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 29-to-3 and allowed opponents to hit only .157. With her clutch postseason performances, Camardo further solidified her status as the team's ace. She enters the NCAA Tournament as the WIAC leader in wins (17), shutouts (4), innings pitched (149 1/3), strikeouts (160) and opponents' batting average (.205).

Clutch Catino

Freshman outfielder Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove), who competed at the same high school as Camardo, has been the Warhawks' most consistent offensive threat. A left-handed hitter, Catino ranks among the WIAC's top 10 in batting average (.362, 10th), runs scored (40, T-1st), RBI (31, 5th), total bases (70, 3rd), hits (47, T-5th), home runs (4, T-4th), triples (3, T-3rd), stolen bases (10, T-7th), on-base percentage (.424, 9th) and slugging percentage (.538, 7th). She was named WIAC Position Player of the Week for the week of March 21-27 after hitting .611 with seven RBI during a 5-1 week. Catino was the hero last Sunday against UW-Eau Claire with her two-out, two-run, walk-off double to the left center field gap.

Mikosz Saves Her Best For Last

Freshman catcher Nikki Mikosz (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) brought her best at the plate against the meat of the Warhawks' schedule. In the team's 13 conference games during the regular season, she hit a team-best .444 with 15 runs batted in. During the WIAC Tournament, she tied Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) for the team lead with a .400 batting average (6-for-15) and posted team highs in doubles (3) and total bases (9) without committing an error behind the plate. Mikosz also made a big play in the top of the 12th during the team's title-clinching win over UW-Eau Claire, applying the tag on a play at the plate that would have put the Blugolds ahead by a run.

Hansen, Parise Named Chancellor's Scholar-Athletes

Seniors Maggie Hansen (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs) and Morgan Parise (Sheboygan, Wis./North) - the Warhawks' only seniors - were two of 42 senior student-athletes named UW-Whitewater Chancellor's Scholar-Athletes by Chancellor Beverly Kopper and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Both players have earned numerous academic accolades and have been active volunteers in the community. Hansen carries a cumulative grade point average of 3.52 and is majoring in physical education with a minor in health education, and Parise owns a 3.36 GPA majoring in finance. The duo has been a part of one of the most successful stretches in program history - four WIAC Tournament titles, four NCAA Tournament appearances and two WIAC regular season championships from 2013-16.