ONALASKA — Onalaska High School softball coach Mesa Heit was excited to see how the mixture of talent she’d be able to put on the field would work together this season.
On one hand, she had proven veteran leadership from players like infielder Qitarra Olson and outfielder Jenna Gansen. On the other, she was plenty familiar with the potential of a freshman class that included her daughter MJ and assistant coach Tony Kraus’s daughter Sydney.
That didn’t even include what sophomore Lauren Pica could bring behind the plate during her second season as a Hilltopper.
“We knew the freshman class would be strong, but we also knew what kind of experience some of our veterans had after two or three years with us,” Heit said. “The freshmen wanted to play ball, and our veterans had gametime experience and goals they wanted to reach before graduating.
“We like that balance.”
That balance has led to an 8-2 record that Onalaska will take to a nonconference road game against G-E-T (8-2) on Friday.
The Hilltoppers have won five straight games since a 6-0 loss to MVC-leading and unbeaten Tomah on April 10, and they have outscored their opponents 62-4 during the win streak.
Onalaska has taken advantage of its speed and a wide range of abilities in the batter’s box to generate runs.
“I knew we’d have speed and the ability to put pressure on people,” Heit said. “Stealing, bunting or pushing for another base would be an asset. Finding a way to complement each other throughout the order was what we had to do.”
Onalaska enters the game against the Red Hawks fresh off a 13-3 rivalry win at Holmen on Tuesday. It kept the Hilltoppers in second place in the MVC and followed three consecutive shutouts from freshman pitcher Sydney Kraus, who struck out 28 batters, walked two and allowed five hits over 17 innings in those three games.
Kraus kicked off her varsity career with 17 strikeouts during a one-hit shutout of Aquinas.
“She’s been around our field for so long with her dad and watching (her sister) Sara play here,” Heit said of Kraus, who only allowed six hits and two earned runs in the loss to the Timberwolves, who receive Division 1 votes in the state coaches poll. “I used to call her sister Grizzly Bear because she was nice and fun until she pitched, when she became a beast.
“They are very different, but there are some similarities, and they both always want to do well and help their team.”
Heit said Kraus isn’t taking too much on her own shoulders because of the experience around her. Having Pica behind home plate also helps, and the two have already put together a solid camaraderie.
“She and Lauren work really well together,” Heit said. “Lauren can keep Syd calm, will handle the framing (of pitches) and be that brick wall back there.”
Gansen and Olson anchor the outfield and infield, respectively, in terms of centering the team. Part of that comes from being members of the starting lineup since they were freshmen.
Gansen has gone 7 for 18 with nine RBIs during the current win streak. She has also scored five runs.
“She’s very good at showing the younger players that this is what I need to do to be successful,” Heit said of Gansen, who is on a five-game hitting streak. “She is a leader who always does the right things.”
Olson is back after missing some time and has five RBIs in the two games since her return. The shortstop was 3 for 5 with four RBIs and a double from the top of the order in the victory over Holmen and is an important piece of the speed on which Heit has relied in pushing the pace.
