Scheithauer represents Rib Lake at Senior All-Star softball event

Josie Scheithauer scored her team’s only run and pitched four solid innings in game one and saw time at first base in game two during the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association’s 29th annual Senior All-Star Games June 11 at Wisconsin Dells.

Scheithauer, who just graduated from Rib Lake High School, played for the Division 4/5 Gray team, coached by Jenny Korth of Marion High School. The team primarily featured players from the Marawood and Central Wisconsin conferences.

The Gray team lost 3-1 to the Green team in its first game and 11-6 to the Red team in its afternoon finale.

But, according to Scheithauer, wins and losses weren’t what the experience was about.

“It was super fun just getting together with girls from all over Wisconsin and playing softball,” Scheithauer said Friday. “I was talking with some of the girls about how some parts, like the banquet, made us a bit nervous, but once you put us on the softball field, we all just relaxed.”

Teams consisting of Division 1, Divisions 2/3 and Divisions 4/5 all-stars assembled at Wisconsin Dells on Monday, June 10 for the start of their two-day experience. Day one included a team meeting, a one-hour practice, an opportunity to go on a Wisconsin Ducks tour and then the All-Star Game Banquet. Each team played two games at the Woodside Sports Complex on day two.

Players are nominated by their coaches, in this case, Scheithauer’s father Craig, and are told in late April if they made the cut.

“I was surprised,” Josie Scheithauer said. “My dad had mentioned that he had nominated me, but I just thought that seems like a long shot. I was super excited when I found out. Just having the chance to play softball again was going to be super fun. To think somebody thought that I was up to that level that so many of these other girls are at felt like a huge honor.”

Scheithauer was a unanimous firstteam All-Marawood North selection as a junior and a senior. She was Rib Lake’s top pitcher this season and played shortstop, first base and second base at times for the Redmen, who went 12-11-1 overall and 5-3 in league play.

While initially surprised she had made the cut, Scheithauer said it didn’t take long to fit in and feel like she belonged with the top 70 or so Division 4 and 5 seniors in the state.

“I liked the feeling of playing relaxed,” she said. “We were just there to have fun. We were competing still, but sometimes in the regular season sometimes you can feel that pressure of having to win. We still wanted to play well, but we were there to have fun.”

The lineup in each game featured every player on the roster. Defensively, Scheithauer sat for the first three innings of game one and then pitched the last four innings. In her first at-bat, she reached on a fielder’s choice and eventually worked her way to third base. With runners on the corners, she scored on a teammate’s high bouncer off the turf to second base to give the Gray team a 1-0 lead.

Scheithauer felt she pitched well. There were a few hard-hit balls and a couple of catcher/pitcher miscommunications, which aren’t totally unexpected with unfamiliar teammates, and the Green pushed across three runs in those four innings to win it.

In her second at-bat of the game, Scheithauer drew a walk.

In game two, Scheithauer played first base for the first three innings. She struck out and grounded out in her two at-bats.

“I would say (the pitching) was at the top end of what we had seen this year, but it was not anything we couldn’t keep up with,” Scheithauer said.

The Gray team featured four players from Athens, a team Rib Lake has played three times in each of the past two seasons, falling just short in several of those contests. Sophia and Sydney Coker, Jazelle Hartwig and Addison Lavicka were the Blue Jays’ all-stars. Morgan Streveler of Edgar and Mya Rueth of Loyal-Greenwood were on the roster along with Maddie Much and Julia Munoz of Iola-Scandinavia, Sydney Ritchie of Shiocton and Hailee Thompson of Bonduel. Iowa-Grant’s Bentley Cutts and Lillian Pettit rounded out the roster. Scheithauer’s teammate for two high school seasons, Danielle Mann of Gilman, was initially on the roster when it was announced but she did not make the trip.

“Everyone was rooting for each other, even if they didn’t know you very well, they trusted you,” Scheithauer said. “It was interesting. I had four girls from Athens on my team. It was fun cheering for each other rather than against each other. It was fun being on the same team. We were all rooting for the Marawood.”

All-stars are required to raise $400 worth of sponsorships and donations as proceeds from the All-Star series benefit the Special Olympics of Wisconsin.

Rib Lake’s 2024 valedictorian, Scheithauer’s future plans are to attend the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minn. and major in elementary education.

Rib Lake’s Josie Scheithauer pitched and played first base during her team’s two games at the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association’s Senior All-Star Games played June 11 at Woodside Sports Complex in Wisconsin Dells. PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY JOELLE SCHEITHAUER