The Path to Victory: Softball/Baseball Season Recap
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The Waukee Northwest softball and baseball teams proved in their first season that they are a program to be reckoned with. Both teams qualified for state, and the softball team came out with a championship. The baseball team finished with a record of 27-13 and the softball team finished with a 35-7 record.
The softball team got on a roll early going 13-2 in their first 15 games. After the first week of the season, the team jumped to the number one seed, surpassing the former state champions, Fort Dodge. They didn’t let off the gas until the Iowa City tournament when the wins came to halt going 1-3. This would be a big wake-up call for the team. “The teams we played in Iowa City would be similar to the teams we would play at state, so we took a step back and learned from the games that we lost in Iowa City” stated senior Maddie Oeztman. The team would need to flush what happened in Iowa City because the road to state would be starting in less than a week.
The baseball team was also on a tear at the start of their season going 5-0 when they hit a wall and lost their next four games. One of the opponents they faced in that losing streak was cross-town rivals, Waukee. Different from the girls’ season, the boys experienced more game setbacks that helped them to continue to prepare for later on in the season.
The Iowa City weekend was all out of the girls’ system by the time they took the field in their regional and regional final games. Their bats were hot, scoring 10 runs in the first game against Roosevelt High School and 12 runs in their second game against Thomas Jefferson High School. Pitching and defense were also on fire. Junior Maddie Oeztman pitched a gem in both games giving up zero runs. Her defense had her back, with no fielding errors.
The boys played a very similar regional game, winning 10-0. Senior Anthony Watts and sophomore Grant Miller combined for a no-hitter. Pitching stayed hot in the regional final game when Watts won the low-scoring affair 1-0 over West Des Moines Valley.
The softball team headed into state with a record of 34-7 and the number three seed. The girls would start out battling sixth-seeded Linn Mar. They would jump to an early 2-0 lead and wouldn’t look back. They finished the game, winning 4-0. Another shutout win was pitched by Oetzman.
The boys would head into state as a bit of an underdog. They were given the five seed and would face off against cross-town rival Waukee. Northwest was unsuccessful in their first two meetings with Waukee and would be looking for revenge. The bats were on fire right out of the gate and they would go on to win 7-2 with some great pitching by Watts. It was an adjustment for many of the seniors on both sides as they had been in this position together as one only a year ago. “The seniors all played with those kids for their whole lives, so it was different and pretty weird for them,” stated 2023 Carter Van Horn.
The softball semifinal game took place two days after the Linn Mar game and the girls would be looking for revenge against Muscatine. Northwest had lost 0-3 to them earlier this season. They got ahead 4-0 in the first inning and this would boost them to the end of the game finishing with a score of 7-2.
The baseball team would finish their season after a loss to the number one seed Johnston during the semifinal game. A highlight in that game is a triple hit by W. Barber.
The road to state had been long and gruesome for the softball team but it was worth it. The girls’ team had done it; they were in the championship game in their first season. The team stayed loose and put their trust in each other. With an upperclassmen-led team, they looked and leaned on each other. This wasn’t new territory, they had all been in a situation similar to the one they were in now.
The softball championship game was very close, being between pitchers and a defensive battle. The score was 0-0 heading into the 5th inning when the Northwest offense started to get something going. Bases were loaded when 2023 Kiana Carnes was up to bat. She stayed calm and focused when at the plate. “I wasn’t that nervous, I remember it being loud but once I stepped into the box it kind of muted out,” stated Carnes. She went on to hit a 2-run single bringing in the only runs of the game. Oetzman pitched another complete game shutout not allowing a single base runner for Fort Dodge to reach second base. She was on fire. The wolves’ defense didn’t commit a single error which helped them surpass Fort Dodge and go on to win the 5A state championship.
The baseball team racked up numerous awards including a state qualifier, state semifinalist participant, pitcher of the year (Anthony Watts) and numerous all-conference and all-state team members.
The softball team had four team members make the all-tournament team. 2023 Kiana Carnes, 2023 Ava Smith, 2025 Zuri Patterson, and captain of the all-tournament team was 2023 Maddie Oetzmann. “I was surprised to hear my name called, I wasn’t even sure what I was being called for but after I figured it out I was really excited,” stated Patterson. The team had many first-team and second-team all-conference/all-state members. This season and these girls will go down in the books after what they did in the 2022 season. They have set the bar high for future Wolves.