Individual awards came early and often for the Prescott High School softball team at this year’s annual Middle Border Conference end-of-season meeting.

Softball coaches from throughout the league awarded the Cardinals four First-Team All-Conference selections, in addition to one Second-Team All-Conference player and another who received the All-Conference Honorable Mention distinction.

Prescott seniors Taylor Graf, Izzy Matzek, Addie Raebel and sophomore Leah French led the charge as first-team selections. Sophomore Kelsey Sterud was Prescott’s lone second-team selection while sophomore Rory Zuehlsdorf earned honorable mention status.

Each season, just 11 players from throughout the league are designated as First-Team All-Conference players. The Cardinals’ four first-team players are their most in more than a decade. Prescott head coach Nick Johnson spoke about his satisfaction with the individual awards.

“To get all four of them out of 11 all-conference spots, that was extremely good,” Johnson said. “They were all deserving, but there aren’t many spots. For our girls to take four of the 11, I was very happy with how it all played out. The coaches got it right and it was a great showing from our girls in an extremely difficult conference.”

No player on Prescott’s roster impacted winning more than Graf, who served as the Cardinals’ ace in all three seasons of her high school career. Her senior campaign featured a 17-3 pitching record that included 113 strikeouts, just 20 walks and a 1.67 ERA across 138 2/3 innings of work.

Graf was in the circle as Prescott’s starter in any must-win game during her tenure. In total, she pitched in five sectional contests and two state tournament games, including six innings as a sophomore in the 2021 state championship against Dodgeville in Green Bay.

Her success on the mound was aided by a strong Cardinals defense headlined by the aforementioned Matzek, who played various infield positions and was an offensive threat near the top of Prescott’s order for years.

Matzek finished her senior campaign batting second in the order and anchoring Prescott’s defense at shortstop. She led the team in doubles and was tied for most triples and home runs while posting a .333 batting average and a team-high .506 slugging percentage.

Graf and Matzek were Prescott’s two most dynamic and versatile two-way players this season. The duo garnered All-State Honorable Mention accolades from the Wisconsin Fastpitch Coaches’ Association, in addition to their First-Team All-Conference honors.

While there is a lot that makes Matzek and Graf two of the best players in program history, for coach Johnson, it’s the consistency – both offensively and defensively – that truly separated them from the rest of the pack.

“Izzy and Taylor have just kind of been penciled in since they started,” Johnson said. “Taylor and Izzy both just got All-State Honorable Mention and have both been starting since sophomore year. I think they both would have started as freshmen (COVID canceled season). We always say that they’re four-year starters.”

This year’s all-conference distinction is the third for both Graf and Matzek. Graf earned second-team honors as a sophomore while Matzek made the honorable mention list. Each moved up a spot last season, as Graf got first-team recognition while Matzek made the second-team list.

While Matzek and Graf were mainstays in the individual postseason awards, Raebel’s First-Team All-Conference status this season was the first of her high school career. The senior slugger led Prescott in runs, hits, singles and RBIs, while also being the team’s biggest vocal leader.

Raebel is just a one-time all-conference selection, as she inexplicably missed the all-conference lists last season despite batting .353 and being among Prescott’s offensive leaders. Johnson spoke about how getting snubbed as a junior fueled Raebel’s offensively excellent senior year.

“Addie (Raebel) kind of got snubbed as a junior,” Johnson said. “She was one of the best in the conference last year and never got anything. She wasn’t happy after last year and I wasn’t either. She definitely used that as a lot of fuel this offseason to get better. She had a great senior year.”

French, Prescott’s sophomore catcher, made the first-team list this season after getting the honorable mention nod as a freshman last spring. A two-year starter behind the plate, French has elevated Prescott’s defense and limited opposing scoring opportunities with her arm and situational awareness.

With two years left as a varsity starter, Johnson believes that French will continue to improve and become a scholarship catcher by the time she graduates in May 2025.

“Leah (French) had another great year and I still think the sky’s the limit for her,” Johnson said. “Defensively, she’s one of the best I’ve seen. When she starts getting a little stronger and puts things together, she’s going to be something else.”

Sophomore leadoff batter Kelsey Sterud earned second-team honors while classmate Rory Zuehlsdorf made the honorable mention list. Both underclassmen contributed offensively and defensively to a strong 21-6 record which culminated in a Middle Border Conference title.

“Kelsey (Sterud) got second-team, which is kind of where I thought she would land,” Johnson said. “You could have argued that Rory (Zuehlsdorf), with the way she finished the year, was maybe worthy of second-team, but she got recognized as an honorable mention.”

The 2023 campaign included Prescott’s fifth consecutive Division 3 regional championship and a sectional final appearance against Somerset. Although the Cardinals came up short of state, this spring was another season headlined by a strong group of seniors.

“It’s also a special senior group because my first year was their first year,” Johnson said. “We went to a state championship game and then to a sectional and another sectional the next year. The seniors have won a lot of games and they’re such great kids to coach. We had a great year.”