The Prescott Cardinal softball team enters the week ranked #4 in Division 3 in the most recent Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association state rankings. The Panthers of Ellsworth are ranked #5 in Division 2.   

Senior catcher and Concordia-St. Paul recruit Leah French heads into this week with an eye-popping batting average of .550 for the Cardinals. The four-year varsity letter winner has clubbed six home runs and is among the Middle Border Conference leaders in several offensive categories. Senior pitchers Dain Pechacek and Cole Platson each threw complete game shutouts last week against conference leading St. Croix Central. Last Tuesday Pechacek tossed a two-hitter and struck out 11 as he improved to 4-0 on the season with an ERA of 0.00. The left-handed throwing Platson followed up with a three hit, nine strike out gem of his own against the Panthers in his shutout and helped the Cardinals move to within a half game of first place Altoona. 

Speaking of Cole Platson, the three-year letterwinner was hit by pitch three times while facing St. Croix Central Panther and Kenosha-Parkside bound Eli Babler. It reminded many Cardinal fans of the 2004 season when junior Justin Tobias was remarkably hit by pitch 17 times during the season. An all-conference pitcher and infielder, Tobias played college baseball at St. Olaf. 

Approximately 80 youngsters participated in Saturday’s 25th Annual Free Youth Clinic at Firehall Field. Participants worked on drills focusing on the fundamentals of pitching, infield, and outfield, and hitting during the six-hour event. Ranging in age from 5-12, all youngsters received a free clinic T-shirt and lunch courtesy of the Prescott High School baseball team and coaches. 

The Cardinal baseball team is ranked #11 in the first statewide poll of the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association. Fellow Middle Border Conference team Somerset is listed as Honorable Mention. 

Hats off to volunteers Jim Schommer, Charlie Block, Brady Randolph, Dennis Gagnier and Greg Erickson for all their hard work in getting Firehall Field ready for games this spring. Additionally, a big round of applause to Michelle Keiper Boogren for resurrecting the Firehall Field Botanical Garden. Boogren spent the better part of three days pulling weeds, planting flowers, and adding mulch to the garden bed adjacent to the field. Brava Ms. Boogren for all your hard work. 

From the WIAA. The member schools of the WIAA passed four amendments to the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules of Eligibility­ and Conduct at the 129th Annual Meeting in Stevens Point last week. After voting down a similar proposal last year, the members voted 293-108 to approve the proposed Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) language, making Wisconsin one of more than 40 states that permit student-athletes to enter into NIL opportunities. Another big change: coaches of all sports can now hold voluntary practices almost all of June and July, expanding summer training options across all WIAA sports — except football, which has specific restrictions. And any fan or spectator that was ejected is now required to complete the free online NFHS Sportsmanship Course available on the NFHSLearn.com website. The completed course certificate must be submitted to school officials before attending any future home athletic events.

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR reminds anglers the 2025-2026 general inland fishing season will open statewide Saturday, May 3. Wisconsin is home to more than 15,000 inland lakes, 42,000 miles of perennial streams and rivers, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River. Good luck anglers. The DNR also reminds outdoor enthusiasts as the weather warms and people across the state begin spending more time outside, be bear aware and take steps to prevent potential conflicts with black bears this spring. Every spring, Wisconsin's estimated 24,000 black bears emerge from their winter torpor and leave their dens in search of food and potentially new territory. These explorations sometimes cause unexpected interactions between black bears and the public. Bears are normally solitary forest animals, but their powerful sense of smell can lead them into urban areas in search of food, especially in the spring and fall.

Headshaker of the week. Well, it’s official. The WIAA membership has agreed to allow high school coaches to hold “optional” unlimited practice with athletes during the summer months. Sure, there are a handful of restrictions, but the long, slow march toward specialization, brought to you by AAU, will continue to get worse. For larger schools like Oak Creek, Stevens Point, Sun Prairie, and Hudson, the effects will be minimal. For schools in lower divisions, where “sharing athletes” is not only commonplace but essential, the effects could be devastating. Of course, the WIAA will remind member schools these contact days will be “optional.” Sure they will be. It’s like having an “optional practice” during the season. It’s sort of like a wife saying to her husband “You don’t have to get me anything for Valentine’s Day.” Yeah right. Hopefully head coaches and their assistants at smaller schools will recognize the dangers of such a policy change. All it will take is one rogue coach with a selfish agenda to do real damage to a high school athletic department. Allowing unlimited coaching contact during the summer? It’s a headshaker.