Don Richards

The comedian Rodney Dangerfield said in an online clip to Johnny Carson, I saw recently, that he had had a bad day. He explained that he picked up his shirt and a button fell off. Then he picked up his briefcase and the handle fell off. Now, he said, "I'm afraid to go to the bathroom."

Let's hope that Ethan Giese, recently hired UWRF softball coach, doesn't have such serious problems. In an email interview he related that because he considers being a head coach a full-time job, he is not teaching classes too. One of his previous jobs was as an assistant coach at UW-La Crosse where he managed the pitching staff. Before that, he was an assistant pitching coach at Dayton University (Ohio), a Division 1 school. However, the Whitehall native wanted to return to Wisconsin when he saw the opening at UWRF. His desire to coach the Falcons stemmed from having seen some of the Falcon players when they competed against UW-La Crosse.

"I recognized the potential these players had," he said. “Plus, the facilities and support staff are the best in the WIAC."

Coach Giese thinks the teams competing for the top slots of the WIAC are the Falcons, La Crosse, Stevens Point, and Oshkosh. "The good thing is we play those three teams at home this season," he added. 

Coach Giese had high praise for strength and conditioning coaches Pavlat and Anderson. "They have done the best job of anyone I've ever worked with for strength and conditioning. Not only have I seen immediate results, but they have also created an environment where these student-athletes want to go and work hard every time they are in the weight room."

The Falcons are young with only three seniors: Kelly Aultman (Plainfield, Ill., North), Lindsey Duggan (Oakdale, Minn., Tartan), and Emily Crowe (Oregon). Aultman leads the team with a .465 batting average, 10 doubles, and seven homers. The Falcons have a 15-9 record and a team batting average of .360. Their next home games are at 2 p.m. Wednesday April 16, when they face Stout in a double header. Their games against the top dogs mentioned above are in late April and early May.

Giese has four assistants: Mike Perry-- "Mike brings a wealth of knowledge on the offensive side of the ball and has transformed our offense into one of the best in the conference. He has taken my vision and philosophy and run with it better than I could have imagined."

 John Kupka: -- "A fellow men's fast pitch player that originally got me into the game 15 years ago. He primarily works with the catchers."

Carlie Christensen: -- "Former collegiate player at UWEC that is the glue of the team and works with the infield."

Luke Pavlat --"He has been instrumental for our team as a leader, consultant, strength and conditioning coach, and athletic trainer."

Even though recruiting began late because Coach Giese was hired last September, “We have seven commits from the 2025 class that will come in and make an impact during their career. They range from places like Hudson to St. Louis, Missouri.”

Coach Giese's impression of his team: "This team has grown exponentially since I've had the opportunity to join this program. This is a team that is full of high caliber athletes and is ready to win now and shock the WIAC. I couldn't think of a better opportunity for me to come in as a first-year head coach. This is a team that is hungry, wants to be coached and pushed, and is eager to prove how great they can be. Also, the culture of this team is unlike any other I've been a part of in my coaching experience. From day one they've had wide eyes, an eagerness, and have bought in to all of the new philosophies, processes, and run with it." 

Because this column's topic is a spring sport, we have transitioned from winter sports. I was reminded of comedian Andy Huggins, who is 74. He said online that because life expectancy for males is 76 and for females is 81, "I figure if I transition..." I look forward to the results.