Top-seeded Kaukauna begins its 2023 WIAA Division 1 state softball title defense Thursday at noon against #8 Waterford.
Photo courtesy Kaukauna Ghosts on Twitter

UPDATE: Kaukauna advances to the state semifinal Friday at 9 p.m. against Oak Creek. READ

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MADISON — Truth be told, the Kaukauna Galloping Ghosts softball team believes anything but a third state championship in a row would be major disappointment.

That doesn’t mean, however, the that other seven teams in the WIAA Division 1 bracket are going to simply hand over the championship trophy.

The title will be determined over the next three days during the 47th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Softball Tournament taking place Thursday-Saturday, June 8-10, 2023 at Goodman Diamond on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison.

Top-seeded Kaukauna begins its title defense Thursday at noon against #8 Waterford.

Currently on a 78-game winning streak, the Ghosts return to the state tournament for the fifth time overall.

They captured the gold trophy in each of their previous state appearances including 2010, 20172021 and 2022.

Their last loss was May 18, 2021.

Waterford qualifies for state for the first time in program history.

The Wolverines celebrate their initial appearance following a 4-0 victory over Kettle Moraine in the Oregon Sectional final.

They placed second in the Southern Lakes Conference standings during the regular season.

Division 1

Quarterfinals – Thursday, June 8
Game-1:  #2 Superior (25-0) vs. #7 Menomonee Falls (22-7) – 8 a.m.
Game-2:  #3 Oshkosh West (25-4) vs. #6 Sun Prairie East (24-4) – 10 a.m.*
Game-3:  #1 Kaukauna (27-0) vs. #8 Waterford (19-6) – Noon*
Game-4:  #4 Arrowhead (24-4) vs. #5 Oak Creek 23-6) – 2 p.m.*

Semifinals – Friday, June 9
Game-5:  Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 7 p.m.
Game-6:  Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 – 9 p.m.*

Championship – Saturday, June 10
Game-7:  Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 – 6:30 p.m.*

FULL TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

TWITTER: Updates on Twitter.com/KaukaunaNews

PRE-FINALS LIVE ON WIAA.TV:  The pre-finals of  State Softball Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a subscription basis. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, log-on to wiaa.tv or www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the blue subscription graphic in the upper right side of the homepage.

FINALS LIVE ON BALLY SPORTS WISCONSIN:  Watch the WIAA State Softball Tournament finals on Bally Sports Wisconsin or the Bally Sports Wisconsin Extra channel. The championship games in Divisions 2-5 will air live on Bally Sports Wisconsin Extra. The Division 1 final will air on Bally Sports Wisconsin. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area. The championship finals will also be streamed live on the Bally Sports app. Register for the app and sign in with your cable or satellite authentication to stream on mobile devices. The finals can also be watched digitally on Bally Sports Wisconsin Plus through a subscription to the service. To subscribe, visit ballysportsplus.com.

Spring 2023 roster:

  • 1, Karly Meredith, P/IF, 10
  • 3, Chloe Herzfeldt, IF, 10
  • 9, Grace Boyle, P, 12
  • 12 Paige Miller, 3B, 12
  • 14, Raivyn Rabideau, IF, 9
  • 16, Ava Bloch, C, 12
  • 17, Kally Meredith, OF, 12
  • 19, Paige Bodenheimer, OF, 9
  • 20, Summer Schmidt, OF/C, 10
  • 22, Taryn Christopher, IF, 11
  • 23, Jozy Ebben, IF, 10
  • 26, Reaghan Millard, Utility, 12
  • 29, Karlee DeGroot, IF, 11
  • 30, Grace Schomin, P, 10
  • 31, Hailie Peters, OF, 12
  • 33, Chloe Fuchs, Utility, 10
  • 39, Taylor Federwitz, C, 9
  • 36, Sydney Kappus, IF, 12
  • Coach: Tim Roehrig
  • Assistant Coach: Bill Huss
  • Athletic Trainers: Ben Charles, Courtney O’Neil
  • Athletic Director: Nate Werner
  • Principal: Chris McDaniel
  • Superintendent: Mike Slowinski
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By Dan Plutchak

Dan Plutchak, born and raised in Kaukauna, is cofounder of Kaukauna Community News.