With many area softball programs cancelling their entire season due to COVID-19, the 10U Blue Jays were just happy to have a chance to play this summer.
The Lakeland girls finished the 2020 softball season in first place with a 9-1 record in the Quad County League.
The kids also got the experience to be coached by 2019 NCAA All-American, and Wisconsin’s all-time HR hitter, Kayla Konwent. The players had a great time being together and supporting one another. It was a very cohesive group of high-energy girls, and there was a lot to celebrate about during the 9-1 season.
The Blue Jays featured a pitching rotation with 4 aces in Abby Weyrauch, Kayla Larson, Finn Christensen, and 8-year-old prospect Macy Poepping.
Full Circle- Former Lakeland player and 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year, Kayla Konwent, came out several times during the season to support the girls and coach them in practice. She is the all-time home run hitter in Wisconsin high school history, with 50 HRs. The players absolutely loved having Kayla at practice.Bristol’s Abby Weyrauch (#5) struck out five of six batters to close out the 5-2 season finale victory at Whitewater. In the previous game, she struck out four of six batters, caught a screaming line-drive, then quickly fired over to 1st base for a double play. She was a strikeout machine all season long.Center fielder, Krista Gowey (right), gets a fist-bump from Kylie Puser and Kayla Larson (#7) after scoring a run in a road game at Elkhorn. The 10U Blue Jays finished in first place in the Quad County League.Honorary coach and 2019 NCAA All-American Kayla Konwent (back right) celebrates a home victory with the 10U Blue Jays in July. Konwent led drills in practice, instructed private hitting lessons, and came out to support the 10u Blue Jays on game day. She started her playing career with Lakeland Little League, and finished the 2019 NCAA season 4th in the nation in Batting Average (.459) and 5th in the nation in On Base Percentage (.582). Silver Lake’s Addison Brown (#12) singles to left field vs Elkhorn in July. Brown finished the season with a .565 batting average, and went 3-for-3 in the last game of the season.Salem’s Ahnya Beauford (#8) is all smiles after collecting her second hit in a 5-2 victory over Whitewater in August. Beauford finished the season with a .500 Batting Average.Paddock Lake’s Kayla Larson (#7) fires a pitch vs Burlington Lynch in July. Larson was an ace baseball pitcher (overhand) in 2019, and transferred over to softball after Lakeland cancelled their house league because of COVID risks. Her pitching was a big key to the 9-1 first place finish.Bristol’s Grace Huhn (#6) was an absolute warrior behind the plate all season long. She is the daughter of Salem School teacher Kelly Huhn. Grace finished the season with a .304 batting average, and scored two runs in the final game at Whitewater.Blue Jays LF, Quinn Blair, ropes a double vs Elkhorn early in the season. The 9-year-old Blair hit .611, and never played any sport before joining the Blue Jays in June. She is one to watch, and certainly will be up with the 10U Quad County league leaders in 2021.Bristol’s Peyton Volk (#4) hits an RBI single vs Elkhorn in July. She hit .400 on the season, and was arguably the best defensive RF in the Quad County League. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun = (clockwise from top left) Abby Weyrauch (#5), Quinn Blair (#11), Krista Gowey (#1), Addison Brown (#12), Kylie Puser (#15), and Sydney Clark (#9) have fun cheering on their teammates from the dugout. The 10U Blue Jays went 9-1, and finished in 1st place in the Quad County League. (background = Kayla Larson and Macy Poepping)Bristol’s Finn Christensen (#10) is an ace pitcher, who has been learning from Bristol native and NAFA Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Todd Lubkeman.. Christensen can also tear the cover off of a softball. She took an early-season, private hitting lesson from Kayla Konwent and it paid off big, as she led the Blue Jays with 5 HRs, 11 runs scored, and a whopping .684 batting average….. Her mom, Lannan, owns and operates A Place To Grow, the child care center next to Bumper-to-Bumper on Hwy 50.Coach Dan Weyrauch (left) gives a big “air high-five” to Ahnya Beauford (#8) after a clutch hit vs Elkhorn. Coach Dan also worked on the front lines of the recent Kenosha violence, as a 25-year veteran officer with KPD. = Thank you for your service.Sydney Clark (left) lifts up Grace Huhn after some wild base running resulted in a run scored. The 10u Blue Jays finished the season with a 9-1 record, and took 1st place in the Quad County League. Kayla Larson (center), Macy Poepping, and Kylie Puser join in on the celebration. The Jays won the game 5-2.Silver Lake’s Macy Poepping (#2) sets up in the batter’s box on Aug 6th. She pitched 2 shutout innings vs Burlington Redmer, where she went 2-for-2 at the plate, and scored both Blue Jay runs in a 2-1 victory. Macy Poepping is a name to remember.Trevor’s Kylie Puser (#15) drives this Elkhorn pitch out to right field for a base hit. Puser never played softball before June, and her mom said she would only attend the first practice to see if she liked it. Well, she loved it. She homered in her first game, finished the season with a .434 batting average, and there was no better 3B in the league.Bristol’s Quinn Blair (right) makes it over to visit Coach Beth Volk at 3rd base. It was Coach Beth’s daughter, Peyton Volk, with the base hit to advance Blair. Coach Beth is a former hockey player from Minnesota, and also played softball in college. She was a great asset to the Blue Jays coaching staff.Macy Peopping cheers on a teammate from the dugout as Ahnya Beauford (left) looks on. The 10u Blue Jays took 1st place in the Quad County League, and finished the season with a 9-1 record.
Congratulations on the 1st place season.
Registration for the 2021 will be opening soon. The 10u and 12u teams will have a nice core, as about half of the girls will be “aging up”, and the other half will come back to 10u bigger, stronger, and smarter. The early-bird discount usually ends on 12/31. The County Sports Page will post an update when Lakeland’s 2021 registration opens.
