EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday or Friday throughout the calendar year.
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal / Fennimore Times / Boscobel Dial
Lexi Riechers, Jr., C, Belmont softball
Belmont junior catcher Lexi Riechers had a record-setting WIAA state softball tournament two weekends ago at UW–Madison's Goodman Diamond to lead her Braves to a runner-up finish in Division 5.
In last Thursday's 10–2 semifinal victory over No. 4 seed Athens, Riechers also went 4-for-4 with a double and a new individual game D5 state record two triples as the Belmont tallied Division 5 single-game record 18 hits in the victory.
Riechers led off the Braves’ three-run second inning, then hit an RBI triple to deep center field to make it 4–0, and courtesy runner Annalisa Kismore scored on an RBI single by junior Brittany Taylor.
She later doubled to lead off the Belmont fifth and pinch runner Shannon Pishion advanced to third and later scored on back-to-back wild pitches to make it 7–0.
In Saturday's championship game, Reichers moved up the lineup from sixth to cleanup and went 3-for-4 with a D5 single-game state tournament record two homers in Belmont's 16–8 loss to No. 2 Almond–Bancroft (27-1).
Junior pitcher Carsyn Ramaker led off the bottom of the seventh with a single down the left field line, before junior catcher Lexi Riechers smashed her second two-run homer of the game over the left centerfield fence to account for the final score.
Riechers hammered a two-out homer over the left field fence in the bottom of the first inning to give Belmont a 2–1 lead.
The two home runs also tied the all divisions single game record.
All that came just a day after, the junior catcher went 4-for-4 with a double, two triples and an RBI. She tied the D5 single game state tournament record for hits and triples, and tied the D5 state tournament record for triples.
Riechers finished 7-for-8 with a double, two triples, two homers, five RBI and three runs scored in two state tournament games this year.
The seven hits also set a D5 state tournament record. In all, Riechers set or tied six state tournament records last week.
“Lexi is a tremendous player for us. Sometimes she gets overshadowed for us but she is a very gifted athlete and a key member of our team," said Belmont head coach Jeff Hodgson. “She sprained her ankle in the sectional final and worked really hard to be able to play in these games and I think she proved why this team needs her so badly.”
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Tenleigh Bockop, So., P, Mineral Point softball
The sophomore sensation pitched a pair of shutouts at last week's 50th WIAA Softball State Tournament to lead the Pointers to the Division 5 state title.
She struck out 10 batters in a three-hit shutout to lead the Pointers (28–4) to a 6–0 victory over Johnson Creek (26–5) in last Saturday's D4 state title game. Two days earlier she struck out 14 and walked just two in a three-hit 2–0 shutout win over Marathon (25-6).
Bockopp was named this year's SWAL Pitcher of the Year after posting a 24–3 mark this year with a 0.83 ERA, 229 strikeouts and just 27 walks in 144 innings pitched this year.
Bockhop was somehow even better in the playoffs, posting a 6–0 mark without allowing a run, with 64 strikeouts, 7 walks and allowed just 14 hits in 34 innings pitched. She even through no-hitters in the Pointers regional semifinal and regional final victories.
Kayahna Furrer, Sr., SS/P, Fennimore softball
Furrer, who played shortstoptop and pitcher, was recently named the SWAL Player of the Year and first-team All-SWAL for the fourth straight year.
She posted a 6–4 mark with one save, a 1.90 ERA, 135 strikeouts and 34 walks in just 66 1/3 innings pitched, but was must more comfortable and absolutely more feared in the batters box.
She senior slugger again put up video game number at the plate this year, batting a team-high .570 (49-for-86) with 14 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, 43 RBI, 49 runs, 28 walks, a team-high 10 stolen bases, an eye-popping .681 on-base percentage and an out-of-this-world 1.890 OPS.
Furrer finished her four-year FHS career as the best player in school history batting .545 with 169 hits in 310 at-bats, 37 doubles, nine triples, 32 home runs, 141 RBI, 150 runs scored, 65 walks, 43 stolen bases, a .630 on-base percentage, a 1.032 slugging percentage and a 1.662 OPS in 98 career games.
As a four-year varsity pitcher, she posted a 39–28 record with a 2.71 ERA, 599 strikeouts, 187 walks and 398 innings pitched in 88 games. Fennimore posted a 63–35 overall record and won two regional titles with Furrer in the lineup.
Carsyn Ramaker, Jr., P/SS, Belmont softball
The Braves (23–7) advanced to this year’s Division 5 softball state title game with a dominating 10–2 victory over No. 4 seed Athens (16–12) last Thursday morning at Goodman Diamond in Madison. Ramaker (19–7) struck out 15 batters and allowed just one hit in the complete game victory. Her 15 strikeouts tied a Division 5 single-game record set by Ava Schill or Wisconsin Rapids Assumption in 2022.
“Carsyn was really good in the circle and we got out on top of them and scored early,” said coach Jeff Hodgson. “They were a better team than I might have envisioned going into it. They were well coached and that kept them in the ball game.”
