By Greg Bates
Correspondent
BROWN COUNTY – Two summers ago, Sophie Kinjerski wanted to play travel softball.
However, with only a handful of players from Denmark interested in playing U16, it looked as though Kinjerski would be out of luck playing with her high school teammates.
Low and behold, Green Bay Preble was in a similar situation where it didn’t have enough kids to have an independent, school-based team.
Darren Derricks, an assistant coach in the Denmark softball program, got financial support from the Denmark business Circle Tap, and the Dukes girls’ softball team was formed.
It was agreed upon that each season the team will consist of six players from Preble and six from Denmark – Kinjerski was in business.
Longtime coach Brad Foytik, who oversees the Preble youth program, stepped in as the Dukes’ head coach.
“They have a belief in themselves and each other, unlike any group I’ve ever coached,” Foytik said. “We had a mantra before the season started: ‘Trust yourself and trust your teammates to do the job they’ve been given.’ These kids bought into it.”
What has transpired after the forming of the Dukes has been nothing short of phenomenal.
In 2018, the team won the Northern National Championships for Class B in Minnesota and was runner-up in the USA Softball Class B Wisconsin State Championship.
The Dukes followed that success this summer by winning the NAFA Wisconsin State Championship in Wisconsin Dells June 28-30, and winning the USSSA Illinois State Championship in Peoria, Illinois, on July 5-7.
“We took great satisfaction carrying the Illinois state trophy across the border to Wisconsin,” said Foytik. “Over the last two years to win the Northern Nationals, take second at the state Wisconsin tournament, win the state tournament and then win the Illinois state tournament, I have never been part of something like that. I don’t know how many coaches have won two state tournaments in two different states in one year but going 23-1 is a special thing to do.”
Kinjerski was honored to be a part of the Dukes’ magnificent, two-year run.
“The amount of talent on our team was tremendous,” said Kinjerski, who will be a senior at Denmark this fall. “We have all been playing softball for so long. The amount of time that we’ve put in and all the work we have done to be so great is awesome.”
The Dukes had a two-year record of 47-7.
Eight of the players competed on the team both seasons: Preble’s Ally Eden, Keegan Piton, Maddi Whitney, Claire Price and Lydia Foytik and Denmark’s Kinjerski, Kate O’Brien and Phoebe Jensen.
Once the team was formed two summers ago, it didn’t take long for the Preble and Denmark players to mesh well as teammates.
“Right from the start, I don’t think we ever had a problem,” Kinjerski said. “Growing up, Denmark and Preble played in multiple tournaments, so we all knew each other talent-wise. I remember playing against Brad and thinking he was a good coach. So, coming together, we knew we were good and we were great friends from the start.”
One key reason for the Dukes’ strong 2019 campaign was pitching and defense.
The girls had a team ERA of 1.44 and a team fielding percentage of .960.
“We are a gifted defensive team, we have very talented pitchers and we play with a lot of speed,” Foytik said. “For example, in our 24 games, we stole 97 bases and were caught 19 times.”
The coach certainly took advantage of his team speed.
“It’s like a joystick,” Foytik joked.
Foytik used two pitchers the entire season and alternated them every other game.
Eden and 14-year-old Brooke Hock were the stalwarts in the circle.
“Our defense is tremendous,” Kinjerski said. “We barely had any errors throughout the season. Our hitting, when we needed to score, we were able to do so, and our pitchers always hit their spots. Both of our pitchers, Ally and Brooke, were able to come in when they needed to and get things done.”
Offensively, the Dukes had a team batting average of .387 and averaged 7.5 runs per game.
Piton led the way with a .574 average.
While Foytik and his players enjoyed a phenomenal summer on the diamond, the name of the game was fun.
Winning certainly makes it easy to have a good time.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and we keep it pretty light,” Foytik said. “We want it to be a fun experience that gives you lasting memories beyond the sport. One thing I said in all my years of coaching is, ‘We’re going to teach life lessons and you’re going to accidentally learn about softball.’”
Kinjerski couldn’t have asked for a better final season with her U16 teammates, as she aged out of the program.
“It was great – it’s unforgettable,” she said. “There were not a lot of times where our team didn’t have a good game. We always worked well together – it was tremendous. I will never forget this team.”