Last week, the Becker girls softball program held their end of the season banquet.  After a meal, coaches spoke about the season and handed out a number of awards.  

 

First up was a recap of the seventh and eighth grade seasons.  The coaches commented on the hard work that the teams put in and their willingness to try new things.  

 

That was followed byvarsity Head Coach Jason Baune commenting on the successful Strikeout Cancer Game that was held earlier this spring.  With the support of the entire Becker softball community, the teams were able to raise over $4,500 dollars for Dan Hermann, a Becker softball dad that is fighting blood cancer.  

 

Coach Peterson and Coach Dockendorf then spoke to the crowd about the successful C-squad season and passed out awards to each player.  

 

JV Coach Jesse O'Neill and her volunteer assistant Marikate Wegeleben spoke about a very successful JV season.

 

Many awards were given to players for academic success.  Over a dozen girls were awarded the Spotlight on Scholarship Award from the High School League for their academic success.  

 

That was followed by the awarding of Granite Ridge Academic All-Conference to the following varsity athletes that had a GPA over 3.75: Morgan Luberda, Emily Lamott, Cammie Varney, Krista Paulson, Emma Eickhoff and Brook Hendrickson.

 

Luberda was also awarded two very special academic awards.  She was named to the Minnesota State High School Softball Coaches Association All-State Academic Team.  She was also awarded the prestigious Becker Scholar Athlete Award as she had the highest cumulative GPA in the entire softball program.

 

Coach Baune followed the academic awards by speaking about some great volunteers that helped make it a successful season.  Heather Young, Marikate Wegeleben and Judee Vesledahl each volunteered many hours of time to help out with the softball program.  2018 Becker graduate Kirsten Fitzgerald also worked as an assistant with the softball program for many hours as she pursues a coaching degree.  

 

Last, but certainly not least, Jaimee Cook and Kiera Berger were honored as they spent the season as sixth grade student managers helping the team at practices and games.

 

The following student athletes were named letter winners for the first time: Cadence Koste, Kurstyn Patnode, Makenna Zerwas, Emma Eickhoff, Shelby Zoller, Morgan Luberda, and Paige De Luque.  

 

These student-athletes were named letter winners after having previously lettering in softball: Brooke Hendrickson (second), Jenna Kringler (second), Krista Paulson (second), Emily Lamott (third), Avery Tamm (second), Cammie Varney (second), Corrie Weise (fourth), Jaida Johnson (second) and Kaylyn Wiehle (fourth).

 

The Granite Ridge Conference awarded the following:

 

• Conference Player of the Year: Corrie Weise;

 

• All-conference: Kaylyn Wiehle, Corrie Weise, Avery Tamm, Emily Lamott, Krista Paulson and Emma Eickhoff;

 

• Honorable Mention All-Conference: Cadence Koste and Cammie Varney.

 

Corrie Weise, Emily Lamott, Emma Eickhoff, and Cadence Koste were named to the 5AAA All-section team.

 

For the third year in a row, Corrie Weise was named All-State second team by the Coaches Association.

 

Kaylyn Wiehle was honored for her selection to the Minnesota All-Star Series.  The all-star series is hosted by the Minnesota Twins and the Coaches Association and honors the top 88 senior softball players in the state of Minnesota. 

 

Cammie Varney was named the second annual "Pyramid of Success" award winner for her dedication to making herself and those around her better by following the Pyramid of Success model that was created by former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.

 

Lastly, Coach Baune spoke to the success of the varsity team.  Headed into the state tournament, the team had a record of 19-5.  They won the Granite Ridge Conference championship and the Section 5AAA championship. 

 

“I don't know that in my 17 years as coach I've had a team that has done a better job of supporting one another,” Baune said.  “The girls never complained about their role on the team, instead they worked as hard as they could to do that role to the best of their ability.”

 

“The four seniors, Kaylyn Wiehle, Jaida Johnson, Morgan Luberda and Paige De Luque will be missed,” Baune said.  “However, based on the success of the lower level teams and the number of returning players, the future of Becker Softball looks bright.”

 

After the season ended, the team announced the following awards as voted on by the players:

 

• Co-Most Dedicated Player: Emma Eickhoff and Krista Paulson:

 

• Most Improved Player: Cadence Koste;

 

• Most Valuable Player: Corrie Weise.