UW-Oshkosh softball rolls into the season, making the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 at No.17. But this year’s edition of the Titans is going to be missing some key contributors and pieces from years past.
After finishing the 2025 season 34-6, the Titans went into the postseason with heavy expectations including a WIAC Tournament championship, which they succeeded in winning. They were granted the host of an NCAA Regional, in which they also made the championship contest, but dropped the game that would put them through to the next round, after fighting back through the losers bracket.
What they will not be missing is head coach Scott Beyer, who holds a 341-128 record in his tenure at Oshkosh. He has been able to lead this Titans squad to two Division III World Series appearances, and has coached 20 Titans to 34 total all-region honors and has never had a losing season, but this year could be one of his more challenging yet, after graduating his largest senior class last year.
Last year’s senior class included eight graduating players, including standouts like Abby Garceau, Sydney Nemetz, Sydney and Morgan Rau and 2023’s Rawlings Gold Glove winner Sophie Wery. These players and more combined for over half of the Titans offensive production in major stats such as at-bats, runs and total bases. So how can they possibly replace that much production?
“This year’s team might be more speed driven and maybe less power and doubles, but maybe we can make more contact and run to try to make up the runs that we lost as starters last year, and there’s just different ways to do it, and we’re trying to figure out what the right recipe is right now,” Beyer said. “We get a shot of youth into the program a little bit. It’s refreshing.”
The Titans could be exploring more platoon based lineups, based on the losses at the premier positions like catcher, center field and shortstop.
“Platoon is definitely something that we’re going to do,” Beyer said. “We’re going to move a lot of people around in different positions, especially early on in the season here. Our expectations are really high, our defensive performance the last few years with the former players has been just amazing, we’ve been top 10 in defensive percentage, fielding percentage for the last few years and they were freshman and sophomores once, so they had to learn the way things go. They set a very high standard, so I’m holding them, our current team to those standards.”
Beyer, in his 13th season, holds the second highest winning percentage amongst WIAC softball coaches all time, a conference with five national championships to its name. But what is his biggest challenge that maybe he hasn’t faced in his career?
“I think one big hurdle is gonna be teaching kids how to take a punch from our conference opponents,” Beyer said. “We probably have one of the tougher schedules we’ve ever had non-conference, and so we’re gonna get tested right out of the gate … when we get hit in the mouth, what is our reaction and how are we going to get up off the ground and swing back?”
Last year’s team rolled through the season, before running into Stevens Point, who handed the Titans half of their eight losses last year, including ending the Titans’ season.
“Our kids are going to get up for that a little bit more, just based on what happened last year,” Beyer said. “I would say everybody’s a rival for us, because we’ve been really good so we always get everybody’s best shot.”
The Titans were voted to finish first in the WIAC’s annual preseason poll, determined by coaches and Sports Information Directors of the WIAC’s schools. No team dating back to 2021 that has been voted No. 1 in the preseason has come away with a regular season championship. Beyer was asked if it was more of a goal, or expectation.
“I’d see it more as a goal because I feel like that poll and being ranked preseason No. 17 all those things, that’s all last year’s team accomplishments coming through,” Beyer said. “Especially this year where we have so much rollover with our roster, so we’ve talked about how it doesn’t matter – like if anything, it should motivate them more because everybody else thinks you’re gonna be really good, so we’re gonna always get their best shot,” Beyer said.
The Titans have many weapons returning however like the aforementioned sophomore Sarah Hammerton who held down a corner outfield position with a .886 OPS, driving in 24 runs.
Olivia Ullmann was another freshman standout from last year who started 38 games, stealing 10 bases in 10 attempts.
Pitching should be no problem with reigning WIAC pitcher of the year, Brianna Bougie, who put up a 0.72 ERA in 96.2 innings, and even All-WIAC honorable mention Grace Nardi with a 1.07 ERA in 85.1 innings.
Don’t be shocked if there is a lot of production from the five player freshman class, including left-handed pitcher Kiran Sanford.
Oshkosh gets its season started this Feb. 28 for the UWO Invitational at the Rec-Plex, they will play St. Scholastica at 10 a.m, then Loras College (Iowa) at noon.
