In a loaded North Eastern softball conference, it might have been a good bet to pick either Luxemburg-Casco or Fox Valley Lutheran to make the WIAA Division 2 state tournament this year.
Denmark had other ideas.
The Vikings went 1-3 during the regular season against the Spartans and Foxes, but it didn’t matter much come tournament time.
They rolled through regionals and sectionals as a No. 3 seed, including upsets over No. 2 seed L-C in a regional championship and No. 1 seeds FVL and Waupun in sectionals.
Denmark (23-7) will make its second appearance at state this century and the first since 2018 when it plays Lakeland (20-8) in a state semifinal at approximately 7 p.m. June 13 at Goodman Diamond in Madison.
“It’s big for our program, it’s big for the community,” Denmark coach Todd O’Brien said. “Softball is a pretty solid mainstay in Denmark. We get a lot of support from a lot of the families and the fans. It’s big for our community, and we are definitely looking forward to the trip.”
As the Vikings prepare for their opening game, here are four things to know entering the showdown against Lakeland.
Denmark is prepared for this moment
The Vikings knew that to beat teams when it mattered most, it would be important to test themselves long before tournament time.
They made a trip to Kentucky to start the season in March and went 1-2 while being outscored 27-16 against three teams that won 20 or more games in 2025, including a Bullitt East squad that won 28.
When Denmark arrived home, it jumped right into league play with back-to-back games against L-C.
Five big tests in the first five games.
It helped the Vikings figure out where they stood early in the season and paid big dividends by the end.
“For the last couple years, we have been traveling down to Kentucky and playing some pretty solid teams down there,” said O’Brien, whose team finished in a tie for second with L-C behind FVL in league play. “It’s always good for us to start out that way. Typically, we don’t start out with Luxemburg as our first game in the season, but we knew right away after those first couple weeks of the season where we were going to be, at least in the conference.”
Denmark can pick between two standout starters
O’Brien has not decided who will start against Lakeland — or, at least, wasn’t going to tip his hand early — but he can’t go wrong with either junior right-hander Maggie Frank or sophomore left-hander Shaelyn Kraschnewski.
Frank has been on varsity since her freshman season and was a first-team all-conference selection as a sophomore.
She entered sectional play with an 8-2 record and a 1.54 earned-run average, striking out 86 in 72⅔ innings.
Like her teammate, Kraschnewski already had a big role for the Vikings as a rookie and has continued to flourish in her second year.
She entered the sectional round with a 9-3 record and a 2.23 ERA, striking out 55 in 78⅓ innings.
With one righty and one lefty, it gives Denmark some versatility depending on the opposing lineup.
“We knew going into the season that we were going to split pretty much 50-50 between Shaelyn and Maggie,” O’Brien said. “We watch some video on the teams we are playing, see how they attack the ball, and then based off of that determine who is going to start the game.”
Denmark’s offense has a lot of firepower
The Vikings have a potent lineup that can give pitchers fits because of the different ways they can beat them.
The top of the lineup features several power hitters, which leads into the bottom part of the lineup that has speed.
Denmark has 10 players hitting .346 or better, five with a slugging percentage over .500 and four with an OPS above 1.000.
Kraschnewski has been as big at the plate as she has on the mound, sporting a .643 slugging percentage along with three triples, eight doubles and 12 RBI.
Frank entered sectionals with a team-high 23 RBI, while senior infielder Macey Mleziva had 22 and fellow senior infielder Audrey Baugnet 21.
As for that speed?
Freshman infielder Rebekah Dittmer was 14-for-14 in stolen base attempts, while freshman outfielder Hazel Fields was 16-for-17 and Kraschnewski 11-for-12.
Denmark scored six or more runs in three of its four tournament games, including nine against FVL in a sectional semifinal.
It was the second-most runs allowed by the Foxes this season and their only loss of the year.
“We are going to have to bring it (to state) and see if we can make something happen,” O’Brien said.
Denmark faces biggest test of the season in Saylor Timmerman
The Vikings have faced some quality pitchers this spring, but there is a good chance they haven’t faced anyone quite like Lakeland right-hander and Arkansas recruit Saylor Timmerman.
The senior star isn’t just one of the best pitchers in Wisconsin — she became the fifth pitcher in state history with 1,000 career strikeouts this season — but in the nation.
Timmerman was ranked as the No. 8 overall player and No. 3 pitcher in the country by Softball America for the 2025 class.
“Saylor is a difference-maker in the circle and one of the most sought-after pitchers in the 2025 class,” Arkansas softball coach Courtney Deifel said after Timmerman signed in November 2024. “She has an exceptional ability to change planes and speed. Her spin and break of her pitches are some of the best nationally in her class.”
Denmark has worked on small ball in practice this season, and that training might come into play.
Timmerman is 19-8 with a 0.82 ERA, striking out 350 in 170 innings while allowing 61 hits.
Lakeland’s offense hasn’t exactly been on fire recently, scoring just five total runs in four tournament games but allowing just one thanks to Timmerman.
It beat Shawano 1-0 in 13 innings and Mosinee 1-0 in eight innings in regional play, all because Timmerman refused to give up a run.
“She will be the best pitcher we face all season,” O’Brien said. “But Madison Babcock of FVL, she throws pretty hard. She is not in Timmerman’s category, but she has a lot of spin, a lot of movement on the ball.
“We have been working on it the last couple days and, hopefully, the girls can put a couple balls in play and get some baserunners out there.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Denmark softball prepares for WIAA state tournament, most difficult pitcher of the season
Reporting by Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
