WAUPUN – Addison Braun stood on the infield dirt at the Jerry Medema Softball Field, home of Waupun softball and posed with three balloons and some friends.
Those balloons spelled out “600” signifying another strikeout milestone the senior has hit.
“It’s definitely something I never thought was possible,” Braun said.
The moment came early in Waupun’s 2-0 win over Ripon, and time was called to preserve the historic ball. In the win, she pitched a complete game and allowed two hits while striking out 11 as she built on her own school record for career strikeouts.
It was also senior night where she was honored as part of a class of eight seniors. There was cake, speeches and happy tears after the game and posters filled with photos hung on the dugout.
“Our community came to support. Waupun is always very good at coming to support the big events,” Braun said.
Braun hit 500 strikeouts early in the season and as a competitor does, a new goal was born.
“When she hit the school record, then it was like, ‘Okay’, because that was last year. It was like how far are you going to take it? And it was funny, she goes, ‘Why not 700?’ she said and that’s been Addie’s answer to a lot of things,” Waupun head coach Josh Navis said of when 600 strikeouts became a possibility.
In her senior season, Braun has had three no-hitters and is up to 135 strikeouts on the season. She is undefeated with 14 wins and entered the game against Ripon with an ERA of 0.27. She has three earned runs over the course of 85 innings pitched. Braun’s season high for strikeouts is 17 and came in a nine-inning, 2-1 win over Lakeside Lutheran on May 7.
Braun holds a rolodex of pitches that she can throw. But there’s a couple that she perks up for when Navis calls out the number from the dugout.
“Either my off-speed or my rise,” Braun said.
Braun’s softball career won’t end with the Waupun season as she’s signed to play for the University of Sioux Falls at the Division II level. She proudly donned a USF visor after the game. When she leaves, she won’t be soon forgotten as she’s helped shape the next great Waupun pitchers to step into the circle.
“Seeing Caitlyn (Krause), the freshman, she’s got a bright future, and I know that if I can just lead an example, that she’ll definitely follow,” Braun said.
‘New level, same standard’
The path to a second state championship in three years got a touch harder before the 2025 season started for Waupun. It made the jump to the Division 1 level as part of the WIAA’s performance factor.
Navis said that Waupun appealed the decision, but it was denied.
“We earned it I guess. We are in Division 1, right? I’m not in favor of the point system, but that’s what we’re playing under,” Navis said. “If any year we are blessed to be at D1, is to have eight seniors, seven that start and have been in huge games over and over and over in their career.”
With the jump, Waupun whose enrollment is 556 will compete for a state championship with the likes of Fond du Lac, to name a local school, who has an enrollment of 1,905.
Waupun got to this point as it holds a rich tradition of winning in softball with sectional championship appearances in 2023 and 2025 and won the Division 2 state championship in 2024. It’s experienced winning at the highest level and will not alter its goals.
“Their goal is conference, regional, state,” Navis said. “I’ve been in the program 17 years now. Every year it’s been that and the legacy that this program has laid before these girls is stellar and it’s a heavy burden, but they step up to it. You saw the youth all down there doing their cheers… You see them practicing over there. This is a crazy softball town and I’m honored to be a part of it the last 30 some years of my life.”
The move has come with a new saying.
“They came up with a great motto this year. It’s ‘New level, same standard.’ They’re asking us to play at a new level. We’re going to play with the same standard,” Navis said.
And it came with some added motivation.
“We definitely have that same fire. All the seniors were playing on that team (in 2024). We know what it feels like and we just want to get back,” Braun said.
Contact or send game stats/info to Ben Schultz at BSchultz@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @benschultz52.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Waupun’s Addison Braun hits 600 career strikeouts, sets new goal
Reporting by Ben Schultz, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
