Sports
Koepsel Wraps Up Impressive Career At Oak Creek
The senior was named conference POY and first team all-state.
Oak Creek softball coach Nathan Vance doesn’t even like to think about what the last four years would have been without All-State catcher Katie Koepsel on his team.
But that could have been the case, had her family not moved to Oak Creek when she was in eighth grade.
"Katie has been so important to our team over the past four years," Vance said. "I can’t even imagine how good other teams would have been with her on the roster."
Luckily for Vance and the Oak Creek softball program, Koepsel played all four years on the Knights' varsity squad.
"I first saw Katie at our camp when she was an eighth grader. I saw her catching and knew she could help us out on varsity immediately," recalled Vance. A year later, Koepsel was starting as a freshman and a big part of the Knights team that went to state.
Each season, Koepsel put up eye-popping numbers, but her senior season was truly something special. She hit .605 in conference play with 14 extra base hits, good for a 1.053 slugging percentage. She recorded a hit in all but one of the team’s games.
"That's a good average for gym class. The easiest way to describe her in the batter’s box is a freak," Vance said. "She is the best hitter I have ever coached besides Tony Butler."
Butler was the state Player of the Year in 2005 and taken in the second round of the MLB Draft in 2006.
What might be the most impressive part of Koepsel's season was that her postseason accolades - she was named the Southeast Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-State - came despite her team struggling to a 5-13 overall record.
"I was really surprised," said Koepsel about being named player of the year. “I was just worried about making all-conference and wasn’t thinking about (player of the year) at all."
Vance noted that Koepsel’s work defensively as a catcher was just as important as her superb offense. The Knights had a young and inexperienced pitching staff that the senior took under her wing and guided through some of the best lineups in the state.
It wasn’t always easy for Koepsel, but she used her position as a team leader and senior to get her point across to the pitchers. "I was tough on them," she said. "Sometimes I would have to go out and tell them what needed to be done."
Koepsel will continue playing softball at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She finished her high school career competing with the top players in the state at the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association (WFSCA) All-Star game.
The game gave Vance an opportunity to watch Koepsel as a fan, instead of a coach.
"She was hands down the best catcher at the all star event," he said.
"She loves the game, truly loves it. She is one of the biggest competitors you'll ever see. As much as we underachieved, she was always happy to be playing, which is a testament to what kind of team player she was."
