At a Laconia softball game, you’ll most likely find Addison Maurer firing in pitches from the circle.
Her younger sister, Aubrey Maurer, is almost certainly screaming encouragement from right field.
Neil Maurer, the girls’ father, is calling pitches for Addison from the dugout.
And after the game is over, media outlets will receive some sort of communication from Starla Maurer to make sure that the Spartans get the coverage they deserve.
Softball is a family affair for the Maurers and it is something Addison said she has cherished about the sport during her career at Laconia.
“It has just been amazing,” Addison said. “I know I have the full support from my family.”
Addison said her dad will stay up late at night watching opponents to get a game plan and prepare her as best he can, which leads to mutual trust on game day.
“To go out on the mound knowing that my dad has my back is just a feeling of full confidence,” Addison said. “I know he has full confidence in me so when we work together, something great is going to happen.”
As for playing with your sibling, Addison and Aubrey said they used to fight and annoy each other, but both said they’ve grown extremely close during the last two years, which they credit softball for.
“We actually just started to get close two or three years ago,” Addison said. “We got out of that little sister fighting phase so now that we’ve been close it’s been a great experience to share with her.
“Softball is our favorite thing to do so to be able to go out there and play it together and have each other’s back doing our favorite thing means the absolute world to me.”
The 2024 season was certainly one to remember for the family for many reasons, one being the on-field success.
Aubrey was a first team all-state selection after slugging .987, which was one of the top marks in the state. She was one of only three sophomores to earn the honor.
Addison was picked to the second team with her stellar two-way resume, which included more than 130 strikeouts and a .400 batting average.
Both sisters were unanimous first team in the Flyway and in Region 4.
With all the individual accomplishments came the team success, which resulted in a WIAA Division 3 runner-up finish in Madison.
“It’s been awesome watching the girls play together, have fun together and work hard through the whole way,” Neil said. “For them to have this moment with the whole team has been unbelievable.”
The family aspect isn’t limited to the Maurers, though. Over the course of the season, the playoff run and the state appearance, it has felt like one giant family from the Rosendale-Brandon school district, which is nothing new to those who have spent time in the area.
“Knowing that everyone is here for you makes you want to play that much harder and just do it for them and for your community so that you can give them something to come together for,” Aubrey said.
Despite the runner-up finish, the team was still greeted by a firetruck escort when they rolled back into town and it was still a celebration of a team that, by outsiders’ estimation, overachieved.
Neil said it is the culture of the school district that makes the place so special.
“The community is unbelievable,” Neil said. “There is so much support for every sport and everybody’s kids. You understand that it’s not just your kids that you care about, it’s everybody else’s, too. I think you saw that [in Madison] and really, it’s what we get every day.”
The Spartan softball program has a rich tradition. It won three-straight state titles under the guidance of coach Scott Ritzema from 2015-2017, two of which were undefeated.
This team didn’t have the expectation those did.
“This is a great community to coach in,” Ritzema said. “They want to compete at a high level, but they come together really well and they’re proud of their kids no matter what.
“I know we’re still going to be celebrated when we come back into Rosendale. They’re still going to light up the sirens and bring us in. That’s just a cool thing to be a part of a community like that; [coaching] in a small town is pretty sweet.”
Both Addison and Aubrey said they credit many different people for the success they have achieved, but each highlighted another Flyway coach as being an instrumental part of her success.
Mayville coach Steve Pliner also runs the Wisconsin RedBirds competitive softball organization, which has three teams that feature numerous players from Flyway conference schools. Pliner coaches the 18U team that Addison plays on; she also gets hitting and pitching coaching from Pliner.
Pliner said Addison’s work ethic is one characteristic that sets her apart.
“Addi in particular spent three to four days a week with me in our training facility over the last couple of offseasons,” Pliner said. “When we are in there, she never gets outworked. She never complains, she just gets after it.”
Addison said Pliner helped her through one of the most challenging seasons in her softball career when she suffered a knee injury sophomore year. Pliner took her onto his 16U team despite her not being able to try out.
"My knee injury was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through mentally and physically and he was there for me every step of the way," Addison said. "When I was finally cleared to pitch again, we started these insane power workouts where he would basically make me workout super hard with physical activity and pitching drills and then have me pitch to gain endurance and speed.
"I was able to gain everything back and more. From there, he pushed me to be the best I can be."
Addison also credited Pliner's willingness to help all of his players even though sometimes it meant giving up time with family.
"I have learned that he is a very selfless, caring and loving coach," Addison said. "He was there for me when it felt like no one else believed in me."
Aubrey plays on the 16U team and takes hitting lessons with Pliner. He said she worked hard to make some “big adjustments” in the winter, which had a positive impact.
Aubrey said the lessons Pliner has taught her go beyond softball.
“Steve has shown me that I have much more potential than I ever knew I had,” Aubrey said. “He has shown me that not everything will be easy. Life has its ups and downs, and you just have to ride it out, but hard work will always pay off.”
Addison’s high school career ended in the state championship at Goodman Diamond in Madison. Gold or silver, there were going to be tears after the final game with her sister.
And she said she would not have enjoyed the moment had she not learned a valuable lesson from Aubrey.
“She’s taught me to relax and enjoy the moment,” Addison said. “For example, here to look back and even if we’re down, we’re playing at the [UW] Madison stadium in the state championship game. To just take in that moment, that’s amazing.”
Addison is not finished playing softball, for she’s committed to play at St. Norbert College in De Pere.
Aubrey said the biggest lesson that Addison gave to her was nothing she said, it was the type of player she modeled in practice and games.
“I’ve watched Addi play growing up, I catch for her when she pitches and I really watch her practice and I just kind of sit back,” Aubrey said. “[She taught me to] never give up. Always make sure that I’m the hardest one working there because she was always the hardest worker.”
Pliner said his final encouragement to Addison as she moves onto college ball is a simple one.
“My message to her is to always continue to be you,” Pliner said. “Be the kid that works hard, is polite and fun to be around. If you do these things good things will happen.”
Thank you to A Flash of Sunshine Photography for allowing use of her photos for this story. Check out more of her excellent work at the link.
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