PULASKI, Wis. (NBC 26) — Kaukauna head coach Tim Roehrig isn't one to boast, but he knew early on Thursday his team was destined for the WIAA state softball tournament... again.
"When they walked out here tonight, I'm just going to say it: I knew it was going to be over," Roehrig said. "They were on. In the batting cages they were on. It was going to be over with."
He was right. The Galloping Ghosts put up five runs in the third inning and cruised to a 10-0 win over No. 2 seed Green Bay Preble.
It was their 78th consecutive win, adding to their own state record. Next weekend in Madison, they'll try to become just the third Division 1 team in WIAA history to win three straight state championships.
"It never gets old," Roehrig said. "We have a lot of new faces this year and they went right back at it again."
"It doesn't really feel real every single time," senior third baseman Paige Miller, who is committed to play college softball at Wisconsin, said. "The three times that we've been in this position, it doesn't hit you until you're there and until you're in the moment."
"I'm trying to embrace it as much as I can," Miller added. "It never gets old, but it just feels so surreal."
Roehrig said his team is "laser-focused" and he believes they will be a "tough out" at state.
"The girls have been focused all year long, not so much on the streak but on the prize at the end," he said. "And we are still focused there."
Seedings for the state tournament - held at Goodman Diamond on the UW-Madison campus - will be announced Friday. Kaukauna will likely be the No. 1 overall seed, meaning the Galloping Ghosts would play their state quarterfinal game Thursday at 12:00 p.m.
Oshkosh West (Division 1), Freedom (Division 2), Mishicot (Division 3) and Oakfield (Division 5) also qualified for the state tournament.
