FINAL SUCCESS

Tomah’s Alyssa Whaley was robbed of the opportunity to play her junior season with the Timberwolves due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To say that both she and her team made up for lost time would be quite the understatement.

Whaley broke out as a force to be reckoned with at the plate during her senior campaign, proving to be a key cog for a Tomah team that reached new heights for the program.

The Timberwolves finished their regular season with a flourish en route to capturing the first conference championship in the history of the Tomah softball program. Whaley’s dominance was a significant factor in that coming to fruition.

Whaley went hitless in two of the team’s first three games to begin the season — though did crank a home run in the second game of the year. From that point forward, she would put together an 18-game hitting streak to end her high school career.

All told, Whaley recorded 31 hits in her 71 at-bats for a .437 batting average. She blasted five home runs, tallied 19 RBIs and had four doubles and a triple during the season.

Thanks to her stellar, consistent performance, Whaley earned a place on the all-conference and was named the 2021 Mississippi Valley Conference Player of the Year.

So, what was Whaley’s initial reaction to earning this accolade?

“Actually, I didn’t know it was a thing,” Whaley joked.

When Whaley was a sophomore in 2019, former teammate Josie Mathison brought home the honor as the conference’s top player. But in the two years since then — including a canceled 2020 season — the award has slipped from her mind.

“I know that Josie got it two years ago, but I definitely forgot it was a thing,” Whaley said. “So, I was not expecting it at all.”

Once her memory was jogged, Whaley, of course, was extremely grateful to be bestowed with the honor. But she wasn’t alone on the Timberwolves when it came to bringing home individual hardware.

Freshman Madison Johnson took over as Tomah’s main starting pitcher midway through the season. Though that stage could have conceivably been a tall order for someone in her first year of high school, Johnson thrived in her increased role — so much so that she was named the MVC Pitcher of the Year.

On top of all that, Dan Wall was named the Mississippi Valley Conference Coach of the Year after the Timberwolves went 12-9 in 2021 and secured that elusive first-ever conference crown.

All of this alone makes it a Tomah softball season that will never be forgotten — winning the program’s maiden MVC title and sweeping postseason awards is obviously a truly special occasion.

To do all this one year after an entire season was lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Well that just makes it taste a little sweeter for the Timberwolves.

“It was very special, and I created many friendships this year that will last a lifetime,” Whaley said. “We were very close. We won together, we lost together, we did everything together.

“It felt like we did it for the people that lost out on last year.”

Whaley’s run of success and accolades continued even beyond the normal 2021 season. She was chosen to take part in the 2021 Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches’ Association (WFSCA) All-Star Games, held in Wisconsin Dells last month.

Whaley was a member of the Division 1 Gray Team at the WFSCA All-Star Games. She was joined on the team by Menasha’s Olivia Krueger, Appleton North’s Reese Koski, Oshkosh North’s Noelle Frank, Divine Savior Holy Angels’ Jasmine House, Sheboygan North’s Abby and Ashley Thaves and Green Bay Preble’s Ally Eden, Eleanor Hoge and Gretchen Meier.

The two-day event gave Whaley and all the other participants one final chance to represent their schools, meet some new teammates to form quicks bonds with and provided a laidback, run atmosphere for many of the state’s top outgoing seniors to play softball.

“It was very fun. It was cool to see different types of pitching outside the conference that I didn’t really get to see this year,” Whaley said. “It was fun to meet some new people. I would definitely do it again and recommend it to anyone who can.”

The WFSCA All-Star Games brought a true end to Whaley’s decorated high school career. Though it did not close the book on her competitive softball career.

Whaley will be attending the University of Saint Thomas in St. Paul, where she will play as a member of the softball team.

She joins the Tommies, who won back-to-back Division III NCAA softball national championships in 2004 and 2005, at a time of significant change for the program.

St. Thomas was voted out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) due to parity concerns resulting from the Tommies’ multisport dominance in the conference. They made the rare jump straight from Division III to Division I and have joined the Summit League starting with this upcoming academic year.

On top of all that, long-time head coach John Tschida — who spent 21 years at the helm at St. Thomas and compiled over 1,000 wins in his 27 years as a collegiate head coach — retired from the program after this past season.

Whaley will instead play under Jennifer Bagley Trotter, who was hired away from Missouri Western State University to lead the Tommies into the world of Division I softball.

But all of that is secondary to what matters most to Whaley: continuing to play a sport she treasures so much.

“Softball’s just always been something that’s in my life. I started when I was able to walk. I grew up playing with my brother,” Whaley said. “I’m just so excited I can continue this journey. I’m really looking forward to it.”