Softball: NLS Wildcats lean on their top returnees
Apr. 7—NEW LONDON — With the exit of a large senior class led by Aly Wendlandt and Mallory Johnson, the New London-Spicer softball team will lean on its top returning players in 2026. Wendlandt, an All-Area Third Team pick, and Johnson, an All-Area Honorable Mention, led NLS to a 12-11 record last season, including a 9-7 mark in the Wright County Conference.
Wendlandt and Johnson are currently first-year players on the Ridgewater softball team. Jacob Beranek, who is in his second year as head coach, returns an All-Area player this spring. That is senior pitcher/first baseman Addi Nelson, who was on the All-Area Third Team last year.
Nelson was the mainstay pitcher who logged an 8-6 record with a 2. 10 earned-run average and 117 strikeouts in 93 innings. She also held a .
321 batting average with 25 RBIs. "Addi is our go-to in the circle," Beranek said. "She's looking to have an up-year offensively.
" KayAnna Gehrke headlines the outfielder group alongside Adelie Greeley and Sydney Thorstad. Gehrke, a senior who battled an injury last spring, batted . 357 in 16 plate appearances.