PULASKI (NBC 26) — The Kaukauna softball team is heading back to the WIAA state tournament with a chance to win its fourth consecutive state championship.
The Galloping Ghosts toppled Ashwaubenon, 4-0, in Thursday's sectional final round. Kaukauna's star pitcher Karly Meredith tossed a shutout and the Ghosts offense jumped on the Jaguars early, scoring one run in the first inning and three more in the second.
"It never gets old," longtime coach Tim Roehrig, who has coached the team to a state record 107 consecutive victories, said moments after the final out.
Roehrig admitted the team had some bulletin board material this week. W7 Productions, an online streaming service that focuses on high school girls sports in Wisconsin, picked Ashwaubenon to upset the Galloping Ghosts.
"In the last few days there's been a lot of chatter about the demise of Kaukauna softball," Roehrig said, tongue-in-cheek. "I'm going to tell you what, we're not listening."
"We made sure (the team) knew about it and they were a little feisty," he added.
"W7 said that Ashwaubenon was going to beat us so that gave us maybe a little extra drive," Meredith said. "We were like 'that's not going to happen.' I'm glad we made it happen."
Both sides are having fun with the out-on-a-limb prediction; W7's Gary Wipperman posted a video on X congratulating the Ghosts following their victory.
— W7 Productions (@ProductionsW7) May 30, 2024
With the win, Kaukauna improved to 26-0 on the season; the Galloping Ghosts are now three wins away from a fourth straight WIAA state title.
If they pull it off, they would join Stevens Point as the only school to win four consecutive state championships; SPASH went on its run from 2001-2004.
Kaukauna is also now just five victories away from matching the national record for most consecutive wins by a high school softball team. It's currently held by Vandebilt Catholic (Louisiana), which won 112 straight in the early 1980s.
Since they can play a maximum of three games at the state tournament, the Ghosts could match that mark early next season.
The WIAA state softball tournament begins next Thursday at Goodman Diamond in Madison. Five other local teams also qualified: Waupun (Division 2), Mishicot (Division 3), Laconia (Division 3), Coleman (Division 4), and Oakfield (Division 5).
