Article: SOFTBALL PREVIEW Pitching rules in the Southeast The conference favorites are Muskego, Oak Creek; Players to Watch Jena White, jr., Muskego: Over the past two seasons, White has pitched 1852 3 innings and walked just 13 batters. Last season, White went 11-2, striking out 79 batters, walking just 11 and posting an earned run average of 1.00. Opposing batters hit just .212 against White. Nicole Ottaviani, sr., Muskego: She went 7-0 last season, striking out 41 batters while walking just seven. She finished with a 0.93 ERA and held batters to a .174 average. Ottaviani also does her damage at the plate; she hit .407 last year. Rachel Lockwood, sr., Oak Creek: The player of the year in the Southeast Conference last season, Lockwood went 11-1 with a 0.59 ERA. In those 11 victories, Lockwood compiled 118 strikeouts and just three walks. Kelly Albrecht, sr., Milwaukee Bay View: Finished with a 16-4 record last season, striking out 155 batters while posting an ERA of 1.05. Albrecht fired two no-hitters, four one-hitters and four two-hitters and 10 shutouts, and threw shutouts against Greendale, Greenfield and South Milwaukee. She also hit .412 for the Redcats with 28 RBI. Michelle Hedrick, sr., Greenfield: The Woodland Conference Player of the Year last season, Hedrick hit .433 overall last season with 18 runs batted in. A converted third baseman, her most valuable asset is her defense: she has a cannon arm and keeps base runners honest. Cindy Prochnow, sr., Greenfield: Prochnow went 12-3 overall last season for the Hawks, striking out 72 in 99 innings and posting a 1.69 ERA. She went 10-1 in the Woodland Conference to lead Greenfield to a share of the title. Katy Lockwood, soph., Oak Creek: As a freshman, the younger Lockwood went 6-2 with a 0.65 ERA. She struck out 50 while walking just 3 on the season.

Pitching wins championships.

Just ask Muskego girls softball coach John Rosenberg and Oak Creek coach Greg Lampe.

Each returns two all-conference aces this season, which will most likely provide the Southeast Conference with yet another two-team battle for softball supremacy.

Muskego, which tied Oak Creek for best record in the Southeast Conference last season at 13-1, returns first-team all-conference junior hurler Jena White and second-team senior Nicole Ottaviani.

Oak Creek welcomes back the Lockwood sisters senior Rachel Lockwood, who was tabbed player of the year last season in the Southeast, and sophomore Katy Lockwood, who earned second-team honors.

"I think they're both really ...

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