Prescott’s shutout victory at home against Osceola on Thursday, May 4, was a bittersweet moment for six of the most beloved players on this year’s team. 

For the senior class of Addie Raebel, Breana Matzek, Taylor Graf, Rylie Radloff, Rebecca Heinze and Izzy Matzek, it was a celebration of all they’ve achieved with the program; and it was a reminder that their senior season is nearing its conclusion.

The senior class has been through more than most could even fathom, as they had their freshman year canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve celebrated the joys of winning regional and sectional titles, and they’ve coped with excruciating postseason defeats.

For Prescott shortstop Izzy Matzek, senior night was a chance to reflect on her time with the program and reminisce about the lifelong memories she made with the seniors set to graduate later this month.

“These girls mean so much to me and it’s crazy to think that we’ve got less than two weeks left,” Izzy Matzek said. “The seniors are amazing this year. We’ve been together so long and we’ve been through so much with not having a freshman year. It’s crazy how much we’ve bonded and we’re all going to miss it.”

The massive impact that the six seniors have made on Prescott’s softball program wasn’t lost on head coach Nick Johnson, who credited those six girls – whether they’ve seen extensive varsity action or not – with leaving the program better than they found it.

“It’s a special group of kids that has had a lot of success together,” Johnson said. “All six of them are great kids. They just go about their business, they work hard and they’re an easy group to coach. I appreciate everything they’ve done for this program. When the time comes, they’re going to be a very tough group to say goodbye to.”

Although that undetermined date quickly approaches, it must wait until the 2023 campaign is finished. Prescott still has a lot it wants to accomplish before the tough goodbyes begin later this summer.

The 10-0 victory against Osceola featured just five innings of action, as the Cardinals lit up the scoreboard while the Chieftains struggled to find any success. Sophomore pitcher Gabbi Matzek allowed just one hit and zero earned runs in her complete-game shutout victory.

Raebel and Breana Matzek both went 2-for-3 on the day and tallied two and three RBIs respectively. Heinze, Ella Stewart and Izzy Matzek tallied one RBI apiece in the blowout victory on Thursday afternoon.

Prescott improved to 10-4 overall and 8-2 in Middle Border Conference play while Osceola dropped to 1-9 and 0-9 respectively. The Cardinals, now alone in third place in the standings, know how important the upcoming series against Ellsworth is going to be.

The annual clash between the Panthers and Cardinals is slated to be their most important series in nearly half a decade, as both programs are within reach of a Middle Border Conference championship.

Ellsworth is currently 13-1 overall, 10-0 in league play and is the No. 2-ranked Division 2 team in the state, according to the latest Wissports.com coaches’ poll. Ellsworth, Prescott and Baldwin-Woodville all still have a path to the league title.

“Ellsworth is our monster rival, and a conference championship is not out of the question,” Johnson said of the upcoming series. “It will be fun regardless of how it shakes out. That could give us momentum and we always say we’ve got to find ways to beat good teams, and they’re a very good team. We’re looking forward to that.”

Johnson, who played on Prescott’s varsity sports teams for four years while he was in high school, isn’t the only Cardinal motivated for the upcoming series with Ellsworth.

“The energy for Ellsworth is way higher than any other game,” Izzy Matzek said of the looming rivalry series. “We don’t want to lose to Ellsworth. The pressure is on and we get them at home first, so the atmosphere is going to be crazy. It’s going to be super fun.”

Prescott will host Ellsworth on Tuesday, May 9, and vice versa on Thursday, May 11. Both games are slated to begin at 5 p.m. The series will unquestionably have conference championship implications – regardless of which team wins.

Given Prescott’s pitching depth and top-end talent with All-State ace Taylor Graf slated to be in the circle, Izzy Matzek is confident in her team for the upcoming series and what she hopes is an extensive postseason run shortly thereafter.

“The sky’s the limit for this team,” Matzek said. “We have so much pitching depth, our defense has been so amazing and our hitting has come along these past few weeks. We feel that there is nobody that can beat us and that we can compete with any team. We’re so excited for the playoffs.”