RIPON, Wis. - Stephanie Rieuwpassa Willms '13 is arguably the best pitcher in Ripon College softball history, and she has the statistics and accolades to back that up. A two-time Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Year and four-time All-Conference selection, Willms holds the school record for career strikeouts with 498, which was the second-most in MWC history at the time of her graduation, and now ranks fourth in the conference. She has recorded three of the top four single season strikeout totals in school history.
"Stephanie's passion for the game and willingness to learn was unbelievable and that's what makes a good pitcher. She could play around with her pitches to make the ball do whatever she wanted and it's scary when a pitcher can do that," former Ripon head softball coach Jen Mueller said. "I remember catching for her in the gym many times and we'd test out different pitching techniques to see what kind of movement she could get on the ball."
In addition to her strikeout prowess, which saw her record seven of the top 10 single-game strikeout marks including a school-record 14, Willms also ranks third in program history for career Earned Run Average (2.11). She also is third in complete games (50) and fourth in wins (36). Although she was dominant in the pitchers circle, Willms was just as big of a threat at the plate, where she holds the school record for career doubles with 44, just two shy of the conference record. A career .358 hitter, which ranks seventh in school history, Willms also ranks third in home runs (15), hits (149), and runs batted in (78), and fourth in runs scored (95).
The crowning moment of Willms' career came during her sophomore season in 2011, which saw her lead the Red Hawks to their second-ever MWC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, while winning a single season school-record 27 games as a team. Due to a 'defection' of another player from the team, Willms was forced to start all five games at Regionals, pitching 29 innings in a four-day span. Always up to a challenge, Willms answered the call by helping the Red Hawks notch their first three NCAA playoff wins in program history, tossing three complete games in which she allowed two runs or less in each contest, twice against a Top 25 team. Willms finished that season with a school record 158 strikeouts, which is the sixth-highest total in MWC history. That helped her secure the first of two MWC Pitcher of the Year honors, en route to a Second Team All-Region selection.
A native of Waukegan, Ill., Willms has a no-hitter to her name, doing so against Carroll University during her outstanding sophomore campaign. Always a thorn in the side of Carroll, Willms also fired a conference-record 17-inning complete game victory against them in 2012. She is now on the 'other side' of things as an assistant coach for the Pioneers.
"Playing softball at Ripon College meant a great deal to me, and has led me to coaching at the high school level for the past 6-7 years and at Carroll, where I am currently their pitching coach," Willms said. "This is my fourth year with the Pioneers, and I've met so many new people because of it."
Given her demeanor and ability to be a team-player as a student-athlete at Ripon College, it's not a surprise that Willms ended up in coaching, according to Coach Mueller.
"Stephanie is a natural coach. As a player, she would be the first person to help and/or teach one of her teammates," Mueller said. "She was tough both physically and mentally, and always left everything on the field, not only for herself, but also for her team."
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