Three Pirates honored by new softball league

The Port Washington High School softball team entered the season with a new coach in a new conference.

One thing was consistent, however.

The Pirates had a Miller who could hit.

Senior Savanna Miller hit .353 with 23 RBIs, five doubles, a triple and six home runs. She had a .429 on-base percentage, scored 22 runs and swiped seven bases.

She had a .786 fielding percentage in center, registering 22 putouts.

Miller’s six homers were third in the conference. She was named to the Glacier Trail Conference’s first team as an outfielder.

“Savanna is a great multisport athlete that succeeds in anything she does and works hard with a great attitude,” coach Kalow Huff said.

She was part of the Pirates’ first conference-winning volleyball team and was named to the GTC first team in Port’s second-place basketball team.

Miller caught fire midway through the softball season, clocking four home runs and a double with five RBIs in a three-game stretch. The lefty hitter had at least one hit in 10 of the final 12 games of the season, with multiple hits in six of those.

She said her hitting coach helped with her power surge.

“He told me to be more relaxed, and all of a sudden I was just hitting bombs,” she said. “I just felt so much better and more confident in myself.”

Huff said Miller understandably got off to a slow start due to basketball but picked up the pace.

“She’s a grinder. She’s the type that on weekends if we don’t have a practice she’ll hit me up and we’ll be in the cage working on stuff,” he said.

Miller’s older sister Sierra, a 2025 graduate, was named to the North Shore Conference second team for two straight seasons.

Savanna was joined on the first team by her teammate junior Libby Bates as a utility player. She led the team with a .414 batting average, 29 hits, 28 runs and an on-base percentage of .488. She had 18 RBIs with eight doubles, two triples and a homer.

She had seven hits, including four doubles, over the Pirates’ final six games.

Bates was Port’s top pitcher, whiffing 28 and walking 16 over 55-1/3 innings. She went 1-8 with a 4.68 ERA.

“I’d like to acknowledge Libby Bates and the work she puts in, followed by results that speak for themselves,” Huff said. “She shows up for offseason strength and conditioning, comes to all open gyms and puts in a lot of hard work with zero negativity.”

Junior right-fielder Maile Thompson earned honorable mention.

She hit .333 with 12 RBIs and 19 runs scored. She had a 1,000 fielding percentage with six putouts and one assist.

“Maile lets her results speaks for her,” Huff said. “She isn’t flashy but works her craft at getting on base and had another solid season both offensively and defensively.”

Port finished 8-14 overall and 3-9 in the GTC. In three of Port’s victories, they beat Sheboygan South, 22-0; Whitefish Bay, 20-0; and Howards Grove, 19-1.