Olivia Zielke sets up Manawa softball for playoff run

A Central Wisconsin Conference-East championship, a top 10 ranking in Division 4, and a number one seed in the WIAA softball tournament are a few accolades the Manawa Wolves have accrued to make their 2025 season exceptional. A factor in this success is sophomore pitcher Olivia Zielke.

Olivia is among the state’s leaders in wins and strikeouts. Zielke is also a returning member of the 2024 All-Central Wisconsin Conference-East team.

Her older sibling’s investment in athletics shaped Olivia’s experience in sports, “My brothers introduced the sports to me because growing up I always had to go to their baseball games, naturally I would see them play.” Zielke said of her family upbringing in softball, “I grew up with all older brothers, which meant that I started playing as soon as I could hold a bat. I was on my first team in kindergarten, which was coach pitch, and then my first softball team was in third grade, softball has always been my favorite sport, I would always beg my dad to come outside and catch for me while I’d pitch.”

Olivia is also a member of the Manawa volleyball team and enjoys the team and fan interaction of both sports, “In softball, my favorite part is having the walk-up songs because it always puts everyone in a good mood. In volleyball, the best part is when someone gets an amazing hit, and everyone is going crazy and cheering.”

“I would say my mental strength because I stay focused on the next thing, I moved past errors, missing a pitch location, or walking a batter. Another one is the time I’ve spent outside of practice and games working on my own to get better.”Olivia says of her greatest asset on the field. “I always like to know any key players that the other team might have, then I try to remember where I pitched to them last time that they might’ve struggled to hit.”

Having 15 strikeouts against the previous year’s state winners, Iola in the regional final in 2024 has been Olivia’s most memorable career highlight to date, as she has succeeded with her preparation and keeps her habits consistent, “A superstition that I have to have the same hairstyle for every game, I’ve done the same one since 5th grade. I also have to hear a Morgan Wallen song before every game because he’s my favorite.”

Olivia credits her coaches and her graduating teammates for her growth in the sport, “I want to give a shoutout to my high school coach, Bob Pethke, who has taught me all my pitches and has made me improve more than anyone ever has, he has put more time in to help me than anyone. I’d also like to give a shoutout to the five seniors we have this year because, I’ve played with them since third grade, and they’ve always been so nice to me since I was the youngest on the team.”