Ashwaubenon senior Grace Aichele has been the quiet engine behind the Jaguars' rise to becoming one of the area's top softball teams this season. While many high school programs would have handed her the ace title years ago, the Jaguars were a different story—thanks to former star Berritt Herr, now a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, who led the team to within one win of the WIAA Division 1 state tournament in 2024.

This year, however, the spotlight belongs to Aichele. Head coach Raelynn Wingert doesn't hesitate to praise the left-hander's growth, noting that it's less about learning new tricks and more about owning her moment. "She has grown confidently in a couple of her specific pitches and locations," Wingert said. "But she has grown just in her presence on the mound and her ability to command the circle, be excited by her own successes but hold herself accountable for always being driven for wanting more."

Stepping into Herr's shoes wasn't easy—Herr was the co-player of the year in the Fox River Classic Conference for two straight seasons. But Aichele has a knack for handling pressure. Take her first day on the job last year: she worked the cash register at the Packers Pro Shop, with zero training, during the opening night of the NFL draft at Lambeau Field. With roughly 205,000 people around, she managed to figure it out. "I had a good group of people around me that helped me a lot," Aichele said, laughing. "Kind of directed me on what they wanted me to do. It was a little bit overwhelming, but I kind of figured it out after a while."

Even as a junior, Aichele was a standout in the FRCC, despite being overshadowed by Herr. Now, she's proving why patience pays off—and why her teammates and coaches always knew she'd shine when it was her turn.