STATE SOFTBALL STORYLINES 

BASEHOR-LINWOOD DEFIES OUTSIDE EXPECTATIONS, HEADLINES POWER TRIO OF UKC QUALIFIERS IN 5A

For the past several years, in particular the 2022 and 2023 seasons, expectations were nothing but the highest for Basehor-Linwood.
 
That’s what comes with having a 2023 senior class as talented as the Bobcats trotted out the past four years. The likes of Ohio State signee Taylor Cruse, Wichita State signee Mila Seaton and classmate standouts Grace Rose, Bella Rollo and Amanda Knutson had almost become the face of the program, pushing those expectations to extreme limits.
 
The Bobcats didn’t quite hit the highs they hoped for, suffering a heartbreaking 4-1 loss in eight innings to Valley Center in the 2022 Class 5A state championship game before late-season injuries a year ago led to a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Salina South at last year’s state tourney.
 
And with that class moving on, so to did some of those lofty expectations. From the outside, at least.
 
“When you lose talent like that, that’s going to happen,” Basehor coach Susan Mayberry said. “That group put so much pressure on themselves and everybody put pressure on us last year. This year, everybody was like, ‘Oh well, you know.’ But I’m like, ‘Nope, we don’t roll that way. It’s still going to be Basehor softball.”
 
Indeed, in a year many though Basehor might be down, the Bobcats proved they’ve still got what it takes to be among the best in Class 5A. A largely unheralded group of varsity newcomers rose to the occasion of filling those voids and after beating Pittsburg 2-1 in last week’s regional finals, Basehor-Linwood is back where it feels it belongs in this week’s Class 5A state tournament field.
 
At 20-5, Basehor-Linwood is the tourney’s No. 6 seed and opens state play at 5 p.m. Thursday in a quarterfinal game against Bishop Carroll (24-4) at Wichita State’s Wilkins Stadium.
 
As sour as not hitting expectations can be at times, this year’s exceeding of expectations has been pretty sweet for Mayberry, who is in her 27^th year as head coach of the program.
 
“What a great season,” she said. “These kids … it’s unexplainable. They had a mission and we weren’t even sure who was going to be on our pitching staff. Our coaches just worked hard and those kids came together and had such great leadership from our seniors. I couldn’t ask for more. It’s been a dream come true.”
 
As can be the case when a “once-in-a-lifetime” class comes through, the classes that follow undeservingly get a bit overlooked or are underappreciated. And that can put a sizable chip on their collective shoulder to prove the doubters wrong.
 
Bobcat senior Harley Baker admitted that this year’s team definitely came into this season with some extra motivation.
 
“Obviously everybody was head over heels for last year’s senior class and they were all D-Is and stuff like that,” Baker said. “But we knew that we still had some really good softball players who could do it too. I feel like everybody was ready to show out and see what we had.”
 
In going 20-5, Basehor won its third straight United Kansas Conference title. And that spoke volumes as to how well the team had reloaded. The UKC was as good as perhaps it’s ever been at the top of the league this season, something that played out in regionals as two other league schools – Seaman and Piper – also earned their way to Wichita.
 
Basehor swept Seaman and split with Piper. They also split with Shawnee Heights, which might have made it to state as well if it hadn’t run into Piper in the regional finals.
 

 
“I told our coaching staff, ‘Our conference prepared us,’” said Seaman coach Jay Monhollon, whose team also pulled out a 2-1 win in its regional championship game with Salina South to earn the state berth. “The kids have taken the opportunity to step up in big moments and execute. They bought into the standard of being unselfish and that’s created cohesiveness that allows kids to come through in situations like this.”
 
Seaman (22-6) will face Maize South (25-3) in Thursday’s 3 p.m. quarterfinal while Piper (20-5) takes on St. Thomas Aquinas (23-4) in the 1 p.m. quarterfinal. The Pirates didn’t have to sweat out their state berth, blasting Heights 14-3 in their regional final.
 
And like Mayberry and Monhollon, Piper coach Stan McAfee said the rugged UKC schedule was a big reason his program is back at state for the first time since 2018.
 
“The UKC is a very competitive league and there’s a lot of parity in the league,” said McAfee, whose team suffered four of its five losses in league play. “On any given night, anyone can beat anyone. Having three teams going to state, that’s a testament to how good the league is. Playing in such a competitive league prepared us for regionals and represents the quality of the league.”
 
Basehor’s biggest void was in the circle where Cruse and Rose were dominant forces for the past several years. But sophomore Abby Reilly stepped in and was magnificent, going 13-0 overall and 8-0 in league play while also recording two saves.
 
The Bobcats got plenty off offense to support her with Baker hitting .431 out of the leadoff spot and belting 4 home runs. Fellow senior Kaleigh Small and freshman Trinity Deters each had three homers and combined for 50 RBI.
 
But as importantly, the team chemistry was quick and Mayberry called the season “easily one of the top five in my coaching career.”
 
“It’s just because they’re a healthy environment. There’s no toxicity and they came to practice every day paying attention to each other and having fun. This senior group is special, I’m telling you they’re special. They responded and they were on a mission this year and boy were they ever determined.”


CLASS 6A 

ARROCHA BALL PARK, LAWRENCE 
 

YOUNG OLATHE SOUTH TEAM LEANS ON FRESHMEN EARLY, PAYS OFF LATE WITH REGIONAL FINALS UPSET OF NO. 1 SEED OLATHE NORTH

Olathe South delivered the biggest surprise of the 6A state softball playoffs so far. 

The Falcons, who entered regionals two games under .500, not only found a way to knock off the top seed in the East, they did it in dominant fashion.

Olathe South delivered a 5-0 win over Olathe North, which entered the game with a 20-2 record. The Falcons victory also ended the Eagles streak of six straight state tournament appearances.

Senior pitcher Riley Braden delivered a full-game shutout performance from the mound as she struck out 10 batters against the Eagles. Braden did that after pitching another full game earlier in the day during her team’s 6-3 win over Shawnee Mission East in the regional semifinals.

The Falcons have found a way to reach state in what initially looked to be a rebuilding year. The team only had five returning players with varsity experience, including senior Addi Lutz who was returning from an ACL surgery back in October.

Olathe South head coach Katie Burkhardt turned to her 17 freshmen to help fill out the roster, with six becoming starters for the team. Freshman first baseman Gabby Frantz and freshman left fielder Olivia Larsen delivered with their performance at the plate. Both have hit over 30 RBI and have combined for eight home runs for the team in their first high school seasons. Frantz is also hitting .469. 

The Falcons are looking for their first state tournament win during its second state trip under Burkhardt.


CLASS 5A 

WILKINS STADIUM, WICHITA 
 

GREAT BEND WINS PAIR OF THRILLERS TO END NINE-YEAR TOURNEY DROUGHT

Relying on a roster filled mostly with underclassmen, Great Bend is headed back to state for the first time since 2015 following two rousing regional wins. 

The hosting Panthers had been expecting to play Valley Center in the regional final, but Goddard knocked out the two-time defending champs in the semifinal. 

Freshman Kya Behr delivered the key hit of the regional final, putting the Panthers in front with a 3-run home run in the third inning. Great Bend (22-6) stayed in control from there to take a 5-3 win and end their state tournament drought. 

The regional semifinal was even more dramatic, with Camdyn Post delivering a game-winning double to Paige Thexton in the seventh inning to give the Panthers a 4-3 victory over Newton. 

“It was exciting for the girls,” Great Bend coach Carrie Minton said. “In the last couple of years we’ve come a long way. We had a tremendous home crowd. Our fans here are amazing. It was a lot of fun.”

The Panthers’ roster is constructed of seven sophomores, four freshmen, three seniors and one junior. 

“Our sophomores this year had experience from last year so I wasn’t too concerned about having that feeling of being deer in the headlights,” Minton said. “Our freshmen are gamers, just like our sophomores and juniors and seniors. I don’t feel like it took them a long time to settle in. They knew coming in they were going to play an important role and they stepped right in and did a tremendous job.”

Thexton is a leader for the Panthers. She’s hitting .393 and has scored 43 runs. 

“She’s been a staple on the field for four years,” Minton said. “Over the years, she’s done whatever we’ve asked her to do. We relied on her pitching more last year. Bringing in another young arm, Paige didn’t really have to do that this year, and that was great for our defense to have her settled in at short.”

Behr is hitting .500 with 42 RBI and has struck out just once in 107 plate appearances. DeShawnna Bryant, the Panthers’ lone junior, is hitting .494 with 37 RBI. 

In the circle, sophomore Braelyn Turner has a 3.29 ERA with 69 strikeouts and freshman Chayla Prendergast has a 3.87 ERA with 63 strikeouts.

Despite having just six losses, the Panthers drew top-seeded Spring Hill (26-2) in Thursday’s first-round matchup at 11 a.m. 

“Spring Hill is one of the best teams in the state,” Minton said. “For us, we get to go in with that underdog mentality. I told them: We’re going in as an underdog with six losses. That says a lot about our state tournament. 

“The pressure is on (Spring Hill). And for us, it just gives us a chance to go out and have fun and compete.”
CLASS 4A 

SALINA SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL 
 

SCOTT CITY WINS DRAMATIC REGIONAL FINAL TO REACH 4A FIELD 

Scott City will look to bottle up the same energy and fight it found late in the regional final and unleash it for the 4A tournament. 

With a spot at state on the line, Scott City trailed Chapman 3-0 in the sixth inning before clutch two-out hitting helped the Beavers rally for three runs in the bottom of the frame to tie it at 3. 

Scott City then won in walkoff fashion after Malorie Cupp hit a one-out double, stole third and then scored the winning run on a passed ball. 

“It was cool to see the girls battle and not give up,” Scott City first-year head coach Drew Kite said. “It wasn’t looking great, and then we had some young girls step up. They just made plays happen when we needed them to happen.

“Just exciting. I’m very happy for the girls.”

Scott City (19-3) reached the state tournament in 3A in each of the last two years before punching their ticket in 4A this year. 

Kite said senior Cheyenne Cramer is one of the best pitchers in the state, and her resume backs that up. Cramer has three no-hitters this year and one perfect game. She’s recorded more than 800 strikeouts for her career with 210 this season. 

“She doesn’t get down and she doesn’t walk batters, and that’s huge,” Kite said. “She throws strikes and she throws hard, and she doesn’t get rattled.”

Cupp, a senior catcher, is the Beavers’ top weapon at the plate, hitting .537 with six home runs. 

“She’s a stud,” Kite said.  “She could play any position she wants, but there’s just not that many girls that can catch Cheyenne. She throws hard, and Mallorie’s an athlete that can catch and block.

“She’s been so consistent at the plate with power. She’s not a very big girl but she has so much power and so much speed.”

Cramer has a .449 average with 8 home runs and 35 runs driven in while Crissa Irvin is hitting .481 with 18 runs driven in. 

Two of Scott City’s losses were against undefeated Holcomb and the other came in a close game against Cimarron. 

The senior class has compiled a 75-16 overall record, thd best four-year stretch in program history. 

“The biggest reason for me taking (the head coaching job) has been the seniors,” said Kite, previously an assistant. “They’re leaders. They’ve helped me with coming to practice and making sure girls are working hard and holding each other accountable. They’re a great group.”

The Beavers will hope to extend their stay in the tournament this year after getting knocked out in their state openers the last two years. Top-seeded Scott City opens with Andale/Garden Plain (19-3) at 11 a.m. Thursday.

“Something I’ve tried to help the girls grow this year is confidence,” Kite said. “We want to go in with 100 percent confidence. If anything, just go out and leave it all on the field. Don’t go scared. Go have fun and go lay it all out on the field.”

The Scott City/Andale winner will meet the winner of the 1 p.m. quarterfinal between Circle (23-5) and Fort Scott (20-5). 

The other quarterfinals are Wamego (22-4) and Clearwater (20-7) at 3 p.m., and Eudora (22-4) and Rock Creek (19-5) at 5 p.m. 
CLASS 3A 

ENVISTA SOFTBALL COMPLEX, TOPEKA 
 

STATE STRIKEOUT RECORD-HOLDER JOHNSON LEADS UNBEATEN HOLCOMB

The pursuit of the state’s career strikeout record has periodically entered Holcomb senior Korryn Johnson’s mind throughout her remarkable pitching career.

But when she finally found herself on the doorstep of the record, it was about the furthest thing from her mind. 

Johnson entered last Thursday’s 3A regional semifinal at Colby 12 strikeouts away from breaking former Riverton star Taylor Compton’s record of 886 that was set in 2017. 

“I knew it was a possibility,” Johnson said. “It was kind of in the back of my head. But I really made a goal to not focus on that, and to focus on working with my team.

“I was aware of it, but the only thing that mattered to me was winning.”

Indeed, Johnson accomplished her top priority, helping the Longhorns keep their undefeated record in tact and secure their spot at state. Holcomb beat Colby 8-1 in the semifinals and then pulled out a thrilling 4-3 win over Cimarron in nine innings in the regional final. 

State history was achieved in the same day when Johnson got a Colby hitter swinging in the top of the sixth of the semifinal for the record-breaking 887th career strikeout. Johnson will head to the 3A tourney with 903 career strikeouts. 

“She’s just a workhorse,” Holcomb coach Jennifer Barrett said. “That kid puts in so many hours and I’m just so thankful that she’s able to reach that milestone.”

Johnson, a Fort Hays State signee, also owns the state career record for wins in the circle with 83. She has an 0.29 ERA this season with a 24-0 record and 278 strikeouts. 

“Over the last four seasons, getting better has been the result of adding pitches,” Johnson said. “I was able to add a screwball this year and a two-seam fastball that’s thrown off batters who’ve been able to see me multiple times throughout the last few seasons. 

“It’s really just about learning the batters and learning where to throw to them over the years.”

Senior catcher Rian Rodriguez has been behind the plate for every one of Johnson’s 903 strikeouts. 

“Rian’s a huge part of my success and it goes beyond high school,” Johnson said. “I play travel ball with her as well and so I think the bond we created the last few years has helped me become a better pitcher. Our chemistry on the field leads us to both feeling comfortable and able to perform our best.”

“Rian is a beast,” Barrett said. “Those two, they’re connection is unreal. It will be sad when they’re done playing with each other.”

Great West Activities Conference rival Cimarron pushed Holcomb to the brink in the regional final. Cimarron tied it up at 3 in the sixth on an inside the park home run from Brooklyn Dye. Johnson bounced back to throw three straight scoreless innings and Holcomb finally outlasted the Bluejays in the bottom of the ninth after Lilli Pena laid down a bunt, forcing a throw to third base that went in the outfield and allowed Ashland Wilson to score the winning run. 

“We had a great regular season but everybody knows postseason is a different kind of pressure,” Barrett said. “We just kept fighting. Oh my goodness, their fight and their heart, I am just so proud of them. They dug deep and kept going.”

“I think there’s always pressure,” Johnson said. “We’ve done a really good job this season of using that pressure to motivate us. It just pushes us to perform better.”

The Longhorns (25-0) are the only undefeated team left in the state. They won the GWAC for the second straight year, sweeping 4A qualifier Scott City at the beginning of the season. 

Rodriguez owns the school’s career home record with 24. Emma Cornelsen has a team-best .506 batting average while freshman Morgan Buchholz is hitting .500. 

Holcomb, which faces Marysville in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m., will be making its second trip to state in program history, the other coming in 2021 when this year’s seniors were freshmen. 

“This is just surreal. I’m so proud of them,” Barrett said. “They’ve put the work in, and for it to pay off with them getting to experience state, we’re going to enjoy every second of it.”
SILVER LAKE STILL FOCUSED AFTER SURVIVING STATE-CALIBER REGIONAL
 
Much was made about the difficulty of the Class 3A regional hosted by Hayden with some even going as far as dubbing the regional “a mini-state tournament.”
 
Which wasn’t necessarily that far of a stretch.
 
While Mid-East League champion Silver Lake was the top seed with a 19-2 mark, the stack of challengers below the Eagles was impressive.
 
Defending Class 3A state champion Rossville came in as the No. 2 seed with a 19-3 record, two of those losses coming to the Eagles. The other loss for the Bulldawgs this season came to Santa Fe Trail, last year’s state runner-up which also happened to be in the regional as the No. 3 seed at 20-4.
 
Throw in Big Seven League champion Perry-Lecompton and the path to a state tournament simply doesn’t get a whole lot tougher.
 
“I’m not trying to be mean, but I told the girls, ‘You’ve got to prove it. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,’” Silver Lake coach Nick Hamilton said. “And that’s why we play the schedule we do and that’s how we approached this regional.”
 
The task before the Eagles may have been great, but they answered the call. After pummeling Perry-Lecompton 2-1 in the semifinals, Silver Lake eked out a 1-0 win over Santa Fe Trail in the finals, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on a squeeze bunt executed by senior McKinley Kruger after Kira Lowery had led off the inning with a triple.
 
And with that, Hamilton acknowledged that his team had beaten the best, namely Santa Fe Trail star pitcher Kaelee Washington.
 
“It gave us a test, for sure,” Hamilton said. “To be honest, I think we just beat the best pitcher in 3A. And if we can figure out how to beat her and get better we’re going to be tough. Competition always makes you better.”
 
The task before the Eagles now is perhaps even greater. After surviving the loaded regional, Silver Lake must regroup to face a Class 3A state tournament field this weekend in Topeka that won’t be much, if any, easier. The Eagles (22-2) are the tourney’s No. 4 seed and will take on No. 5 Cheney (19-2) in Thursday’s 1 p.m. quarterfinal.
 
The last time those two programs met, Cheney took a 1-0 win over the Eagles in the state championship game of the 2021 Class 3A state tournament, denying the Eagles the program’s 14^th state championship.
 
The 3A field also included the only unbeaten team left in the state, 25-0 Holcomb, as well as 2022 3A state champion Frontenac (25-2), Flint Hills League champion Osage City (20-1), Central Plains League champion Wichita Trinity Academy (20-4) and North Central Activities Association champion Southeast of Saline (22-3) which is the lone returner from last year’s 3A state field.
 
For the Eagles, it’s kind of a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire.
 
“It’s definitely deep enough to prove us wrong,” Hamilton said. “If they focus on themselves and better themselves and compete, that’s all I can ask. I try not to put too much on a state title, and I know in our town they talk about it a lot, brag on it a lot. But all I want is girls that compete. I don’t worry about hanging a banner, and I don’t think the girls do. They just want to go prove how good they can be.”
 
Silver Lake’s been awfully good this season, suffering its only two losses to 6A qualifier Free State and 4A qualifier and defending champion Wamego. The Eagles have swept 5A qualifier Basehor-Linwood and took a win over 6A qualifier Olathe Northwest.
 
But the toughest of their victories might have been the regional title game.
 
In Santa Fe Trail’s 5-1 semifinal win over Rossville, Washington spun a one-hitter with seven strikeouts, backed by a five-run second inning highlighted by a 2-run home run from Gretchen Huizenga. Though she hadn’t worked both games of a doubleheader this season, Washington returned to the circle for the regional title game with Lake and showed no signs of being weary.
 
In fact, she was even more dominant than she had been against Rossville, which saw the University of Kansas signee record six strikeouts in the first seven batters before only managing one the rest of the way.
 
Against Silver Lake, Washington struck out the side in the first and added four more Ks over the next two innings, taking a no-hitter into the fourth before Kailyn Hanni broke it up with a slap bunt. Washington worked out of the jam and then in the fifth worked around a one-out double that was a result of the Charger left fielder slipping on the wet grass as she cut to snag the pop fly. Hanni got another slap bunt hit in the sixth, but got caught stealing and Washington struck out her 11^th batter to end that inning.
 
In the seventh, Lowery lofted a fly ball to right that just found its way inside the foul line and she scampered all the way to third for a triple. After Washington struck out Eagle power hitter Makenzie McDaniel – who blasted a long, long foul ball before striking out – Kruger laid down the perfect squeeze bunt to end the 1-0 win.
 
The squeeze play wasn’t on at first, but once Hamilton called for the bunt, Kruger got it down.
 
“He trusted me to swing it but then he saw the opportunity to win the game,” she said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I haven’t bunted very much this year, but I’m very confident in my bunting abilities, even though it’s harder against a tougher pitcher. I just had to hone in on where the ball was being pitched and put it down.”
 
The victory was the 100^th for Hamilton at Silver Lake with this year’s senior class responsible for 79 of them. The core of that group also helped the Silver Lake girls basketball team to an undefeated season and Class 3A state title in the winter and help the volleyball team to a third-place state finish.
 
“The chemistry we’ve built over the years has given us confidence in one another,” Kruger said. “We’re able to trust each other and do our best.”
 
The senior class also were part of the 2021 state runner-up team and then went two years without getting back to state before punching their berth last week. And just like Hamilton said, they know the job’s not done.
 
“Being in this regional is going to prepare us for the state tournament, but we’re not going to let our guard down,” Kruger said. “We’ve had our fair share of long runs in the postseason and we don’t like to see it end early. We want that state championship.”
 

WICHITA TRINITY’S CLIMB REACHES STATE LEVEL
 
Before his team took the field for the bottom of the seventh in its Class 3A regional final against Bluestem, Wichita Trinity coach Steve Cross huddled the Knights near their dugout with a direct but encouraging message.
 
“We let them know we had been so close before and this was our game to take,” Cross said. “We weren’t going to give it away and let them have it.
 
“Our girls bought into that. We worked really hard for two weeks to be ready for that game.”
 
Trinity’s 7-3 victory over previously unbeaten Bluestem was a pinch-me moment for a player like Klara Robertson, a senior who will make her first state tournament appearance with her teammates when they face Osage City at 3 p.m. Thursday at Topeka’s Envista Softball Complex.
 
“I can’t even explain it,” said Robertson, who played on an 0-19 team as a freshman when Trinity restarted its program after the pandemic. “It brings tears to my eyes.”
 
After a 5-win season in 2022, the Knights featured an all-underclassmen roster last season and posted a 20-3 record, falling a step short of state with an 11-1 loss to Haven in the regional finals.
 
Returning to the finals as a regional host May 15, Trinity built a 4-0 lead against Bluestem, the fourth-place finisher in Class 2-1A last spring. The Knights pulled away again after Bluestem rallied to cut it to 4-3.
 
“We just weren’t going to be denied this year,” said pitcher Dominique Schellenger, a left-handed sophomore who is 12-3 with a 1.66 ERA. “We remember what that felt like and we didn’t want to go through it again.”
 
Cross made sure the Knights didn’t take an easy path this spring, playing Haven and 4A qualifier Clearwater as part of its non-league schedule. Trinity dropped three games against those teams, but readied itself for a postseason run.
 
“We had some freshman come in who had to fill a couple spots and we had a girl who transferred out, so it was tough,” Cross said. “We had to get those freshmen up to speed quick because they didn’t have a lot of softball knowledge.
 
“But they all bought in and did what we asked, and our leadership of our two seniors (Robertson and Courtney Cross) was just critical.”
 
The regionals were doubly special for Robertson, whose father, Josh, coached Trinity’s baseball team to a state berth with a 10-0 victory over two-time reigning 3A champion Wichita Collegiate. Holding up her end of things was important.
 
“We just have had high energy the entire season,” Robertson said. “We just made sure every inning mattered, and we’re playing inch by inch. Last year at regionals, I feel like we got a little defeated and it got in our minds, but this time we had a really strong mindset.”
 
Meanwhile, Courtney Cross and her younger sister, Madison, will share their state experience on the same field with their dad.
 
“I can’t even put into words how excited I am for them,” Steve Cross said. “It was something where I knew we had the pieces coming, but I just had to keep them buying in through those losing seasons.
 
“I knew we had the pitching coming. We just had to keep getting better as a team and they did that. That’s where we are now. We’ve got good pitchers and we’ve got good players who can hit and run.”


CLASS 2A 

GREEN SPORTS COMPLEX, PRATT 
 

YOUNG TMP-MARIAN MONARCHS LOOKING TO MAKE NOISE 

Several freshmen were immediately thrown into the fire for TMP-Marian this year, but it hasn’t surprised Monarchs’ coach Melissa Schoepf to see the youngsters come out unscathed. 

TMP has eight losses but all were against teams in bigger classes. By the time regionals rolled around, the Monarchs were battle-tested and punched their ticket to state for the first time since 2018. 

Of TMP’s eight losses, two came to undefeated 3A qualifier Holcomb, two to 5A qualifier Great Bend and two to 5A Hays.

“I knew we were definitely going to be challenged, and you just hope that you can battle through it, even though in the moment it can be very tough mentally when you’re facing those really, really good teams and you’re kind of taking your lumps,” Schoepf said. 

“But they’ve responded, and in the end, that’s the whole goal to make sure you push yourself so that you’re ready to go in the postseason.”

The Monarchs (21-8) handed pitching duties over to a pair of freshmen this year in Brynn Rebel and Bria Windholz. Rebel is 10-4 with 113 strikeouts and Windholz is 11-4 with 77 strikeouts

“I’ve worked with these two girls since they were eight years old,” Schoepf said. “They’re competitors. They work extremely hard at their job.”

Junior shortstop Brooke Koenigsman has rewritten the record book for TMP-Marian, owning records for single-season hits (63) and singles (42), career triples (17), and tying the single-season record for triples (7). She is hitting .649 with 5 home runs and has struck out just once this season. 

“She’s a huge part of that offense,” Schoepf said. “She’s a tough kid to pitch to. She’s behind the scenes putting in a lot of time and work into her game, and that shows when you see her at the plate.”

Halle Dreiling, TMP’s lone senior, is hitting .433. Dreiling has been a fixture at second base over the past four seasons. 

“Halle has started every single game for us as a second baseman except for one when her shoulder tore,” Schoepf said. “She ended up having shoulder surgery and came back her sophomore year and still played. She wasn’t able to bat, but she could still field.

“She’s always been a quiet kid and slides under the radar, but she has really exploded her senior year. She’s definitely playing at a high level. I can see a lot of fire in her these last couple months.”

Freshmen Bridget Feldt, Molly Helget, Windholz and Rebel are all hitting over .400. 

The Monarchs were sharp in the semifinals and finals of the Sylvan-Lucas regional, notching a 15-0 win over Ellis and a 7-3 victory over Bennington last Thursday to secure the state berth. 

“Our defense was great, our pitching was great and we were hitting balls,” Schoepf said. “We put in two really solid games on Thursday. It felt like a bunch of girls who were were relaxed and just having fun playing the game.”

The fifth-seeded Monarchs will meet fourth-seeded Inman (17-4) at 1 p.m. Thursday. 

“This is huge for our program,” Schoepf said of the return to state. “In Hays, I see the game of softball growing so much. I see so many kids out there playing and trying to get better. That’s huge for us and I hope it keeps motivating all of them to keep getting better and always fight for what you want.

“We’re very blessed to get the opportunity to go, and so our mentality is going to be to not settle, but see if we can make some noise down there.”

Reigning champ McLouth (25-2) is the top seed and will face Pratt-Skyline (10-3) at 11 a.m. The other two quarterfinals are Dexter/Cedar Vale (22-3) vs. Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan (15-9) at 3 p.m. and Onaga (19-4) vs. Richmond-Central Heights (16-9) at 5 p.m.