Prep Softball- The All-District teams have been released for all five classes with the state championships inching closer in Fort Dodge. A total of 13 players from our local teams made their respective teams and one coach was honored. Here’s a look at our local talent.
Class 1A
Holy Trinity Catholic rewrote their history book this past season: collecting a program record 23 wins and taking home their first Southeast Iowa Super Conference championship after finishing in a three-way tie with Mediapolis and Central Lee. Another successful season and another trip to the Regional Semifinals helped along by two All-Southeast District members in Alivia Holmes and Sydney Jarvis.
Holmes batted 0.440 for the season, as she slashed eight doubles, one triple, one home run for 20 RBIs. Additionally, she stole a team-leading 19 bases and made only six errors in 98 tries. Holmes went 1 for 2 with an RBI and two steals against Pekin.
Jarvis was unbelievable at the plate and in the circle. Jarvis produced a slash line of 0.573/0.663/0.920, as she crushed a conference leading 17 doubles to go along with three home runs for 37 RBIs. In the circle, the hurler went 19-5 with 133 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.83. She picked up the complete game one-hitter against Pekin in their first regional game and hit a double against Wayne.
Class 2A
Van Buren County went 1-1 in their regional and even gave Regina Catholic, the #4-seed in the state tournament, a run for their money in a 4-1 final. A stalwart of the Warriors for the past five years, Ashlynn Huff, was named to the All-Southeast District Team. Huff knew how to convert for her team, leading the squad with 20 RBIs on a 0.389 batting average. She helped her team in their 8-0 win against West Branch by tagging two singles.
A late rally by West Burlington/Notre Dame was not enough to bring down Lisbon, falling 8-7 in the quarterfinals. Madelyn Thomas did her part at the plate, going 2 for 4 in the game with a double and two RBIs as she was named to the All-Southeast District Team. She concluded her career with the Falcons by swatting seven home runs for 31 RBIs for a 0.767 slug.
Class 3A
Kenna Sandoval, the Southeast Iowa Super Conference Player of the Year, and Central Lee had strong expectations for the season, being ranked #15 in the preseason Class 3A rankings. Yet the game can be cruel, as the Hawks lost 10 of their last 14 games, including an 8-0 defeat at the hands of West Liberty. Still Sandoval crushed 12 doubles, three triples, nine home runs for 38 RBIs and produced a slash line of 0.510/0.603/0.960 for her senior season.
Fairfield was one win away from making the state tournament, but it was not meant to be. Leah Helmick was instrumental in getting the Trojans there as she pitched in their two wins to advance to the Regional Championship and went a combined 4 for 6 with a double, a home run, and five RBIs at the plate in their two wins. She even hit a home run in their loss to West Liberty.
Mediapolis shocked the region by shutting out Centerville 1-0 to open up bracket play. Payton Harris locked in to throw the complete-game shutout, striking out eight against the Big Reds. At the plate in their two games, Harris went a combined 5 for 6 with two doubles, a home run, and two RBIs.
Washington had a terrific run at the end of the year, winning 14 of their last 18 games, including 10 in a row, before losing to West Liberty, 3-2, in extra innings. Leighton Salazar, a member of the All-Southeast District team, went 3 for 7 in their two regional games with a double and two RBIs.
Class 4A
Burlington put it together this season, finishing 27-8 and grabbing the #8-seed at the 2026 state tournament. Kylee Hill, the Southeast Conference Player of the Year, Ava Brandenburg, and Ava Fawcett were all named to the All-Southeast District team.
Hill pitched 15 innings in their regional run, fanning 13 and allowing just two earned runs on eight hits. She even added three hits at the plate to help the cause. Brandenburg was pivotal in their 8-1 win over Central DeWitt, as the sophomore knocked in three runs. Fawcett went a combined 3 for 7 with a double and two RBIs in the pair of wins.
Additionally, for leading Burlington to the state tournament for the program’s eight time, Larry Heath was named All-Southeast District Coach.
Fort Madison collected a win over Keokuk in the regional, as Lucia Darnell threw four innings and struck out five in the winning effort. The freshman batted 0.314 at the plate and sported a 1.67 ERA with 135 strikeouts in the circle.
Lastly, Mt. Pleasant’s Abigail Shelangoski was named to the All-Southeast District team, as the sophomore went 2 for 4 with a double in their regional quarterfinal loss. Shelangoski led the team with a 0.449 batting average and knocked eight doubles and three triples for 26 RBIs for the year.