Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The 2026 softball season is officially in the record books.

The season concluded on Friday at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge with state championship games in three classes.

With the season now in the rearview it is time to take a look back at what was another stellar season for Your Prep Sports area teams.

Regina and Clear Creek Amana each advanced to the state tournament while City High, Liberty High, West High and Solon all fell in regional semifinals.

Your Prep Sports takes a moment to look back at some of the highlights from the 2026 season putting a spotlight on some of the best performances, players, moments and games from a memorable season for area teams and athletes.

Best individual pitching performance: Kynlee McElvain against Vinton-Shellsburg. The Clear Creek Amana eighth-grader was nearly unhittable in a 2-0 win over the Vikings allowing just two hits and a hit batter while striking out a career-high 17 in a complete game shutout.

Best individual pitching performance part 2: Beckitt Kabela against West Delaware. The Solon sophomore right-hander was masterful in a 3-0 win over state tournament qualifier West Delaware allowing just four hits and two walks in a complete game shutout. Kabela was efficient, navigating the complete game shutout with just 83 pitches while striking out one.

Best individual offensive performance: Kyla Schulte against West Delaware. In a season that featured one impressive game after another Schulte was at her best in a 9-1 win over the ninth-ranked Hawks going 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs, two runs scored and six RBI.

Best individual offensive performance part 2: Tori Vikel against Tipton. Vikel was a big part of a huge offensive outburst for West Branch in a 19-1 win over Tipton as the junior first baseman 2-for-2 with a triple, a home run, a walk, two runs scored and seven RBI.

Best individual all-around performance: Lily Nibaur against Louisa-Muscatine. If tossing a complete game two-hit shutout against the fourth-ranked team in the state in a regional final wasn’t enough, Nibaur also went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored a run in a 2-0 win at Louisa-Muscatine.

Best individual all-around performance part 2: Ava Gladden against Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The West High sophomore did it all in an 8-0 regional quarterfinal win over the J-Hawks. Gladden struck out six and allowed just four hits in a five-inning complete game shutout and also went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBI, she stole a base and scored three runs.

Best clutch performance: Naoni Davisson against Cardinal. On the state’s biggest stage Davisson came up with the best game of her career lifting Regina to a 6-2 win over the Comets in a Class 2A state semifinal. The Regina junior center fielder went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI including a game-tying two-run double in the bottom of the third inning.

Best game: Clear Creek Amana against Cedar Rapids Xavier. What else would you expect in a regional final between a pair of Eastern Iowa powerhouse programs than a down the wire thriller.

Seventh-ranked Clear Creek Amana tied the game at 1-1 on a solo home run by Kyla Schulte in the bottom of the sixth inning and got the game-winning hit from junior Carley Nash in the bottom of the eight to down No. 10 Cedar Rapids Xavier.

Biggest hit: Harper Erwin against Hinton. Erwin set the tone early in Regina’s state tournament opener when she crushed a three-run home run to left center field in the bottom of the first inning. Erwin finished 3-for-3 at the plate in a 6-2 Regina win over the Blackhawks.

Best clutch hit: Carley Nash against Cedar Rapids Xavier. Nash’s sharp single to right field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning snapped a four-game regional final losing skid for Clear Creek Amana and sent the Clippers to Fort Dodge for the first time since 2021.

Most reliable player: Liberty High senior Ava Tague. Few players could be counted on to produce, in the field or at the plate as consistently and reliable as Tague who was an anchor for the Lightning in both areas over the past four seasons. This summer Tague was at her reliable best, hitting safely in 26 of 35 games while batting .436 with 20 extra-base hits, five home runs, 36 runs and 30 RBI. Over the past four seasons Tague batted a combined .361 with 113 RBI and 64 extra-base hits.

Bounce back player of the year: Clear Creek Amana senior Lizzie Pasbrig. Two seasons ago Pasbrig posted a monster season in which she batted .385 with seven home runs and 57 RBI. During an injury-plagued season a year ago those numbers dipped to .291 and 19 RBI without a home run. This year Pasbrig returned to her normal run-producing ways batting .355 with 13 extra-base hits, two home runs, 23 runs scored and 33 RBI.

Most persistent player: senior Kinley Jones Liberty High. A four-year varsity contributor, Jones batted .252 in her first three varsity seasons combined before posting her best season as a senior. Jones’ patience and persistence paid off in the form of a huge senior season in which she batted .348 with 18 extra-base hits, five home runs, 20 RBI and 35 runs scored.

Most fun player to watch: Solon sophomore Liv Nelson. Good luck finding someone who plays the game any harder than the hard-nosed Nelson. A tremendous defensive short stop, the fiery Nelson also emerged as one of the top hitters in the Solon lineup hitting .304 with 15 extra-base hits, three home runs, 31 runs and 21 RBI to go with 11 stolen bases.

Under the radar standout: Liberty High sophomore Alice Freemole. Overshadowed slightly by a couple of her senior standout teammates Freemole quietly put together an incredibly impressive sophomore season in which the sophomore infielder batted .376 with seven extra-base hits and 29 runs while ranking second on the team with 31 RBI.

Most improved player: West High sophomore Olivia Freidhof. It’s tough to make a huge jump in back-to-back seasons but that’s exactly what Freidhof has done taking home most improved player honors for the second year in a row. Last season Freidhof went from a .179 hitter as an eighth-grader to hitting .253 during her freshman season. This summer Freidhof one-upped herself, batting .375 with nine doubles, 21 RBI and 14 runs to go with a .938 OPS.

Breakthrough player of the year: West High junior Aarianna Shaw. Among the best stories in the area this season was the breakthrough of Shaw who increased her batting average by nearly .150 points from last season. A career .251 hitter through her first three seasons, Shaw hit a career-best last season as a sophomore. This season Shaw led the Trojans with a .414 batting average, 24 runs scored and 11 stolen bases while helping West High to its highest win total since 2021.

Most consistent player: Liberty High senior Kelsey Kaut. Few players in the state have been as consistently productive over the past four seasons as Kaut. A four-year starter, Kaut is a career .419 hitter that posted her fourth consecutive season with a batting average over .400 this summer when she hit a team-high .465 with 35 runs scored and 19 RBI. The senior center fielder had a hit in 29 of 40 games this season.

Most versatile player: West Branch sophomore Lander Malloy. In her third season in the West Branch lineup Malloy continued to cement her status as one of the top all-around players in Class 2A. Malloy batted .367 with 11 extra-base hits, 20 RBI and 23 runs and also went 10-14 in the circle with a 5.65 ERA and 90 strikeouts in a team-leading 126 1/3 innings pitched.

Breakout star: City High sophomore Eve Vitense. Already a three-year starter, Vitense was solid in her first two varsity seasons batting a combined .325 over the past two years. As a sophomore Vitense simply took her game to a different level. A slick-fielding shortstop, Vitense post career highs in batting average (.393), runs (36), extra-base hits (15), home runs (8), RBI (38), on-base percentage (.450) and OPS (1.119) on her way to earning Mississippi Valley Conference first team all-division honors.

Unsung hero: Clear Creek Amana senior Elizabeth Timmerman. Surrounded by stars like Schulte and McElvain it was easy to overlook Timmerman who was a big reason Clear Creek Amana returned to the state tournament for the first time since 2021. The senior utility standout batted .385 with 28 runs, 13 extra-base hits, three home runs, 26 RBI and 13 stolen bases and also went 12-4 with a 3.01 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched.

Emerging star: City High sophomore Iyana Merino. A year ago Merino burst onto the scene when she hit .339 while slugging 12 home runs and driving in 37 runs. Merino backed up her impressive debut season with an even better sophomore campaign in which she cemented her status as one of the top young hitters in the state. Merino batted a career-high .373 and led City High with 23 extra-base hits, eight home runs and 45 RBI while posting a 1.134 OPS.

Emerging star part 2: Liberty High sophomore Aubrey Robertson. If you are looking for a young player to buy stock in going forward look no further than Robertson who impressed both as a hitter and as a catcher in her second varsity season. Robertson batted .333 with 13 extra-base hits and a team-best 32 RBI while posting a .852 OPS.

Ironwoman award: Regina senior Chloe Rogers. The toughness, consistency and leadership of Rogers behind the plate was a big reason Regina completed a huge turnaround season by reaching the 2A state tournament. Rogers started 34 of 35 games at catcher this season and produced, hitting .293 with seven extra-base hits and 19 RBI.

Coach of the year: Angela Kessler. Following a very un-Regina like 8-15 record last season Kessler directed the Regals to a 23-12 record this season that included a 2-2 mark at the state tournament. The state tournament appearance was the fourth in the past six season under Kessler and Regina was one win away from reaching the 2A state title game.

Rookie of the year: Clear Creek Amana eighth-grader Kynlee McElvain. In her first season of varsity action McElvain wasted no time establishing herself as one of the top young pitchers in the state. The right-handed McElvain went 14-6 with a 2.00 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while striking out 126 in a team-high 115 1/3 innings pitched.

Rookie of the year: Regina eighth-graders Lexi Gaffey and Brooklyn Armentrout. In their first seasons of varsity action Gaffey and Armentrout each came up huge to help Regina return to the 2A state tournament. Gaffey batted .381 and led Regina in extra-base hits (15) and RBI (29) while Armentrout batted .316 with nine doubles, 29 runs and 21 RBI.

Newcomer of the year: Regina junior Keegan Kleppe. In her first season in a Regina uniform Kleppe provided a major boost both defensively at shortstop and in the Regal lineup. Kleppe batted a team-leading .484 with 35 runs, 10 extra-base hits and 21 RBI while posting a 1.201 OPS.

Silver slugger: City High senior Molly Carlson. One of the best all-around hitters in the state, Carlson wrapped up a brilliant career with a stellar senior season in which she batted a career-best .500 with a .629 on-base percentage and 1.415 OPS. In addition to her high average Carlson hit for power posting 18 extra-base hits including five home runs while driving in 33 runs. A Northern Iowa commit, Carlson was a five-year starter that closed her career with 34 home runs and 169 RBI.

Cy Young: Regina junior Lily Nibaur. One of the biggest reasons for Regina’s resurgence this season was the emergence of Nibaur as one of the top pitchers in Class 2A. A three-year starter, Nibaur posted the best season of her career this summer posting a 21-7 record, 1.77 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while striking out 168 in 178 innings pitched.

Gold glover: City High junior Maeve Obermueller. It’s easy to focus on what Obermueller does at the plate as a .390 hitter with 15 extra-base hits, 36 runs and 30 RBI. However, the junior center fielder may be even more valuable defensively with her ability to patrol the outfield while taking away hits.

Most valuable player: Clear Creek Amana senior Kyla Schulte. One of the best hitters in the state, Schulte put together one of the best seasons in program history this season ranking in the top five in the state in home runs, RBI, total bases and on-base percentage. A Des Moines Area Community College recruit, Schulte batted a career-best .505 a tied for the state lead with 24 home runs and 76 RBI. Schulte scored 62 runs, had 40 extra-base hits and posted a .620 on-base percentage and an OPS of 1.926 while helping Clear Creek Amana to a 31-13 record and a spot at the 4A state tournament.

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