NewsTribune softball preview: 5 storylines to watch in 2025

With the softball season getting underway Monday, here are five storylines to watch in the NewsTribune area this season.

Can St. Bede continue its recent success despite significant changes?

St. Bede has been dominant since 2019, winning four regional titles in five seasons with two sectional championships and two state appearances, including the 2023 state title.

The top players from the state championship team are all gone now with the graduation of Ella Hermes, Bella Pinter and Reagan Stoudt last spring.

Not only are those three all-state players now off playing college softball, but head coach Shawn Sons stepped down into an assistant role.

He is being replaced by a familiar face in Rob Ruppert, who led the Bruins from 2017-21, and has been an assistant coach the past three seasons.

Ruppert takes over a roster that still has a strong group of returning players despite the heavy graduation losses.

Lily Bosnich, Emma Slingsby, Jillian Pinter and Ava Balestri have all been key contributors at the varsity level, while Quinn McClain, Lili McClain and Bailey Engles also have varsity experience.

The biggest question mark for the Bruins is pitching as Hermes and Stoudt dominated in the circle for three years.

Will L-P break through and end its regional drought?

La Salle-Peru has not won a regional championship since 2013.

The Cavaliers keep getting close, but coming up just short, losing in five consecutive regional title games.

L-P lost 7-6 to Joliet Catholic in 2019, 5-1 to Sterling in 2021, 3-1 to Rock Island in 2022, 7-5 to Geneseo in 2023 and 9-7 to Metamora last season.

The Cavs lost some key players to graduation in NewsTribune All-Area first-teamers Addie Duttlinger and Ava Lambert, but return five all-area players, including pitchers Taylor Vescogni and Callie Mertes.

L-P will certainly be challenged during the regular season in a stacked Interstate 8 Conference, which should prepare the Cavs for the postseason.

L-P coach Randy Huebbe said the Cavs have the potential to go extremely far in the postseason.

Can Henry repeat and make a deeper run in the postseason?

Henry-Senachwine ended a long regional championship drought last spring when the Mallards won their first regional plaque since 2006 before running into eventual Class 1A state champion AlWood in the sectional semifinal.

Veteran coach Lori Stenstrom brings back a roster with eight returning starters, led by all-state catcher Kaitlyn Anderson and her battery mate Lauren Harbison, a fellow NewsTribune All-Area first-teamer.

With all that experience and talent back, Stenstrom said the Mallards want to repeat a regional win and see how far they can get after that.

Will Bureau Valley overcome the odds again?

Last spring, Bureau Valley overcame long odds to win its first regional championship in 18 years.

The Storm were a No. 7 seed in their subsectional and upset No. 2 Morrison and No. 3 Princeton in the regional before bowing out in the sectional semifinal.

Bureau Valley took a hit to graduation, but unexpectedly lost two all-state players as shortstop Lesleigh Maynard, who will play at Division I Southeast Missouri State, suffered a season-ending knee injury during basketball while pitcher Madison Smith transferred.

Despite the holes left, the Storm return some talent, including Carly Reglin at pitcher, who was 7-2 with a 2.42 ERA last year, along with seniors Sadie Bailey (.333) and Emma Stull (.396) and juniors Kayden Haage (22 RBIs) and Emily Wright (.418).

Who will emerge as the area’s top players?

Two-time NewsTribune softball player Ella Hermes graduated along with teammate Reagan Stoudt, who shared the award with Hermes in 2023, and five other players who were named to the NewsTribune All-Area first team.

So who rise to the top? There are six all-area first-teamers back as well as other talented players.

Some possible player of the year candidates include Henry senior Kaitlyn Anderson, Princeton junior Keely Lawson and La Salle-Peru senior Taylor Vescogni.

Anderson was second-team all-state last season after leading the area in batting average at .579 with area bests of nine home runs and eight triples.

Lawson led the area in RBIs (39) and was second in runs (37) last season.

Vescogni is a strong hitter and pitcher. She hit .398 with 30 RBIs, 22 runs, three home runs and 10 doubles while going 8-8, a 2.80 ERA and 131 strikeouts.

Other returning all-area first-teamers are Henry senior Lauren Harbison, Princeton senior Kelsea Klingenberg and L-P seniors Callie Mertes and Karmen Piano.

There are also 12 returning all-area second-teamers who could emerge as well.