Record Newspapers softball previews for the 2025 season

The 2025 high school softball season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Record Newspapers coverage area.

Newark

Coach: Jonathan Wood (second year).

Last year’s record: 25-5 overall, 9-1 Little Ten Conference (first place), regional champion.

Top returning players: Dottie Wood, sr., P/2B; Kate Bromeland, sr., 1B; Gwen Friestad, sr., 3B; Adelaide Johnson, so., U; Sadie Pottinger, jr., C/U.

Top new players: Brooklyn Wallin, fr., SS; Rylie Carlson, fr., OF; Jade Mitchell, fr., C/U; Cayla Pottinger, fr., P/2B; Bailey Shutter, so., MIF.

Worth noting: The Norsemen are going to have a different look this season with the graduation of All-Staters Kodi Rizzo, Ryan Williams and Danica Peshia. “We are a young team, we will need to work on knowledge of the game and build confidence throughout the season,” coach Wood said. “As well as developing softball IQ and situational play.” Third-year starters Wood, Bromeland and Friestad and second-year starter Johnson lead the returners. Wood, third team All-State last year, hit .435 and pitched to a 1.26 ERA. Bromeland batted .438 with three homers.

“This is a very hard-working, dedicated team,” coach Wood said. “We are multidimensional, possessing speed and power.”

Oswego

Coach: Paul Netzel

Last year’s record: 29-10 overall, second place in Southwest Prairie West, third place in Class 4A.

Top returning players: Kiyah Chavez, sr., C; Aubriella Garza, sr., 3B/P; Jaelynn Anthony, jr., P/SS; Rikka Ludvigson, sr., 1B; Natalie Muellner, sr., LF; Savannah Page, jr., CF.

Additional returning seniors: Bella Lisle, sr., SS; Sabrina Zamora, sr., P; Abby Schwab, sr., 2B; Maddie Lohrman, sr., P; Rhianna Martinez, sr., 2B/OF.

Top new players: Mya Alonzo; Kennedy Gengler, jr., SS/C; Leah McKenzie, so., 2B/C; Betsy Jack, jr., 1B; Brynn Broughton, jr., OF.

Worth noting: The Panthers are coming off the best season in program history, a record 29 wins and third place in Class 4A in Oswego’s first state appearance in a year that saw the team smash several program records. Good news? Oswego has six starters and 11 returning players total for a team ranked No. 3 in the Illinois Coaches Association preseason Class 4A poll. Iowa recruit Chavez, the 2024 Record Newspapers Player of the Year and first-team All-Stater, batted .496 with 12 homers, 27 runs scored, 46 RBIs and did not strikeout in 141 at-bats. She is a leader of a power-packed lineup that includes Purdue commit Anthony, a third-team All-Stater who batted .383 with a program record 13 homers and 39 RBIs, and fellow third-team All-Stater and NIU recruit Garza, who batted .376 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs. Anthony, 14-6 with a 1.90 ERA and 148 strikeouts over 136 innings, is also back as Oswego’s ace.

A deep lineup also includes Ludvigson, a second-team All-Stater who will play collegiately at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, who hit .388 with three homers and 40 RBIs, Wisconsin-Whitewater commit Muellner, who hit .373 with three homers and Page, who hit .250 with two homers. Netzel said a spring trip to Gulf Shores Alabama should be a good barometer for the rest of the season.

“We are looking to build off of our success from last year and capitalize on the incoming talent we’ve added to our team,” Netzel said. “We are looking to finish high in the conference standings and make a run in the state tournament.”

Oswego East

Coach: Sarah Davies.

Last year’s record: 17-18 overall, 6-10 Southwest Prairie Conference, lost to Neuqua Valley in regional semifinal.

Top returning players: Lundin Cornelius, sr., OF; Ryenne Sinta, sr., C; Katie Maday, jr., IF; Allie Gatz, sr., P/1B; Carleigh Gregory, jr., IF; Kylie Mannis, jr., C/IF.

Top new players: Olivia Owles, jr., OF; Sammy Herrick, jr., C/IF; Maya Bobo, so., U; Addyson Dunn, so., P/U; Nora Evans, so., IF; Katie Silva, so., IF; Danielle Stone, so., C/U; Sophia Anderson, fr., P/U.

Worth noting: The Wolves are young with several new faces after graduating All-Staters Finley Anderson and Mary Kate Quaid. Leading those returning is third-team All-Stater Cornelius, who batted .442 with 26 RBIs and seven stolen bases and was also an all-conference pick. Maday is another returning all-conference pick after batting .366 with 25 runs scored and nine stolen bases and a third returner Sinta batted .368 with 26 RBIs.

“We are young, but with a lot of energy, strength, and positive attitudes; we are ready to get going and show what we are made of,” Davies said. “These players have big goals for the season, and we are aiming for the top of the conference.”

Plano

Coach: Dwayne Love

Last year’s record: 6-22 overall, seventh place in Kishwaukee River Conference.

Top returning players: Lindsey Cocks, sr., SS/3B; Brianna Clark, sr., C; Kenli Dembry, sr., OF; Taylor Downs, sr., SS/3B; Ella Stotler, sr., OF; Alyssa Dexter, jr., P/OF; Belle Soiis, jr., C; Cami Nunez, so., OF; Alejandra Perez; Chloe Rowe; Emily Klein.

Top new player: Chesney Schimandle, fr., IF/P; Peightyn Soloff, fr.

Worth noting: The Reapers return five seniors to their lineup, led by two-time All-Stater and all-conference pick Cocks. Cocks is coming off a season in which she hit .519 with an .848 slugging percentage and 41 hits and three homers. Clark fielded the catching position at a .990 percentage. Nunez, a returning all-KRC player, hit .385 as a freshman. Plano will travel over spring break to the Harrisburg area for four games.

“I believe we are bringing a lot of experience to the field this year,” Love said. “The team has quickly come together and are having good preseason practices. The girls are looking to improve the team’s overall record. We know that it is one game at a time, one play at a time.”

Sandwich

Coach: Mattie McGuire

Last year’s record: 12-13 overall.

Top returning players: Brooklyn Marks, sr., P/SS; Aubrey Cyr, sr., P/2B/OF; Hannah Decker, sr., OF; Kayden Corneils, jr., C/SS.

Top new players: Kaylee Johnson, sr., OF; Paige Danner, jr., P/CF; Makenzie Hemmingsen, jr., P/1B; Audryna Brain, jr., OF; Jillian Freemon, so., 3B/P.

Worth noting: As Sandwich’s enrollment decreases, McGuire said there are not enough girls out for two teams so they will be merged into one varsity level. “With that being said, we are looking at the positives to that which gives us the opportunity to have a wide variety of choices for positions throughout our long schedule and create more competitive players stepping up their game as they bring one another’s talent levels up,” McGuire said.

Leading the returners is Marks, an all-conference pick who will play collegiately at Waubonsee, who struck out 119 in the circle last season and also plays shortstop. Cyr has committed to Marian University and Corneils is another all-conference pick.

Yorkville

Coach: Jory Regnier

Last year’s record: 18-18 overall, lost in regional championship game.

Top returning players: Kayla Kersting, jr., C/3B; Ellie Fox, jr., P/OF; Brooke Ekwinski, jr., SS/CF; Peyton Levine, sr., P; Bella Phillips, sr., SS/CF; Liv Lathen, so., 2B/OF; Jo Pavlak, sr., 3B/OF; Sierra Morse, sr., OF; Hailey Sweeney, sr., OF; Rilee Petrusa, sr., OF.

Worth noting: Regnier, in her 11th year as coach, said there is real promise for this season after a less than ideal end to last. Third-year varsity starter Kersting, an Iowa recruit and second-team All-Stater, leads the returners after batting .442 with nine homers, 34 runs scored and 30 RBIs last year. Also back is Fox, who batted .378 with four homers, 14 runs scored and 20 RBIs and posted a 9-10 record with a 2.93 ERA in the circle, Ekwinski, who batted .314 with 27 runs scored and 13 RBIs, and Levine who went 3-1 with a 3.736 ERA.

“With some major young contributors returning from a year ago, the Foxes are looking forward to playing a loose and confident brand of softball this year,” Regnier said. “The conference schedule will be a bear, but this more experienced group knows it is about controlling what you can control.”

Yorkville Christian

Coach: Tracey Stoneberg

Last year’s record: 7-11 overall.

Top returning players: Grace Allgood, sr., P/SS; Bridget Hooper, jr., 3B/C/P; Alyssa Mata, jr., OF; Kyla Motley, jr., OF/IF; Laura Brancati, jr., OF.

Top new players: Nia Hooper, fr., SS/OF; Sophie Rothlisberger, fr., 1B/P; Tessa Wit, fr., 2B.

Worth noting: The Mustangs are a small team with just 11 players, so health will be key, but are solid in the circle with pitchers Allgood, Hooper and Rothlisberger. Allgood was a third-team All-State pick last year, batting .490 with seven triples and 26 runs scored, and also struck out 112. Hooper, also third-team All-State, batted .587 with 17 doubles and 27 RBIs. A third All-Stater, Emma Schleining, transferred, so Witt will fill the hole at second base. The Mustangs don’t have any true catchers so Bridget and Nia Hooper may split time behind the plate. Rothlisberger is a big addition to not only the pitching staff but at first base.

“We will have to be creative in moving people around to see what works best for us to be successful,” Stoneberg said. “We have a foreign exchange student from Spain and a couple of freshmen who have never played before or haven’t played in a while so we have a very short time frame to teach the the ins and outs of softball before we start our game schedule. Offensively we have a lot more speed on the bases this year which will be good for us and we will have to work with our batting order to find out what is going to be effective for us to produce runs.”