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LANCASTER ― There were several standout individual performances during the high school softball season, and this year, more than others, because there was so much talent, it made it difficult to pick just one.
Three stood out above the rest. Lancaster senior catcher Lendall Brown, Bloom-Carroll senior shortstop Madelyn Gates and senior pitcher/first basemen Suzie Shultz all had exceptional seasons, and each helped lead their respective teams to the state tournament.
For their efforts, they are the 2026 Eagle-Gazette Softball Players of the Year.
Liberty Union sophomore Eden Wilson, Fairfield Union senior Ella Harmon, Bloom-Carroll junior Emma Brandt and Millersport senior Kendyl Bonkowski were finalists for the award.
Bloom-Carroll’s Chris Lucas, who guided the Bulldogs to a 26-4 overall record, as well as winning the Division III state championship, is the 2026 Eagle-Gazette Coach of the Year.
More: Brown has etched her name on the Mount Rushmore of Lancaster softball
Brown, a four-year starter who will play college softball at Miami University, had another outstanding season and helped lead the Lady Gales back to the state tournament for the second year in a row, including a Division I state runner-up finish.
Brown only struck out one time in her career in over 350 at-bats, and she had a 55-game hitting streak, which ranks second all-time in Ohio. She finished the year with a .621 batting average, had a .683 on-base percentage and a 1.284 slugging percentage. Brown had 59 hits, 46 RBIs, 16 home runs and 13 doubles. She earned first-team All-Ohio Capital Conference and Central District first-team honors and was named first-team All-Ohio. She also hit three home runs in a regional final game against Grove City.
Gates, who will play college softball at Northern Kentucky, finished with a .610 batting average and had a .667 on-base percentage. She had 61 hits, 47 RBIs, 13 home runs, 15 doubles and seven triples. She finished with a 1.290 slugging percentage. Gates also earned first-team All-Mid-State League and Central District first-team honors and was named first-team All-Ohio.
Shultz, who will play college softball at St. Francis, was stellar at the plate in the circle. She helped lead the Lions to a 27-2 overall record and their third consecutive state tournament appearance. She was the winning pitcher when Liberty Union won the state championship in 2024. The Lions finished as state runner-up the past two seasons. Shultz went 12-1 in the circle and had 111 strikeouts in 61 innings and had a minuscule 0.80 earned run average. At the plate, she had a .634 batting average, 12 home runs, 48 RBIs and 15 doubles. Shultz earned first-team All-MSL and Central District honors and was first-team All-Ohio for the second consecutive year.
Eagle-Gazette All-Area Softball Team
Players of the Year: Kendall Brown, Lancaster; Madelyn Gates, Bloom-Carroll; Suzie Shultz, Liberty Union
Coach of the Year: Chris Lucas, Bloom-Carroll
FIRST TEAM
KENDALL BROWN, Lancaster
MADELYN GATES, Bloom-Carroll
SUZIE SHULTZ, Liberty Union
ELLA HARMON, Fairfield Union
KENDYL BONKOWSKI, Millersport
HAILEY RINGS, Lancaster
EDEN WILSON, Liberty Union
MIA GRIGGS, Lancaster
EMMA BRANDT, Bloom-Carroll
RYLEIGH BROWN, Liberty Union
ADDISON BROWN, Bloom-Carroll
HAEDAN BRUNTY, Liberty Union
SECOND TEAM
HANNAH SMITH, Lancaster
HAYDEN HUBNER, Bloom-Carroll
KILEIGH ROHR, Lancaster
JOJO SHEETS, Lancaster
ALEXIS MCCOY, Liberty Union
GABBY JOHNSON, Bloom-Carroll
LANA PRINCE, Lancaster
MADDI WALTERS, Bloom-Carroll
EMILYN KANET, Liberty Union
RYLEE NORTH, Berne Union
HONORABLE MENTION
Jaiden Sharrow, Bloom-Carroll; Ava Blevins, Taylor Terry, Millersport; Maddi Lanning, Taylor Smeck, Fairfield Union; Addy Kalisik, Lauryn Kuhn, Reese Besco, Berne Union; Ava Loel, Cass Steinmetz, Amanda-Clearcreek.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Meet the 2026 Eagle Gazette All-Area team and softball players of the year
Continue reading...
Three stood out above the rest. Lancaster senior catcher Lendall Brown, Bloom-Carroll senior shortstop Madelyn Gates and senior pitcher/first basemen Suzie Shultz all had exceptional seasons, and each helped lead their respective teams to the state tournament.
For their efforts, they are the 2026 Eagle-Gazette Softball Players of the Year.
Liberty Union sophomore Eden Wilson, Fairfield Union senior Ella Harmon, Bloom-Carroll junior Emma Brandt and Millersport senior Kendyl Bonkowski were finalists for the award.
Bloom-Carroll’s Chris Lucas, who guided the Bulldogs to a 26-4 overall record, as well as winning the Division III state championship, is the 2026 Eagle-Gazette Coach of the Year.
More: Brown has etched her name on the Mount Rushmore of Lancaster softball
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Brown, a four-year starter who will play college softball at Miami University, had another outstanding season and helped lead the Lady Gales back to the state tournament for the second year in a row, including a Division I state runner-up finish.
Brown only struck out one time in her career in over 350 at-bats, and she had a 55-game hitting streak, which ranks second all-time in Ohio. She finished the year with a .621 batting average, had a .683 on-base percentage and a 1.284 slugging percentage. Brown had 59 hits, 46 RBIs, 16 home runs and 13 doubles. She earned first-team All-Ohio Capital Conference and Central District first-team honors and was named first-team All-Ohio. She also hit three home runs in a regional final game against Grove City.
You must be registered for see images attach
Gates, who will play college softball at Northern Kentucky, finished with a .610 batting average and had a .667 on-base percentage. She had 61 hits, 47 RBIs, 13 home runs, 15 doubles and seven triples. She finished with a 1.290 slugging percentage. Gates also earned first-team All-Mid-State League and Central District first-team honors and was named first-team All-Ohio.
You must be registered for see images attach
Shultz, who will play college softball at St. Francis, was stellar at the plate in the circle. She helped lead the Lions to a 27-2 overall record and their third consecutive state tournament appearance. She was the winning pitcher when Liberty Union won the state championship in 2024. The Lions finished as state runner-up the past two seasons. Shultz went 12-1 in the circle and had 111 strikeouts in 61 innings and had a minuscule 0.80 earned run average. At the plate, she had a .634 batting average, 12 home runs, 48 RBIs and 15 doubles. Shultz earned first-team All-MSL and Central District honors and was first-team All-Ohio for the second consecutive year.
Eagle-Gazette All-Area Softball Team
Players of the Year: Kendall Brown, Lancaster; Madelyn Gates, Bloom-Carroll; Suzie Shultz, Liberty Union
Coach of the Year: Chris Lucas, Bloom-Carroll
FIRST TEAM
KENDALL BROWN, Lancaster
MADELYN GATES, Bloom-Carroll
SUZIE SHULTZ, Liberty Union
ELLA HARMON, Fairfield Union
KENDYL BONKOWSKI, Millersport
HAILEY RINGS, Lancaster
EDEN WILSON, Liberty Union
MIA GRIGGS, Lancaster
EMMA BRANDT, Bloom-Carroll
RYLEIGH BROWN, Liberty Union
ADDISON BROWN, Bloom-Carroll
HAEDAN BRUNTY, Liberty Union
SECOND TEAM
HANNAH SMITH, Lancaster
HAYDEN HUBNER, Bloom-Carroll
KILEIGH ROHR, Lancaster
JOJO SHEETS, Lancaster
ALEXIS MCCOY, Liberty Union
GABBY JOHNSON, Bloom-Carroll
LANA PRINCE, Lancaster
MADDI WALTERS, Bloom-Carroll
EMILYN KANET, Liberty Union
RYLEE NORTH, Berne Union
HONORABLE MENTION
Jaiden Sharrow, Bloom-Carroll; Ava Blevins, Taylor Terry, Millersport; Maddi Lanning, Taylor Smeck, Fairfield Union; Addy Kalisik, Lauryn Kuhn, Reese Besco, Berne Union; Ava Loel, Cass Steinmetz, Amanda-Clearcreek.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Meet the 2026 Eagle Gazette All-Area team and softball players of the year
Continue reading...
