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Jun. 2—ABERDEEN — A pair of Mitchell-area programs are poised to battle for a place in the Class B softball state tournament semifinals, as fourth-seeded Hanson and fifth-seeded Avon meet up in the opening round on Thursday at the Players Softball Complex.
The Beavers and Pirates, who will take the field at noon Thursday, didn't go head-to-head during the regular season, but each managed a pair of wins against the rest of the tournament field. Hanson, at 18-4 overall, is 2-2 against Class B qualifiers, with wins over Gayville-Volin and Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy and setbacks against Castlewood and McCook Central/Montrose. Meanwhile, Avon (16-7) is 2-3 against fellow qualifiers, defeating FMFA and Redfield with losses to Castlewood (twice) and Gayville-Volin.
In reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2022-23, the debut season of softball sanctioned by the South Dakota High School Activities Association, Hanson used a late surge to get by Flandreau in the SoDak 16. Avon, back in the bracket for a second year in a row, took down nearby Scotland/Menno in the SoDak 16, avenging an earlier defeat.
Jozlynn Tegethoff maintains a batting average of .629 and an on-base percentage of .729, leading the Beavers in hits (39), walks (23), stolen bases (13), and runs scored (46). Neecee Suber, Skya White and Jacey Schoenrock all have batting averages above .400, as Schoenrock and White pace the team with 37 and 35 runs batted in, respectively. Schoenrock has hurled all 113 innings in the circle with a 4.52 earned-run average.
For Avon, Rilyn Thury has batted .600 with 38 RBIs, with Brielle Voigt at .531 and 35 RBIs. Jordyn Voigt has a .404 average and a team-best on-base percentage of .627, courtesy of 21 walks and 10 hit-by-pitches. Voigt, Thury and Rowan Brandt have all scored at least 30 runs. The Pirates' go-to arm is Kaydence Metzger, who has pitched 97 innings with a 4.71 ERA.
The two teams haven't played since 2024, but this time the winner will earn an opportunity to face either No. 1 Castlewood or No. 8 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy in the semifinals on Friday.
Winners of 14 games in a row leading into the Class B quarterfinals, McCook Central/Montrose is white-hot ahead of its state tournament debut.
At 20-2 overall, MCM also boasts the most wins and highest win percentage out of the quarterfinalists, marks fueled by exceptional plate presence.
MCM fields the most potent offense in Class B at 12.8 runs per game, a full run per game more than any other team, which has powered the Fighting Cougars to a class-best run differential at plus-8.6 per game.
The Fighting Cougars are led by a standout trio that all bats at least .600 with 45 hits: Josalyn Traupel (.657 average, 46 hits), Ashtyn DeKnikker (.634 average, 45 hits) and Ella DeKnikker (.608 average, 48 hits). Three more bats — Zaidee Huls (.597 average, 37 hits), Cami McGuire (.574 average, 35 hits) and Landry Andal (.556 average, 30 hits) — aren't far behind, and Huls also serves as MCM's top pitcher.
Only one Class B team — Baltic — got the better of MCM this season, but the Bulldogs came up short of the tournament, falling in the SoDak 16 to the Fighting Cougars' quarterfinal opponent, Redfield. MCM and Redfield will play at 2 p.m. Thursday.
The Pheasants (10-7) were one of three lower-seeded teams to advance out of the SoDak 16 round, as the No. 11 Pheasants took out 6-seed Baltic. Redfield started the season 8-2 before dropping five of its final six regular-season games, including matchups with tournament teams Avon, Castlewood and Florence/Henry.
Redfield is led by Makayla Schulz with a .462 average and 24 hits, while Hayden Gall paces the team in walks (14), stolen bases (27), RBIs (18) and runs scored (28).
The winner between MCM and Redfield will face either No. 3 Florence/Henry (15-4) or No. 6 Gayville-Volin (14-5) in the semifinals on Friday.
As the No. 14 seed in the Class B SoDak 16, Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy scored the upset of the postseason by outlasting defending champion Deuel.
In their last act as an athletic co-op, the Phoenix will look to do it again, starting with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 1 seed Castlewood at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Making their state tournament debut, FMFA (11-7) has won four games in a row and nine of their last 12 following a 2-4 start to the campaign.
Driving the Phoenix offense, Claire Loofbourrow owns a batting average of .660, collecting 35 hits with eight home runs and 44 RBIs. Harli Ross, who spun a shutout of Deuel in the SoDak 16, has a 5-4 record across 12 starts, while secondary arm Isabel Waltner is 5-0 in six starts.
Castlewood is 18-4 despite playing the third-most difficult schedule in Class B based on opponent winning percentage, though FMFA is also battle-tested in that regard with the ninth-most difficult schedule. Coincidentally, Deuel is the only Class B team to beat the Warriors this season.
A powerhouse in the brief history of SDHSAA-sponsored softball, the Warriors are 64-20 across four seasons and have made all four state tournaments, including a championship in 2023 and a runner-up finish in 2024.
Key to its success this season, Castlewood enters the tournament with Class B's top combination of pitching and defense, which allows four runs per game.
However, the Warriors can win at the plate, too. Castlewood has a team batting average of .468 with seven players above .400. Cydni Kudrna paces the bunch with a .600 average, 39 hits, five home runs and 34 RBIs.
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The Beavers and Pirates, who will take the field at noon Thursday, didn't go head-to-head during the regular season, but each managed a pair of wins against the rest of the tournament field. Hanson, at 18-4 overall, is 2-2 against Class B qualifiers, with wins over Gayville-Volin and Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy and setbacks against Castlewood and McCook Central/Montrose. Meanwhile, Avon (16-7) is 2-3 against fellow qualifiers, defeating FMFA and Redfield with losses to Castlewood (twice) and Gayville-Volin.
In reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2022-23, the debut season of softball sanctioned by the South Dakota High School Activities Association, Hanson used a late surge to get by Flandreau in the SoDak 16. Avon, back in the bracket for a second year in a row, took down nearby Scotland/Menno in the SoDak 16, avenging an earlier defeat.
Jozlynn Tegethoff maintains a batting average of .629 and an on-base percentage of .729, leading the Beavers in hits (39), walks (23), stolen bases (13), and runs scored (46). Neecee Suber, Skya White and Jacey Schoenrock all have batting averages above .400, as Schoenrock and White pace the team with 37 and 35 runs batted in, respectively. Schoenrock has hurled all 113 innings in the circle with a 4.52 earned-run average.
For Avon, Rilyn Thury has batted .600 with 38 RBIs, with Brielle Voigt at .531 and 35 RBIs. Jordyn Voigt has a .404 average and a team-best on-base percentage of .627, courtesy of 21 walks and 10 hit-by-pitches. Voigt, Thury and Rowan Brandt have all scored at least 30 runs. The Pirates' go-to arm is Kaydence Metzger, who has pitched 97 innings with a 4.71 ERA.
The two teams haven't played since 2024, but this time the winner will earn an opportunity to face either No. 1 Castlewood or No. 8 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy in the semifinals on Friday.
Winners of 14 games in a row leading into the Class B quarterfinals, McCook Central/Montrose is white-hot ahead of its state tournament debut.
At 20-2 overall, MCM also boasts the most wins and highest win percentage out of the quarterfinalists, marks fueled by exceptional plate presence.
MCM fields the most potent offense in Class B at 12.8 runs per game, a full run per game more than any other team, which has powered the Fighting Cougars to a class-best run differential at plus-8.6 per game.
The Fighting Cougars are led by a standout trio that all bats at least .600 with 45 hits: Josalyn Traupel (.657 average, 46 hits), Ashtyn DeKnikker (.634 average, 45 hits) and Ella DeKnikker (.608 average, 48 hits). Three more bats — Zaidee Huls (.597 average, 37 hits), Cami McGuire (.574 average, 35 hits) and Landry Andal (.556 average, 30 hits) — aren't far behind, and Huls also serves as MCM's top pitcher.
Only one Class B team — Baltic — got the better of MCM this season, but the Bulldogs came up short of the tournament, falling in the SoDak 16 to the Fighting Cougars' quarterfinal opponent, Redfield. MCM and Redfield will play at 2 p.m. Thursday.
The Pheasants (10-7) were one of three lower-seeded teams to advance out of the SoDak 16 round, as the No. 11 Pheasants took out 6-seed Baltic. Redfield started the season 8-2 before dropping five of its final six regular-season games, including matchups with tournament teams Avon, Castlewood and Florence/Henry.
Redfield is led by Makayla Schulz with a .462 average and 24 hits, while Hayden Gall paces the team in walks (14), stolen bases (27), RBIs (18) and runs scored (28).
The winner between MCM and Redfield will face either No. 3 Florence/Henry (15-4) or No. 6 Gayville-Volin (14-5) in the semifinals on Friday.
As the No. 14 seed in the Class B SoDak 16, Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy scored the upset of the postseason by outlasting defending champion Deuel.
In their last act as an athletic co-op, the Phoenix will look to do it again, starting with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 1 seed Castlewood at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Making their state tournament debut, FMFA (11-7) has won four games in a row and nine of their last 12 following a 2-4 start to the campaign.
Driving the Phoenix offense, Claire Loofbourrow owns a batting average of .660, collecting 35 hits with eight home runs and 44 RBIs. Harli Ross, who spun a shutout of Deuel in the SoDak 16, has a 5-4 record across 12 starts, while secondary arm Isabel Waltner is 5-0 in six starts.
Castlewood is 18-4 despite playing the third-most difficult schedule in Class B based on opponent winning percentage, though FMFA is also battle-tested in that regard with the ninth-most difficult schedule. Coincidentally, Deuel is the only Class B team to beat the Warriors this season.
A powerhouse in the brief history of SDHSAA-sponsored softball, the Warriors are 64-20 across four seasons and have made all four state tournaments, including a championship in 2023 and a runner-up finish in 2024.
Key to its success this season, Castlewood enters the tournament with Class B's top combination of pitching and defense, which allows four runs per game.
However, the Warriors can win at the plate, too. Castlewood has a team batting average of .468 with seven players above .400. Cydni Kudrna paces the bunch with a .600 average, 39 hits, five home runs and 34 RBIs.
Continue reading...
