VOTE NOW for The Star Press IU Health 2026 Softball Player of the Year

[ASFN Admin]

With the IHSAA softball season now complete, it's time to vote for The Star Press East Central Indiana Softball Player of the Year, brought to you by IU Health.

There will be a new Player and Pitcher of the Year after both awards went to seniors last season. Daleville's Valyn Pattengale was named Player of the Year, and Shenandoah's Olivia Watson was named Pitcher of the Year.

The poll consists of one nominee from each high school softball team in East Central Indiana and will run until Friday, June 19, at noon. Voting is limited to one vote per device, per hour. For example, if you have a phone, laptop and tablet, you can vote three times every hour — once on each device.

This poll is the Fan Vote and does not determine The Star Press Softball Player of the Year. Player, Pitcher and Coach of the Year awards, as well as The Star Press All-Area team, will be announced at a later date.

Here's a quick look at this year's nominees:

• Keylie Byrd, senior, Wes-Del: Byrd hit .521 with a 1.331 OPS and 15 RBIs, including one home run. The Anderson University signee was named all-Delaware County and all-Mid-Eastern Conference.
• Baylie Chesher, junior, New Castle: Chesher hit .226 with a team-high 13 RBIs and was named all-Hoosier Heritage Conference.
• Liv Jones, sophomore, Yorktown: After a strong freshman campaign, Jones emerged as one of the top pitchers in the state as a sophomore for a Yorktown team that spent most of the year ranked No. 1 in Class 3A. She ranked fourth in the state and set a school record for wins with a 20-3 record, while her 0.63 ERA and 257 strikeouts both ranked sixth statewide. Jones was also one of Yorktown's top batters, posting a .420 average, a team-high 1.504 OPS, and 10 home runs. She earned all-county and unanimous all-HHC honors.
• Zoey Koger, senior, Wapahani: Koger provided strong senior leadership to a young Lady Raiders team that doubled its win count from the 2025 season. She hit .316 with 10 RBIs and pitched 82 innings with a 5.55 ERA. Koger was named all-county and all-MEC for her efforts.
• Chloe Mynett, freshman, Delta: Mynett emerged as the Eagles' ace in the circle in her debut season, posting an 8-8 record with a 3.25 ERA over 73⅓ innings pitched. She was named all-county and all-HHC.
• Kyra Osborne, senior, Daleville: Osborne led the Broncos in hits (38), batting average (.473), RBIs (22) and OPS (1.119) in her final season. She also served as the team's top arm, logging a record of 3-6 with a 3.71 ERA over 60⅔ innings pitched. Osborne earned all-county and all-MEC honors.
• Raegan Quattlebaum, junior, Monroe Central: Quattlebaum hit .364 with a .970 OPS and had Monroe Central's lone home run of the season. She earned all-Randolph County and all-MEC honors.
• Aviana Ramos, senior, Winchester Community: Ramos led the Golden Falcons with a .532 average and 15 RBIs with one of the top OPS in the area at 1.566. She earned all-Randolph County and all-Tri-Eastern Conference honors.
• Clair Riddle, sophomore, Muncie Central: Riddle hit .400 with a 1.036 OPS for the Bearcats and finished second on the team with 10 hits.
• Hallie Schwieterman, junior, Jay County: Schwieterman posted some absurd numbers this season, including the area's best batting average (.653) and OPS (2.103) as well as 14 home runs (tied for fifth in the state) and a 1.440 slugging percentage that ranked third in the state. She received first-team all-conference honors from the Allen County Athletic Conference.
• Reese Sprunger, sophomore, Shenandoah: Sprunger led the Lady Raiders with a .492 batting average and a 1.487 OPS. She posted a team-high 25 RBIs and had seven doubles, six triples and three home runs. Sprunger was named all-MEC for her sophomore campaign.
• Gracie Townsend-Strait, sophomore, Blackford: Townsend-Strait led the Bruins in batting average (.368), OPS (.874), RBIs (11) and home runs (two).
• Taylor Young, senior, Cowan: Young hit .458 with a 1.193 OPS and logged 18 RBIs for the Blackhawks. She was at her best in the postseason and helped Cowan win its fifth sectional championship in the last six years. Young was named all-county and all-MEC.

Who should be The Star Press IU Health Softball Player of the Year for 2026?

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Contact Cade Hampton via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: VOTE for The Star Press IU Health Softball Player of the Year for 2026

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