State softball notes
Cora Pauling named all-tournament
Jackson County Central freshman Cora Pauling was named to the all-tournament team at the state Class 2A softball tournament that concluded on Friday.
Pauling, who played left field in all three games the Huskies played in the tournament, was 5-for-12 (.417) at the plate and scored two runs. She had three of those hits in JCC’s semifinal game vs. Hawley.
Members of the all-tournament were recognized after the Class 2A championship game Friday evening at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Here’s the complete Class 2A all-tournament team:
Addison Wallschlaeger, Spectrum
Cora Pauling, Jackson County Central
Mackenzie Murray, Randolph
Carter Raymond, Randolph
Hannah Stotts, Hawley
Eagan Hastings, Hawley
Alexandria Guderjahn, Hawley
Tayla Vought, St. Cloud Cathedral
Kyah Koenig, St. Cloud Cathedral
Keira Alexander, St. Cloud Cathedral
Peterson umps
Prior to the tournament we listed umpires familiar to the area who worked at the state tournament.
A name that slipped by was former Jackson resident Dave Peterson, now in Waubun, who was umping in the tournament for the third straight year.
He’s now a fourth-grade teacher at Waubun-Ogema-White Earth Schools.
Championship games
Each of this year’s four state champions won the first state softball title in its schools’ history.
United South Central capped the four state championship games at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium at the University of Minnesota by winning the Class 1A title, St. Cloid Cathedral won the 2A championship, Rocori won in Class 3A and Champlin Park was the 4A winner.
Here’s a recap of each game:
Class 1A
While United South Central’s 2-0 win over Badger/Greenbush-Middle River gave the school its first state title (in its first trip to state), it continued a strong run for Section 2A.
That section has won three of the last four state championships. Nicollet won in 2022 and New Ulm Cathedral won last year.
USC finishes the season with a 26-1 record, with that lone loss coming to Martin County West in the section championship round. The Rebels beat the Mavericks in the second championship game to advance to state.
While each team mustered just two hits, the Rebels were the only team to figure out a way to get on the scoreboard. USC scored two runs in the bottom of the second, including a run batted in from senior catcher Taylor Schroeder.
That was plenty for Anderson who recorded 19 strikeouts.
That came on the heels of striking out 20 in the Rebels’ semifinal victory over Braham on Wednesday night. Her 52 strikeouts for three state tournament games were three short of the record of 55 set by New Life Academy’s Danielle Schmidt in 2009.
BGMR is now a five-time state softball runner-up.
Class 2A
St. Cloud Cathedral, the No. 4 seed in Class 2A, beat No. 6 seed Hawley 7-2. Hawley downed Jackson County Central in 11 innings in Wednesday’s semifinals.
After a rocky start to the game. Keira Alexandra scattered five hits and struck out five in recording her third win during the state tournament.
Alexandra opened the first inning by hitting the first two Nugget batters she faced and walking the next batter to load the bases. She got out of the jam as she induced two infield pop ups and an inning-ending fly to the outfield.
Kyah Koenig had three runs batted in and Tayla Vought two for the winners.
Class 3A
Rocori was in the state tournament for the fourth straight year. In their first three trips, the Spartans lost in the quarterfinals.
Friday, Rocori scored four runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh to win 9-3 over Byron.
Junior pitcher Jessica Boos and junior designated player Abby Storms had two runs batted in each to power the Spartans. Boos struck out 12 in the pitching circle.
Class 4A
Champlin Park’s 6-0 win over Bloomington Jefferson came behind a 13-hit attack and an impressive pitching performance by junior Marissa Rothenberger.
The first three hitters in the Rebels’ lineup, Ava Parent, Hannah Husom and Reese Remler each had two RBI in the win.
Rothenberger didn’t allow a hit until Jefferson had back-to-back singles in the fourth. Later, with two outs, Bloomington Jefferson’s Grace Rolek sent a drive to the gap in left centerfield.
It seemed certain the ball would land safely in the grass and send two runs home, but Husom found the angle, chased it down and made a nifty running catch. Her impressive defensive play drew raves and a robust reception at the dugout.
Rothenberger pitched a shutout, allowing three hits, not walking a batter and striking out six.
State softball champions
1977: Coon Rapids (21-1)
1978: Cambridge (21-2)
1979: A-Wadena (14-2); AA-Rosemount (20-2)
1980: A-Jordan (23-0); AA-Austin (22-0)
1981: A-Moose Lake/Barnum (19-0); AA-Austin (24-0)
1982: A-Moose Lake (22-0); AA-Henry Sibley (19-2)
1983: A-La Crescent (18-3); AA-Hill-Murray (23-1)
1984: A-Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s (15-2); AA-North St. Paul (22-2)
1985: A-St. Bernard’s (23-4); AA-Robbinsdale Cooper (17-5)
1986: A-St, Bernard’s (23-1); AA-Mankato East (25-0)
1987: A-Glencoe (23-1); AA-Austin (21-7)
1988: A-Southland (24-0); AA-Mankato East (24-1)
1989: A-St. Bernard’s (26-1); AA-Mankato East (24-2)
1990: A-St. Bernard’s (28-0); AA-Mankato West (24-4)
1991: A-Hermantown (24-3); AA-Mankato East (23-2)
1992: A-Maple River (28-0); AA-Richfield (22-6)
1993: A-New Ulm Cathedral (28-1); AA-Park (22-2)
1994: A-New Ulm Cathedral (27-1); AA-St. Cloud Tech (20-7)
1995: A-New Ulm Cathedral (30-1); AA-Stillwater (25-2)
1996: A-Maple River (26-0); AA-Stillwater (27-0)
1997: A-Mound Westonka (24-2); AA-Hopkins (25-2)
1998: A-Esko (25-3); AA-Stillwater (22-4)
1999: A-Wabasso (21-2); AA-Minnetonka (22-5)
2000: A-St. Bernard’s (18-9); AA-Holy Angels (18-9); AAA-Minnetonka (23-2)
2001: A-Mankato Loyola (23-4); AA-Maple River (26-2); AAA-Robbinsdale Armstrong (24-5)
2002: A-St. Bernard’s (22-4); AA-Hermantown (25-3); AAA-Eden Prairie (21-6)
2003: A-New Ulm Cathedral (25-3); AA-Winona Cotter (26-2); AAA-Eastview (26-4)
2004: A-St. Bernard’s (24-5); AA-Jackson County Central (26-2); AAA-Burnsville (20-5)
2005: A-New Ulm Cathedral (25-2); AA-Jackson County Central (25-2); AAA-Burnsville (21-3)
2006: A-Springfield (22-6); AA-Winona Cotter (25-3); AAA-Rosemount (26-1)
2007: A-New Ulm Cathedral (28-1); AA-Pipestone (26-3); AAA-North St. Paul (24-5)
2008: A-New Life Academy (21-6); AA-Orono (28-1); AAA-Eagan (21-2)
2009: A-New Life Academy (22-6); AA-Hermantown (27-3); AAA-Elk River (23-6)
2010: A-New Life Academy (22-1); AA-Park Center (24-6); AAA-Burnsville (23-3)
2011: A-New Life Academy (24-4); AA-Park Center (26-4); AAA-Hastings (23-2)
2012: A-Cherry (26-0); AA-New Ulm (23-2); AAA-Stillwater Area (21-8)
2013: A-Blooming Prairie (23-3); AA-New Ulm (25-3); AAA-Elk River (21-3)
2014: A-New Ulm Cathedral (26-1); AA-Kasson-Mantorville (28-0); AAA-Lakeville South (22-5)
2015: A-New Life Academy (23-3); AA-Kasson-Mantorville (26-2); AAA-Eastview (24-3)
2016: A-Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian (20-7); AA-Zumbrota-Mazeppa (26-1); AAA-Mankato West (26-1); AAAA-Chanhassen (24-3)
2017: A-New York Mills (25-2); AA-Zumbrota-Mazeppa (24-6); AAA-Winona (24-3); AAAA-Farmington (24-3)
2018: A-New York Mills (27-1); AA-Maple Lake (28-1); AAA-Faribault (23-2); AAAA-Stillwater Area (16-13)
2019: A-Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian (20-5); AA-Rochester Lourdes (25-3); AAA-Northfield (21-3); AAAA-Maple Grove (25-2)
2020: No tournament
2021: A-Randolph (27-0); AA-LeSueur-Henderson (24-1); AAA-Becker (20-6); AAAA-Rosemount (24-1)
2022: A-Nicollet (24-2); AA-Chatfield (28-2); AAA-Mankato West (23-4); AAAA-Forest Lake (22-5)
2023: A-Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian (19-6); AA-Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (26-2); Mankato East (26-3); Rosemount (26-0)
2024: A-New Ulm Cathedral (25-2); AA-Randolph (27-1); AAA-Mankato East (20-6); AAAA-Rogers (22-3)
2025: A-United South Central (26-1); AA-St. Cloud Cathedral (26-2); AAA-Rocori (20-5); AAAA-Champlin Park (24-2)