Arkansas high school softball state championships preview
By Kyle Sutherland | Photo by Jimmy Jones
Softball state finals tickets are punched and begin at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday at the Benton Sports Complex where six state champions will be crowned by Saturday evening. Four champions from last season have returned and one is hoping to win its fifth in a row while some are searching for the first in many years or ever.
Here is an exclusive preview of times and analysis for each game. Visit SBLive Arkansas for complete game recaps and our final softball rankings that will be released next Monday.
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1A
When: Friday at 10:00 a.m.
Teams: Taylor vs West Side
Taylor (21-2)
Head Coach: Courtney McHenry
Taylor has set the standard for Class 1A baseball as a current dynasty coming in as four-time defending state champions, and have won six since 2012, hoping to add another on Friday. Other than two losses to Malvern and state finalist Nashville, both from Class 4A, the Lady Tigers have dominated yet another slate of opponents in their class.
“Our team has had some big shoes to fill with the seniors, we graduated last year but we have been really proud of how our girls have stepped up and matured as a team this season,” McHenry said.
From Carly Downs as the leadoff hitter to Ayla Buford, Heidi May, Lauran Lenard, Maggie McHenery, and continuing to go on down the line Taylor has bats that can, and have, competed with some of the best in bigger classes that hope to make it tough for West Side ace McKenna Bittle. Buford, a freshman, has handled the pitching duties and made the most of it with a 1.7 earned run average throwing 109.1 innings, striking out 123 batters, and has three perfect games to her resume.
McHenry pointed out the challenging games her team has faced prepared the Lady Tigers for this moment, along with the previous experience of play in the championship game.
“This team has had some big wins this season while facing great teams,” McHenry said. “We are looking forward to the challenge of playing West Side and seeing if our defense and bats can get the job done.”
West Side (22-3)
Head Coach: Jeff Smith
West Side is trying to win its first state championship since 2007 but faces a tall task dethroning Taylor who is hoping to win its fifth championship in as many seasons not counting 2020 when COVID hit before state title games could be played. If there is any team in Class 1A, the Lady Eagles have the resume to do it currently on a 16-game win streak against in-class competition and have outscored postseason opponents by a combined score of 74-11.
“Our postseason success is 100% the heart of this group of girls,” Smith said. “Someone is always there to step up when we need it. I have never seen such a great team mentality. That mentality has gotten us where we are today.”
The Lady Eagles have five players batting over .350 including Sam Corpier ,who leads with a .487 mark, also Lacy Baker who is over .370 and hit the walk-off double to beat Wonderview in the semifinals, but it all starts with senior McKenna Bittle, who is batting .437 and 5 home runs. The UA-Rich Mountain signee is also one of, if not the best, pitchers in the class with a 1.26 earned run average and 267 strikeouts.
“We are not seeing this game as pressure, we see it as an opportunity,” Smith said. “Taylor is a great team with a lot of tradition. The Lord has blessed us all year, and we feel blessed to have made it this far.”
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2A
When: Thursday at 1:00 p.m.
Teams: Tuckerman vs East Poinsett County
Tuckerman (24-5)
Head Coach: Matt Dillon
With the entire team returning from last year’s state championship team, it was pretty easy to predict the Lady Bulldogs would be back in Benton to defend their title and play for another one. However, with some position changes along with MaKaylie Gist, the team’s top pitcher and power hitter, dealing with injuries this ultra-talented squad was hit with plenty of adversity, but head coach Matt Dillon feels his team adjusted well and it made them better in the long run
“The first half of the season, we were trying to find our way,” Dillon said. “With some injuries and position changes, also bringing back Hannah Nicholson from a torn ACL last year, it took us some time to gel. But over the past three weeks, we have really started to come together as a whole. Defense and offense have been clicking and it's been fun to watch. We know we have a huge task ahead of us in EPC, and our girls are ready for the challenge.”
With Gist returning, plus having Nicolson and Kenzie Soden, if needed in the circle, the Lady Bulldogs have everything in place to succeed. Despite the injury, Gist has compiled a 12-2 record and a 1.43 earned run average in 68 innings striking out 88 batters. Nicolson is 10-1 with a 1.83 ERA and 84 strikeouts.
Senior Shanley Williams has had an outstanding career and leads the Lady Bulldogs at the plate batting .489 with a .589 on-base percentage, 25 runs batted in, and 21 stolen bases.
Tuckerman has won 16 straight games and has shut out five of its past six opponents so it is clear their minds have been focused on the ultimate prize, but Dillon just wants to see them go out and take it one pitch at a time.
“We know as a team, that there can be pressure of winning back-to-back championships, but these girls have bought into one inning and one game at a time,” Dillon said. “We have put the thought of a state championship in the back of our minds and just play ball. This has been critical to our success this season.”
East Poinsett County (32-2)
Head Coach: Brandon Powell
East Poinsett County has been as good as any team in Class 2A at putting up runs, while also not allowing many but has really become comfortable in close games recently as three of their past eight contests have been decided by a run and all have been wins.
Junior Keegan McCorkle has been the top player in the 2A-3 conference for the past two seasons as the workhorse in the circle for the Lady Warriors, as well as their top hitter batting .480 with 40 RBI and 9 home runs. While pitching she has thrown 191.2 innings, been credited with a win in all 32 games, and compiled an incredible .51 earned run average.
“That is the mentality we have had, we know it is going to be tight games,” Powell told Brad Bobo on The Drive afternoon radio show on Jonesboro’s KNEA. “The girls are always confident that it is going to work out at the end, they never stop believing, and they always find a way to make something happen. With Keegan being in the circle she is going to keep the score down and the defense is going to make plays behind her.”
The majority of the lineup has produced, continuously finding ways to get on base and score runs with six players batting .345 or better, three over .400, including the aforementioned McCorkle, Natalie Dunman, Terrin Powell, Kelly Ann Lucas, Mercedes Reel, and Jaycee Davis.
Powell would not be shocked if this turns out being another low-scoring contest as he understands the depth of Tuckerman’s pitching but also that the Lady Bulldogs have plenty of power and consistency in their batting lineup.
“Their pitching is outstanding, their defense is outstanding, the lineup 1-9 is tough outs and they are going to make you work for every out,” Powell added. “There is power in it and there is speed in it. They are the defending state champs for a reason-they know how to play ball and are well-coached. We look to go into this game as the underdog and use that to our advantage.”
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3A
When: Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Teams: Ashdown vs Atkins
Ashdown (24-5)
Head Coach: Ashlyn Pelotte
Ashdown has gotten used to winning, particularly in the back end of the season, winning 16 of the past 18 games. Some of those wins have been lopsided in the Lady Panthers’ favor but there have been some close calls of recent in the postseason that they have had to hang tough and rely on each other which goes back to what Coach Pelotte has preached since prior to beginning this season.
“At the beginning of the year, we established goals for ourselves - one of them being to win a state title,” Pelotte said. “We also agreed that we would need to focus on being a team in order to achieve that goal. During these tough, challenging times it would have been easy for us to take the loss, but these girls have this competitive drive to play until the last strike and grow as athletes.”
In a first-round state tournament game against CAC, Ashdown was down early 1-0 before responding with two runs in the bottom of the third inning and held on to win 2-1. In the quarterfinals against Lincoln, the Lady Panthers never trailed but had to fight off multiple comebacks and two ties to move onto the semifinals where they defeated Hackett 5-0 to advance to the finals.
“Before state we adopted the motto ‘Hold the Rope’,” Pelotte said. “No matter how tough things got, we were going to hold onto our teammates and put everything we have into the team.”
Pelotte mentioned how the Lincoln game really showed how her players have bought in and are playing for one another.
“Going into the seventh inning Friday against Lincoln, I told the girls to play for each other,” Pelotte added. “We reminded ourselves to hold onto the rope as tight as we could, and the girls did exactly that. The chemistry between the girls is what makes us a great team.”
Ashdown is led at the plate by the huge bat of Karielle Forbes who has hit .392 om the year and 13 home runs with Jaela Coleman right behind her hitting .378 and 2 home runs. Madison Cook is the Lady Panthers’ top pitcher with a 1.78 earned run average and has struck out 125 batters.
Atkins (21-8)
Head Coach: Matt Porter
Before the season, and even during some of it, it would have been fair to say that Atkins was a battle-tested and young team with plenty of talent but were more than likely a year away from making a deep state tournament run. Matt Porter’s club refused to listen to any outside noise and was not intimidated by the tough schedule that included great talent with the likes of Lincoln, defending 4A champion Morrilton, and competing in the 3A-5 conference that was very close to having three teams in the semifinals with Mayflower and Baptist Prep had it not been for a one-run loss to Hackett.
“We have talked all year about getting to this spot, so we scheduled hard, and the girls met each challenge,” Porter said. “The state tournament was just another example of how hard they have worked all year to get here. They love and trust each other and truly are a team.”
Sophomore Libby May led the Lady Red Devils in hitting as a freshman and has had another great year at the plate batting .400 with 31 runs batted in, but has done as well as a coach could ask for handling the majority of the pitching with 20 wins, 147 strikeouts, and a 1.99 earned run average.
Atkins’ extremely powerful batting lineup is hitting .336 and has six hitters with over 22 runs batted in on the year led by junior catcher Christin Flory who has scored 44 runs, batted .483, and smacked 8 home runs. Porter mentioned that for the Lady Red Devils to get one more win and achieve the ultimate goal, they must continue to figure out ways to score runs and continue to play disciplined.
“Ashdown has a great combination of power and speed,” Porter said. “We will have to play really clean on defense and not give them extra outs or they are the type of team that can make you really pay for that. They play great defense behind their pitcher so we will have to find some different ways to score.”
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4A
When: Friday at 4:00 p.m.
Teams: Nashville vs Valley View
Nashville (26-4)
Head Coach: Boomer Brown
Nashville is as battle-tested as anyone in Class 4A and immensely hungry to win it all after being eliminated by the eventual state champion Morrilton in the semifinals last season and not being able to have the opportunity to compete for a championship as sophomores due to COVID. On top of winning the rugged 4A-7 conference, the Scrapperettes competed in the Benton Tournament playing top 6A and 5A competition against Bentonville West, Rogers, and Benton. They shut out West, fell 13-3 to Rogers on one inning that got away from them, and took Benton to extra innings. They have outscored opponents 47-9 in the postseason defeating Crossett, Malvern, Bauxite, Morrilton and Stuttgart to reach the finals.
“Our ‘Magnificent 7’ as I have tagged my seniors have been laser focused since the fall,” Brown said. “They have never wavered from one challenge I have put in front of them.”
His group of seniors certainly have been magnificent going 86-13 since their freshman season and that will to win has spread throughout the entire team. Brown mentioned that one through nine this could be the best batting lineup he has ever coached with four players currently batting over .400 led by Emma Hutchison (.503, 35 RBI, 2 HR).
Senior Maci McJunkins is just under that .400-mark batting .379, but is tied for the RBI lead with 36 and has the most home runs with 5. However, McJunkins does her more notable work in the circle as one of the state’s top pitchers with a 22-3 record, an earned run average of .81, and has struck out 243 batters.
Brown acknowledged that the tough schedule has fully prepared his team for the powerful batting lineup McJunkins will face, as well as another tough defense that Valley View presents as a complete team.
“We have played three different state finalists for a total of six games and playing our conference was a gauntlet at the top,” Brown said. “We have reached our goal, now we hope we can put it all together for one more great outing against another high-quality opponent.”
Valley View (24-5)
Head Coach: B.J. Zipfel
Valley View’s bats have impressed this season scoring a multitude of runs and were put on full display in the state tournament defeating Malvern and Harrison by a combined 22-4 to advance to the finals. The batting lineup is led by senior catcher Lexi Davis who hit three of her seven home runs this year in the past two state tournament games while Izzy Riba, Mackenzie Whitlock, and Anna Winkfield fill out the remainder of the top of the lineup.
The Lady Blazers faced one of the state’s top pitchers in Emma Banks during the 4A East Regional championship and the Stuttgart ace shutout Valley View 2-0 so they are hoping things will be different when they face Maci McJunkins who was just previously mentioned for what she has done to opposing batters all season.
“McJunkins is very good and doesn't make many mistakes,” Zipfel said. “Our job will be to try and make her work as much as possible by putting together good At-Bats. Each of our hitters must stay disciplined and stick to what they do best. If and when she gives us an opportunity to get the barrel on it, we need to take advantage. The main thing is to be confident at the plate and try to do what got us here.”
However, there have been some close contests that have forced the Lady Blazers to rely on pitching along with defense, and Riley Smith has answered that call as one of Class 4A’s more underrated arms striking out 226 batters in 157.2 innings and currently boasts a 1.06 earned run average. Zipfel mentioned the importance of Smith needing to pitch deep into the game and have effective innings.
“We will continue to rely heavily on our pitcher Riley Smith to keep them off-balance, she must compete for 7 full innings,” Zipfel said. “However, the other team is allowed to put the ball in play. Nashville has a lineup full of talented hitters and when they hit it, we must make the routine plays as well as keep mistakes to a minimum. We cannot dig ourselves a hole by giving them extra outs.”
Just like Nashville, the Lady Blazers have prepared for this time of year against top competition playing multiple out of state teams, plus 5A finalist Greene County Tech, along with handing 6A finalist Cabot its first loss of the season in a 2-1 victory on April 15.
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5A
When: Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Teams: Benton vs Greene County Tech
Benton (31-0)
Head Coach: Heidi Cox
Benton has not been defeated in the past two seasons (62-0) and will try to win back-to-back state championships for the first time since 2004-05. The Lady Panthers have played the toughest schedule of any team in the state and now have another great team in Greene County Tech they must get past before hoisting the trophy on their home field once again.
Despite all the pressure that not only comes with being the No. 1 overall team in your state, but also Top 10 nationally, Benton head coach Heidi Cox mentioned that the Lady Panthers have just been trying to enjoy the process and not worry about all of the outside noise.
“Last year was just playing and having fun and having a good time,” Cox said. “This year it is just carrying over. Winning a championship was so much fun and then this year it kicked back on us. We have had a lot closer games and that is what we need. Towards the end we have talked about pressure and how it is not real, it is just something in your head. We are super proud of them, but your ultimate goal is to take it one game in the state tournament, get that state championship, just relax and have fun.”
Benton has only given up four runs in May and have yet to allow a run in the postseason outscoring opponents 17-0 with two no-hitters. It is hard to argue that they do not have the top combination of arms in Arkansas with Alyssa Houston (81.1 IP, 166 SO, .52 ERA) and Elana Scott (89.2 IP, 134 SO, .47 ERA) that have been almost unhittable this year.
“Our pitching staff is phenomenal and are two of the best in the state,” Cox said. “I understand that Arkansas has great pitching, but these two have been an awesome combination and we will hopefully continue that. We try to flip-flop them-[normally] one will throw five [innings] and the other will throw two unless the other is struggling. They both always want it.”
Scott and Houston have also been great at the plate, and in the semifinals against Sheridan the duo went 7-8, scored 4 runs, and batted 6 runs in. Senior shortstop Shelby Samples is another one of the Lady Panthers’ top bats hitting .440 on the year.
Greene County Tech (26-4-1)
Head Coach: David Reynolds
Greene County Tech is looking to win the program’s first state title against a team that handed them one of only two in-state losses this season. The Lady Eagles are on a 11-game win streak since falling to Benton 3-0 on April 14th and head coach David Reynolds mentioned that they have just been looking ahead since then.
“Obviously, that is in the back of our minds, and we know just how good Benton is” Reynolds said. “Anytime you are playing on the last weekend of the season in a state championship game, that's all the motivation you need.”
The Lady Eagles’ other three losses came to out of state competition during the Gulf Coast Classic tournament in Gulf Shores over spring break and they also split a doubleheader with Batesville, but other than that it has been nothing short of positive vibes playing very well against a tough non-conference schedule and winning the 5A East.
“I think that [the tough schedule] has given us a little bit of confidence in ourselves that we needed,” Reynolds said. “If you look at the finals in all classifications, we have played three teams-Valley View, Benton, Cabot-that are still playing along with the Top 2 7A schools in Alabama. Just being in those games and being able to compete with those calibers of teams allowed us to see that we had the ability to make a run and gave the kids the confidence to go and be themselves.”
The team is led by seniors Carleigh Hollis, Hannah Stallings, and Kylie Stokes but there have been many step up to help get to this point including junior ace pitcher Karley Burrow with a 19-2 record with a 1.36 earned run average, and 122 strikeouts who will need to continue that success against a tough Benton lineup.
Offensively, sophomore Ava Carter has put up the top stat line (.526 BA, .659 OBP, 36 RBI, 2 HR, 24 stolen bases) followed by Stokes (.506 BA, .557 OBP, 29 RBI, 18 stolen bases).
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6A
When: Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
Teams: Bentonville vs Cabot
Bentonville (23-3)
Head Coach: Kent Early
For the sixth-consecutive season, Bentonville has reached the state championship and is hoping to repeat as champions after winning three in a row from 2016-18, as well as last year defeating Conway. Excluding three losses to overall No. 1 Benton, the Lady Tigers for the most part have cruised through their schedule defeating the likes of Calvary Baptist out of Shreveport, Hallsville (TX), defending 2A champion and current finalist Tuckerman, and 3A Kansas powerhouse Frontenac.
After being down early to North Little Rock in the quarterfinals of the state tournament, Bentonville came storming back to win 11-4 then went on the run-rule Bryant 13-3 in the semifinals that advanced the Lady Tigers into the championship game.
“The kids were pretty confident and focused coming into the game,” Bentonville head coach Kent Early told SBLive after the game. “I’ve got a really good group of girls, and the credit goes to them. They work so stinking hard and do everything you ask them to do, and you just saw what they showed up to do.”
Bentonville is loaded with college prospects who have continued to produce at the plate including Oklahoma Baptist signee Alleyna Rushing (.478 BA, .525 OBP, 17RBI), Arkansas commit Kasey Wood (.471 BA, .576 OBP, 21 RBI, 4 HR), and Omaha commit Sara Watson (.427 BA, .510 OBP, 30 RBI, 2 HR). Wood has pitched 58 innings this season with a perfect game to her name, along with a stellar .97 earned run average, but has also thrived at her primary spot in the infield.
“Ryann Sanders has been our No. 1 [pitcher] this year because Kasey is so outstanding at third base,” Early said. “There is not another player like her, she is a Gold Glove at third.”
Sanders has thrown 86.2 innings achieving a 14-1 record striking out 111 batters while compiling an earned run average of 1.78.
Cabot (21-5)
Head Coach: Chris Cope
Following a Final Four exit from the state tournament last season, Cabot is back in the state title game facing off against a familiar opponent in Bentonville that it defeated 5-3 three years ago.
“Playing Bentonville will be a tall task for sure,” Cope said. “They are well-coached and their whole lineup is solid. Their experience in the final game is a big plus for them. We are hoping we continue to play well and get some good practices before Thursday and then see what happens as we play our game.”
Cabot got off to a blazing hot start reeling off 13 straight wins from the beginning of May through mid-April before 4A state finalist Valley View upset them 2-1. The Lady Panthers then lost four of their final eight games down the stretch before postseason play began, albeit to good competition in 6A quarterfinalist Conway, overall No. 1 Benton, semifinalist Bryant, and 5A finalist Greene County Tech.
“April was a tough month for sure losing a few games, but we learned from those losses and went back to work as usual,” Cope said. “Three of those losses came from teams that are in the finals just like us.”
Cabot responded in the state tournament blanking Rogers Heritage 9-0 in the quarterfinals before winning a pitcher’s duel against Rogers 2-1 that Lady Panthers ace Akayla Barnard shined as she has all year allowing two hits while striking out 13 batters. Barnard allowed just three hits total and that one run to Rogers in the two-game span of the state tournament and has compiled a 1.08 earned run average through 122.2 innings this season.
“This past weekend was fun,” Cope said. “The girls came together and played two of their best games of the year. It was an all-around team effort-good pitching, good defense with no errors, and our bats came alive when we needed them from several different players.”
One of those bats that came alive was Bri Garriga’s who went 3-4 with a home run, and two RBI. Barnard is another who has led the lineup throughout the season (.465 BA, .553 OBP, 25 RBI, 7 HR) along with Emma Scales (.478 BA, .556 OBP, 5 HR), Emily Whitman (.463 BA, .510 OBP, 17 RBI, 2 HR), and Emma Holland (.382 BA, .456 OBP, 25 RBI, 4 HR).
