The Rockford Rockets are back in the Class AA state softball tournament for the first time since 2016, and AM1360 KRWC just like back in 2016 will be covering the Rockets in the state softball tournament. You can hear all their state games at AM1360 KRWC, krwc1360.com and on our app. Below is a preview for this year’s Class AA State Softball Tournament being held at Caswell Park in North Mankato, and at Jane Sage Cowles Field on the U of M Campus. Good luck to the Rockets at state.
The Teams:
#1 Seed: Lake Crystal Welcome Memorial Knights, 24-0.
How they got here: Defeated LeSeur Henderson, 2-1 in the 2AA finals.
State Appearance #: 4th.
Key Stat: The Knights have shutout eleven teams this season.
Key Players: Nettie Parsons (.500 BA, 14 Ks per game in the circle, eleven shutouts), Kylee Hall, (.333 BA.), and Piper Hellickson.
Did you know? Parsons will be attending Northwestern College to play softball next year.
Nettie Parsons, above, hopes to lead the undefeated Knights to their first state championship in school history.
#2 Seed: Jackson County Central Huskies, 25-1.
How they got here: Defeated Pipestone, 4-1 in 3AA finals.
State Appearance #: 6th. State Champs in 2004, and 2005.
Key Stat: The Huskies have scored ten runs or more thirteen times this season.
Key Players: Bailey Finck (.650 BA.), Miley VanDeVere (.600 BA, leads team in RBI’s.), and Mady Wachel, P (6 Ks per game.)
Did you know? Last year was the first time the Huskies made state since winning it back-to-back years in 04 and 05.
Bailey Finck, above, is the all-time home run leader for JCC.
#3 Seed: Caledonia Warriors, 26-2.
How they got here: Defeated Winona Cotter, 5-4 in 1AA finals.
State Appearance #: 1.
Key Stat: First state tournament appearance in school history.
Key Players: Elsa Blum, (.549 BA, 14 doubles.), Ashlyn Reinhart, (.443 BA, 3 HR, and 30 RBI.), and Avery Augedahl, (19-2 as a pitcher with a 0.65 ERA. 295 Ks in 172 innings.)
Did you know? Reinhart went 2-4 with two RBI’s, including the game winner in the bottom of the ninth sending the Warriors to state for the first time.
Caledonia, above, won in dramatic fashion against Winona Cotter in the Section 1AA finals to reach state for the first time.
#4 Seed: Rockford Rockets, 22-3.
How they got here: Defeated Southwest Christian, 7-1 in 4AA finals.
State Appearance #: 6.
Key Stat: Lilly Bury struck out 28 batters combined in the Rockets semifinal and finals wins over Annandale and Southwest Christian.
Key Players: Lilly Bury, (1.40 ERA as a pitcher and .400 BA.), Sofia Westgaard, (.429 BA, 4 HR, and 32 RBI.), and Kiera Griffin, (.462 BA.)
Did you know? The battery at Rockford is about to become rivals after this season. Westgaard, Catcher is going to South Dakota, while Bury, Pitcher is headed to South Dakota St.
Sofia Westgaard, left and Lilly Bury, right, from Rockford, make up one of the top catcher, pitcher combinations in the state
#5 Seed: St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders, 23-4.
How they got here: Defeated Kimball, 11-2 in 6AA finals.
State Appearance #: 5. State Champs in 2025.
Key Stat: The Crusaders outscored their section opponents by a combined score of 50-3 on their way to state.
Key Players: Liz Bell, (.600 BA.), Taylor Vought, (.600 BA, 4 HR, 21 RBI.), and Keira Alexander, P.
Did you know? The Crusaders defeated Hawley, 7-2 in the state title game last season. Vought and Kya Koening homered for the Crusaders, and they are back this season for SCC.
Taylor Vought, above, hit a home run in last year’s state championship game win for SCC, she is back along with her teammates and they are looking for another championship.
#6 Seed: Visitation Blazers, 21-3.
How they got here: Defeated Concordia Academy, 6-0 in 4AA finals.
State Appearance #: 4.
Key Stat: The Blazers have currently shut out their last five opponents, going 35 innings without allowing a run.
Key Players: C.C. Lamey, P, and Abigail Hermauer
Did you know? Hermauer is in her sixth and final year as a varsity player for the Blazers. She has been a starter for Visitation since 7th grade.
C.C. Lamey, above, has tossed five straight shutouts coming into the state tournament for the Blazers.
#7 Seed: Dilworth Glyndon Felton Rebels, 21-5.
How they got here: Defeated Roseau, 4-3 in 8AA final.
State Appearance #: 10. State Champs in 2023.
Key Stat: The Rebels lost to Roseau, 4-3, setting up a win or go home final, but the Rebels bounced back and won the second game 3-2, to advance to state.
Key Players: Mady Myklebust (.375 BA.), Danielle Boyd, (.475 BA.), and Autumn Leach, P (5 Ks per game.)
Did you know? The Chargers have reached the state tournament in four of the last five years and won the AA state championship in 2023.
DGF, above, has been a regular at the Class AA state tournament in softball, including winning the 2023 state championship.
#8 Seed: Esko Eskimos, 19-7.
How they got here: Defeated Greenway, 2-0 in 7AA finals.
State Appearance #: 12. State Champs in 1998.
Key Stat: Finished strong winning six straight to end the season after going 1-3 in the previous four games.
Key Players: Lucy Barta, (.445 BA.), Clara Summers, (.500 BA.) and Keira Leach, P.
Did you know? Leach gives the Eskimos valuable experience as she was also their ace pitcher at state last year.
Esko, above, celebrates their section final win over Greenway last week, advancing the Eskimos to the state tournament for the 12th time.
Rockets Chances of winning state? About as good as anyone else’s! Their first-round matchup with St. Cloud Cathedral could go either way. The Crusaders are the defending champs, and they can absolutely mash, but they don’t have a pitcher like Bury! The Rockets did defeat the Crusaders on May 15h, 8-6, so the Rockets know they can beat the defending champs. If Rockford gets to the semifinals, that’s the really tough one. LCWM is undefeated, comes from a very tough section and has Nettie Parsons in the circle who has been dominant this season. It is really hard to find any weaknesses with LCWM, I mean they beat a really good Annandale team this year, 15-6, so they can hit and pitch. Best chance for Rockford is Bury in the circle, don’t make any mistakes on defense, and when you get girls on base, get them to second and find a way to get that big hit with runners in scoring position. If the Rockets do make the finals, I like their chances against any team on the other side of the bracket. In fact, with the depth of the Rockets lineup, and the star power with Westgaard, who is a threat to hit it out every time she comes to the plate, I think the Rockets could win it all, but getting past LCWM in the semifinals would be a monumental task. There is no doubt with SCC and LCWM the Rockets got the wrong side of the bracket.
Rockford got a tough draw. First up, the defending state champs from St. Cloud Cathedral, above.
