11 a.m.—Spring Hill 26-2 vs. Great Bend 22-6
1 p.m.—St. Thomas Aquinas 23-4 vs. KC Piper 20-5
3 p.m.—Maize South 25-3 vs. Topeka Seaman 22-6
5 p.m.—Wichita Carroll 24-4 vs. Basehor-Linwood 20-5
KSHSAA Covered
GREAT BEND (22-6) vs. Spring Hill (26-2)
GREAT BEND COACH Carrie Minton
REGIONAL—def. Newton 4-3; def. Goddard 5-3.
KEY PLAYERS—Paige Thexton, sr., SS; DeShawnna Bryant, jr., OF; Kya Behr, fr., 2B; Braelyn Turner, so., P; Chayla Prendergast, fr., P.
NOTES— Trip to state is 11th for Panthers, first since 2015. … Panthers topped Goddard for regional title after Lions knocked out two-time defending champion Valley Center in regional semifinals. … Great Bend went 10-2 in Western Athletic Conference and also had key wins over McPherson, 6A qualifier Derby and Salina South. … Bulk of roster are sophomores (7) and freshmen (4) with just three seniors and one junior. … Panthers are hitting .365 as a team and have 87 extra base hits including 15 home runs. … Behr is hitting .500 as a freshman and has 42 RBI and struck out just once in 107 plate appearances. … Bryant is hitting .494 with 37 RBI. … Thexton has scored 43 runs and is hitting .393. … Turner has a 3.29 ERA with 69 strikeouts and Prendergast has a 3.87 ERA with 63 strikeouts.
SPRING HILL (26-2) vs. Great Bend (22-6)
COACH Corey Katzer
REGIONAL--def. Leavenworth 15-0; def. Lansing, 3-0
KEY PLAYERS—Mya January, sr., SS; Jaleigh White, jr., P/CF; Emma Reeves, jr., 1B; Olivia Fraley, so., 2B; Nora Burrell, jr., 3B/C; Ellie Ruffin, jr., OF; Halle McFarland, 3B/DP; Jayden Kistner, P’ Kaylyn Gilliland, P.
NOTES—The Broncos have qualified for state each of the past four seasons and has fallen in the quarterfinals each of the past three seasons. … Trip to state is 12th overall for the program and the Broncos won state titles in 1986, 2004, 2016 and 2017 – the last three of those in Class 4A and the first when all classes were combined as one. … Katzer is one win from 250 in 20th season overall (fourth at Spring Hill). … Broncos were undefeated Frontier League champions and won league for second straight year and third time in four years. … Only losses came to fellow 5A qualifier St. Thomas Aquinas in a doubleheader split and 6A Shawnee Mission North. … Broncos have wins over 6A qualifier Olathe Northwest and a sweep of 4A qualifier Eudora. … January is hitting .425 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI. … White is hitting .536 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI. … Burrell (.481), McFarland (.426), Ruffin (.411), Fraley (.407) and Reeves (.406) are all hitting over .400. … Fraley has 27 RBI and Burrell has 23, McFarland has 22 and Reeves has 19. … White is also 15-1 with a 0.45 ERA and 113 strikeouts. … Kistner is 6-0 and Gilliland is 4-1.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (23-4) vs. KC Piper (20-5)
AQUINAS COACH Keith Hughes
REGIONAL—def. Bonner Springs 8-3; def. St. James Academy 5-2.
KEY PLAYERS—Kelsey Schenck, sr.; Aurora Sweetland, jr., P; Charlotte Teddy, jr., P; Ella Przybylski, jr., C; Vivian Masker, jr., OF; Keyle Ellsworth, jr., OF; Shalynn Elmore, jr., OF; Alayna Vaeth, so., P/OF; Sage Glodowski, so.; Addison Sabers, fr., IF; Clara Pinkham, fr., IF.
NOTES—Aquinas makes its 18th overall in program history. … Saints have two state championships, coming in 1997 and 2008. … Saints went undefeated in tough Eastern Kansas League to win league title for second straight season. … That included sweeps of 6A qualifiers Blue Valley and Blue Valley West. … All four losses came to state-qualifying teams – 6As Olathe West (twice) and Olathe South and 5A top seed Spring Hill, with Aquinas splitting with South and Spring Hill. … Schenck is four-year starter. … 23 wins are program record.
KC PIPER (20-5) VS. St. Thomas Aquinas (23-4)
KC PIPER COACH Stan McAfee
REGIONAL—def. Highland Park 17-1; def. Shawnee Heights 14-3
KEY PLAYERS—Emma Moppin, sr., P; Gabby Salazar, sr., CF; Taylor Gladieux, sr., LF; Sage Grann, sr., C; Reagan Wiehe, sr., 1B; Rylie Wiseman, jr., RF; Ty Ollie, jr., 2B; Gabi Rogers, jr., SS; Brylee Little, jr., 3B; Adriana Lopez, jr., 3B.
NOTES—Pirates earned first state berth since 2018. … Pirates won a state title in 1994 in Class 4A. ... Piper qualified for state five straight years from 2014-18 during McAfee's first stint as head coach, taking second in 2016 and third in 2015. ... Four of five losses came in tough United Kansas Conference play with the league sending three teams to the 5A state tournament. … Pirates split with league champion and 5A qualifier Basehor-Linwood and also split with 5A qualifier Seaman. … Piper won two of three against Shawnee Heights, including blowout in regional championship. … Moppin is 16-1 this season with a 1.68 ERA and 124 strikeouts. ... Grann is hitting .544.
TOPEKA SEAMAN (22-6) vs. Maize South (25-3)
TOPEKA SEAMAN COACH Jay Monhollon
REGIONAL—def. Salina Central 7-1; def. Salina South 2-1
KEY PLAYERS—Rosalie Schneider, sr., 3B; Raegan McConnell, jr., C; Jersey Jellison, sr., 1B; Paige Glasgow, sr., LF.
NOTES—Trip to state is ninth under Monhollon during his 13-year tenure. … Vikings were Class 5A state champions in 2016 and took third in 2018, 2014 and 2012. … Vikings split with fellow 5A qualifier Piper and 6A qualifier Washburn Rural and also beat 4A qualifier Clearwater. … Five of six losses came to state-qualifying teams – 5A qualifiers Piper and Basehor-Linwood (twice), 6A qualifier Washburn Rural and 4A qualifier Eudora. … McConnell leads team with .535 average while sophomore Aubrey Warren is hitting .485, Schneider is hitting .450, sophomore Kinsley Smith is hitting. 439 and Jellison is at .435. … Schneider has 6 home runs and 34 RBI while Jellison has 5 homers and 35 RBI and Glasgow has 4 home runs and 33 RBI. … McConnell also has 35 RBI and Warren has 32. … Sophomore Addison Sibley is 10-1 with a 2.67 ERA and junior Kaelyn O’Rourke is 8-4 with a 1.88 ERA and 147 strikeouts.
MAIZE SOUTH (25-3) vs. Topeka Seaman (22-6)
MAIZE SOUTH COACH Cody Stucky
REGIONAL—def. Emporia 14-0; def. Andover Central 4-0
KEY PLAYERS—Sophie Stockam, jr., P/3B; Lizzy Lassley, jr., C; Kiley Thornquist, so., SS; Kinslee Cottner, fr., P/3B.
NOTES-- Mavericks making fourth trip to state in program history and best finish was a runner-up showing in 2014. … Maize South won Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division I title and swept 6A qualifiers Derby and Campus as well as two-time defending 5A champion Valley Center. … Only losses came to 5A qualifier Bishop Carroll, district rival Maize and Salina South, the latter two coming in doubleheader splits. … Mavericks were just 14-8 last year in Stucky’s first as head coach of the program. … Mavericks have won 19 of last 20 games and have set numerous school records this season. … Stockam is 14-0-1 with a 1.64 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 85.1 innings. … She’s also hitting .416 with 8 home runs and 38 RBI. … Cottner is 10-2 with a 3.01 ERA and 66 strikeouts and is hitting .345 with 7 home runs and 24 RBI. … Lassley has scored 35 runs and is hitting .419. … Thornquist is hitting .516 with 7 home runs, 47 RBI and 43 runs scored. … Only three seniors on the roster.
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (20-5) vs. Wichita Carroll (24-4)
BASEHOR COACH Susan Mayberry
REGIONAL—def. De Soto 10-0; def. Pittsburg 2-1.
KEY PLAYERS—Harley Baker, sr., CF; Kaleigh Small, sr., SS; Trinity Deters, fr., 3B.
NOTES—Bobcats qualified for state for the fourth straight year and won the United Kansas Conference for the third straight season. … Basehor has 11 state appearances overall and won a state championship in 2010 and was runner-up in 2021 and 2022 before falling in quarterfinals last year. … Mayberry won her 400th game at Basehor this season and is 414-169 in 27 years. … Bobcats swept fellow 5A qualifier Seaman and split with fellow 5A qualifier Piper. … Only other losses came to 3A qualifier Silver Lake (twice), Shawnee Heights and Gardner-Edgerton, the latter two in doubleheader splits. … Bobcats had to replace five senior starters off last year’s team. … Baker is hitting .431 from the leadoff spot with 4 home runs and 20 RBI. … Small is hitting .433 with 3 home runs and 20 RBI. … Deters has 3 home runs and 30 RBI and is hitting .388.
WICHITA CARROLL (24-4) vs. Basehor-Linwood (20-5)
WICHITA CARROLL COACH Steve Harshbarger
REGIONAL—def. Andover 3-1; def. Goddard Eisenhower 6-3.
KEY PLAYERS—Allyson Orth, so., P/U; Keira Stripling, fr., P/U; Cambell Riordan, sr., 1B; Anistyn Marcotte, sr., 3B.
NOTES—Carroll is making 18th consecutive state tournament appearance, the last 11 coming under Harshbarger, who is 223-15. … Program has 14 state titles overall, the last coming in 2021. … Golden Eagles won five straight titles from 2011-15. … Carroll was undefeated Greater Wichita Athletic League champions this season, winning every league game via run rule and never scoring less than 14 runs in a league contest. … Carroll swept 6A qualifier Washburn Rural and beat fellow 5A qualifier Maize South and also split with 6A qualifiers Olathe Northwest and Derby. … Other two losses came to Maize in season opener and Eisenhower in regular-season finale with Eagles avenging the latter of those losses in the regional finals. … Stripling has been stellar in circle with 2.44 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 71.2 innings, while also hitting .637 with 23 RBI and 15 stolen bases. … Orth has a 1.06 ERA with 42 strikeouts and is hitting .487 with 34 runs scored. … Riordan is hitting .575 with 6 home runs and 56 RBI. … Marcotte has 4 homers and 36 RBI and is hitting .417.
