St. Mary’s Colgan junior pitcher Bella Ascanio and head coach Cassie Rhuems both earned top honors from Sports in Kansas for their outstanding 2026 high school softball seasons.
Ascanio won both the Class 2-1A player and pitcher of the year and Rhuems was named coach of the year.
The Panthers finished their season 27-3 overall and won the 2-1A state championship with a 5-0 win May 29 over Mission Valley at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence.
They also completed an unbeaten run through CNC League play at 12-0 and their only losses came against Arkansas large school powerhouse Bentonville, 4A state champion Fort Scott and Missouri Class 2 school East Newton.
Ascanio went 27-3 in the circle with a 1.02 ERA and she threw every single one of the Panthers’ 185 2/3 innings this season and finished with 299 strikeouts. Opponents hit .157 against Ascanio.
Ascanio tallied a .471 batting average, .574 on-base percentage, 41 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 44 RBI and 36 runs scored and balanced 20 walks over 14 strikeouts at the plate.
In her first season at the helm of the Panthers after coming over from county and conference rival Frontenac, Rhuems coached her sixth state championship winner and her third winner in a row. The Raiders won state titles in 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2024-25.
CLASS 5A
Pittsburg head coach Chanc Gomez tied with Great Bend’s Shawn Behr for coach of the year honors. Gomez guided the Purple Dragons to their second state tournament appearance in as many seasons and they shared the Southeast Kansas League title with Fort Scott.
Senior pitcher Breck Slaughter, senior infielder Brette Pasteur and freshman outfielder Brecken Campbell all earned first team.
Kenleigh Warford, Laney Trisler and Micah Gomez each received honorable mention.
St. Thomas Aquinas junior Addison Sabers won player of the year and Bishop Carroll’s Allyson Orth and Keira Stripling shared pitcher of the year.
CLASS 4A
Head coach Kent Aikin and junior pitcher Kyndal Aikin of the state champion Fort Scott Tigers earned coach and pitcher of the year honors for their outstanding seasons.
Senior infielder Raylee Cowan, senior outfielder Abbie Gorman and freshman utility/designated player Kaylee Aikin joined Kyndal Aikin on the first team.
Senior catcher Aubrey Yarick and junior outfielder Alli Wheeler were second team and Jacee Rogers, Rylee Loercher and Bryleigh Hymer honorable mention.
Chanute sophomore Brynna Peter earned second team and Kylee Miller and Aly Splechter honorable mention.
Labette County’s Karsyn Moore and Keelie Good both were honorable mention, while Independence’s Rylan Swearingen and Parsons’ Braelyn Mitchell were both their schools’ lone representatives as honorable-mention selections.
Wamego junior Alana McCarthy won player of the year.
CLASS 3A
Frontenac junior infielder Gracen McLaren and junior outfielder Stevi Likely were both named first team to highlight six overall selections for the state-qualifying Raiders.
Freshman pitcher Ace Ogle and freshman infielder Paige Unruh each made second team and sophomores Hadley and Haydn Goodwin each received honorable mention.
Girard senior Maddie Coester, sophomore Emilie Hanks and freshman Jazmyn Kaufman each were named honorable mention.
Baxter Springs sophomore pitcher Jada Palmer and senior infielder Myka Adams were both named second team and Emily Schoon, Kierstan Burggraf and Sadie Miller also earned honorable mention for the state-qualifying Lions.
Galena junior infielder Rylie Meyr earned second team and Makenzy New, Makaila Matthews and Morgan Strong honorable mention.
Columbus’ Bentley Townsend received honorable mention.
Silver Lake’s Kailyn Hanni won player of the year, Oskaloosa’s Lily Pullen pitcher of the year and SE of Saline’s Tyler Smith and Silver Lake’s Nick Hamilton shared coach of the year.
CLASS 2-1A
Colgan junior catcher Kylee Kretchmar, sophomore infielders Callie Lundy and Kara Osborn and freshman outfielder Drew Dayton joined Ascanio on the first team.
Addie Bettega and Addie Morris both received honorable mention.
Northeast senior infielder Destiny Hagan earned second team and Erin Doubledee honorable mention.
Southeast senior Braelyn Sutton also took honorable mention.
Uniontown junior pitcher Kaelynn Hathaway and freshman catcher Kinsley Harris were first team, sophomore infielder McKenna Wolf second team and Jordi Wolf, Anniston Kelly and Kiara Stock each received honorable mention for the third-place Eagles.
This sports reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/fund/support-local-journalism-project-fund
