High school softball: 2026 South Sound preseason practice tour
Welcome back to high school softball season.
As games begin in March, The News Tribune is visiting local programs across the South Sound, providing photos, videos and insight on what to expect during the 2026 season.
Follow high school sports reporter Tyler Wicke (@WickeTyler) on X for updates on social media. Also, follow reporter Jon Manley (@manley_tnt) for updates on our South Sound baseball practice tour.
Staff photographers Liesje Powers (@liesbethpowers) and Brian Hayes (@_Brian_ICT) will also be out around the South Sound photographing games throughout the spring.
TAHOMA BEARS
When Alicia Thompson was hired as an educator at Tahoma High School last year, standout pitcher Alexa Ramirez made sure to find her in the hallways. The Bears needed a new head softball coach, and Ramirez knew her former U12 coach was the perfect choice for the job.
“I made it a point to come talk to her,” Ramirez told The News Tribune.
Thompson, the former head coach at Auburn Mountainview, was on the fence. Was this the right time to return to the dugout?
She certainly isn’t second-guessing herself anymore.
“Now that I’m in it and get to be a part of this… These girls, from day one, impressed me with their teamwork and work ethic,” Thompson said. “They’re hungry, for sure.”
A year after she first arrived in Maple Valley, Thompson assumes a Bears roster oozing with top-to-bottom lineup depth and a workhorse pitcher in the circle. In 2024, a freshman Ramirez broke the school’s single-season strikeout record and shattered her own mark as a sophomore (167 K) — all while slashing .500/.548/.796 with 24 RBI at the plate last spring.
“I don’t want to be just a pitcher or a pitcher who can hit. I want to be a pitcher who hits,” Ramirez said.
She forms one of the area’s best batteries with senior catcher Kalani Higa, a Cal Poly commit and two-time TNT All-Area selection. Both consider it a full-circle moment, now seven years since their sisters played together at Tahoma in 2019.
“I already knew (Kalani’s) family from when I was very young,” Ramirez said. “We already had a relationship, but as a pitcher-catcher, she works with me really well. She knows my pitches, and I asked her to be honest if things aren’t working. She can be a little too honest sometimes, but I really appreciate that.
“We’re able to joke together, and we don’t take it personally.”
For Ramirez and Higa, there is no offseason.
“I’ll catch her even during the summer, just to keep up with understanding how her pitches are moving and understanding her progress,” Higa said.
Tahoma’s backstop has a front-row seat each time Ramirez delivers strikeout after strikeout. Higa said the energy is contagious.
“It’s really just electric,” she said. “It’s very much a mental game, and my favorite part is being able to help (pitchers) with their emotions while they’re in the circle. I can kind of ease their mind a little bit.
“Just feeling that energy… it flows through the entire field.”
Tahoma features reigning 4A NPSL MVP Mia Hammington in center field, her preferred club softball position after playing right field for the Bears last spring. Thompson dubbed the senior a “rare triple threat” with a blend of power, speed, and a strong arm. It’s for good reason: Hammington (.642 AVG) hit more doubles than singles as a junior, going 19-for-19 on stolen-base attempts with nine home runs.
She’s caught plenty of opponents sleeping.
“I try to think about the count that the batter’s in to assess what pitch they’re gonna get,” Hammington said. “(I’ll go) if it’s a good pitch to steal on. I watch the catcher on a bobble or a drop ball because it’ll take them a second to grab it.
“I try to look for little mistakes to capitalize on.”
Sophomore 1B/C Kelsey Jones will split time with Higa behind the dish. Junior OF/P Sienna Shultz relieves Ramirez when needed, but expect plenty of innings for the latter.
Tahoma fell in the opening round of last year’s 4A state tournament. This time around, they’re on track to become one of the bracket’s heavyweights, should they get back.
“We know the competition is very tough for 4A,” Hammington said, “but we have a lot of talent coming in that will help us throughout the lineup.”
Added Ramirez: “When we go to practice, we’re having fun, we’re goofing off. But when it’s time to work hard, we do work hard for that one goal.”
ROGERS RAMS
Mike Hawkins lost count of how many coaches approached him in awe of Rogers’ star pitcher after games last season — usually after Sierra Murray had shut them down.
“Wow, did she transfer in?” they’d ask. “Is that a senior?”
Rogers’ head coach smiled. “No, that kid’s 14. She’s a freshman.
“And they were like, ‘What?’”
Murray won’t catch teams by surprise this spring. The reigning freshman TNT All-Area Player of the Year announced herself as one of the state’s top arms in 2025, striking out 252 batters with a 1.35 ERA. Rogers’ ace took them all the way to the 4A championship game, a 3-1 loss to Skyview.
But Murray doesn’t want to dwell on last season, the good or bad.
“I’ve just got to focus on the future,” she said Wednesday. “It’ll be fun this year.”
Murray mixes a rise ball, changeup, and brand-new drop ball. Last year, she slashed .413/.477/.653 at the plate and drove in 18 runs, all while playing in a 4A SPSL considered one of the state’s most-competitive.
“We feel like she’s obviously one of the better pitchers in the state, and can carry us through some tough times when maybe we’re not scoring a lot of runs,” Hawkins said. “We had a lot of tight games last year, so the kids got used to playing in the close games and didn’t seem to get flustered or intimidated or scared by the situation.
“They just kept playing. I think that’s gonna serve us well in the future.”
Rogers returns TNT All-Area outfielder Payton Walling (.459 AVG, 13 HR) alongside first-team SPSL infielder Madison Adair (.303 AVG), but Hawkins lost a total of eight varsity players from last year’s state runner-up team. Despite a “whole-new look,” he thinks this team can be even stronger.
They’ll start Cascade Christian transfer Addison Fredericks at shortstop, a multi-tool Nevada commit. Rogers arm Emma Mitchell was a 4A SPSL first-team utility pick last spring and freshman Zyra Ruiz adds pitching depth, both slated to lessen Murray’s heavy workload.
But Hawkins knows that when push comes to shove, Rogers will turn to their ace.
“We always get along,” Murray said. “All of the girls are funny. We always have fun during everything. Practices, games, anything like that.”
EMERALD RIDGE JAGUARS
A year from now, head coach Adam Schakel knows he’ll be reminding his pitchers: Remember what Jayda Guadron taught you.
The Jaguars welcomed several new faces this spring, but all of them know that Emerald Ridge’s senior catcher is the standard. Guadron, a Central Washington commit, slashed .513/.547/.803 with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage behind the plate last year. The TNT All-Area first-team utility pick struck out just six times across 86 plate appearances, driving in 35 runs and stealing 16 bases.
“A lot of the success here at Emerald Ridge is due to her,” Schakel said. “Not just because she’s an amazing player, but she’s a great person. She’s a good leader. Great kid, loves to play.
“And she plays (flag football), too. … She takes some of that football toughness and brings it to our team, and you see it in the game.”
Guadron’s mindset? Keep it simple.
“Just watching the ball all the way in,” she said Wednesday. “And knowing myself, knowing my swing. I work so hard to build my mechanics up, and then build power from that.”
Emerald Ridge rolled to a top-six finish at the 4A state tournament last May, guided by one of the league’s top batteries in Guadron and graduated No. 1 arm Alanna Wirtala, now at Western Washington University. With a new-look pitching staff, can the Jaguars make another deep playoff run?
Schakel knows state berths don’t come easy for anyone in the 4A SPSL. It’s widely considered one of Washington’s top leagues, featuring three of the state tournament’s final six teams last spring. When first-year head coach guided the Jaguars to last year’s big dance in Richland, he remembers texting fellow SPSL coaches on the way home: “Man, you guys could’ve been here, too.”
“We want to play against the best,” Schakel said. “We tell the girls that all the time: You’re lucky, super fortunate to measure yourself against what the best in the state has to offer.”
Returning center fielder Payton Robillard sets the table at leadoff, one of Emerald Ridge’s top defenders with plus speed. The Jaguars return infielder Riley Rooney and added Cassidy Garrity, a Rogers transfer. Expect sophomore Jayden Kraft and freshman Addison Hansen in the circle.
“I coached football for a long time,” Schakel said, who guided the Jaguars on the gridiron from 2019-2024. “Generally speaking, if the boys play well, they’re in a good mood.
“If the girls are in a good mood, they play well.”
AUBURN RIVERSIDE RAVENS
Hannah Potter launched 14 home runs for the Ravens last spring, the South Sound’s all-classification leader. What’s her target for 2026?
“I’m trying to get a little more,” she said Tuesday. “But if I try to, it’s not gonna happen. I’m focusing more on my batting average than my home runs, and they come.”
The home runs are certainly a bonus — but after moving to the South Sound last year, Potter quickly became more than the 4A NPSL’s most-feared catcher. She became Auburn Riverside’s voice, too, voted senior captain before joining North Texas next spring.
“That tells you a lot about what our girls think about Hannah,” said head coach Bryce Strand, who guided the Ravens to the 3A state title in 2024. “She is a true leader, a leader by example. She’s the vocal leader on the team.
“She has a real presence at the plate. When she’s up there, she just exudes confidence. … She just plays bigger than the game sometimes.”
Potter’s calling pitches for No. 1 right-hander Kylee Curtis, a promising right-hander with 50 strikeouts to just 14 walks last spring (11-5, 4.72 ERA). The younger arms earned more reps when graduated ace pitcher Danica Butler lost the bulk of her senior season to injury. Butler is now at Montana State University Billings.
Also back is third baseman Katelyn Taylor, a senior defensive specialist who’s “really taken a step offensively,” Strand said.
Auburn Riverside’s early gauntlet begins with Graham-Kapowsin (March 12), Auburn Mountainview (March 17), and Fife (March 18). Strand knows a battle-tested style of schedule pays dividends down the road.
“All the best teams want to play the best teams,” he said.
SUMNER SPARTANS
Keira Roberts hasn’t yet logged a varsity at-bat, but the hype is already building for Sumner’s promising freshman.
The middle infielder wowed coaches with her glove from Sumner’s first practices — she’s also an early favorite to lead off the Spartans lineup this spring. Head coach Megan Gaines is more than optimistic.
“She can get anywhere and everywhere on the field,” Gaines said. “That’s going to be impressive for us.”
Even in a treacherous 4A SPSL, Sumner’s always a factor. The Spartans have finished with a winning record each year since 2019, reaching the 4A state semifinals in 2024. Can they keep that streak going?
“We’ve got really hungry girls,” Gaines said. “They walk in (on the) first day competitive, but they also like to have a lot of fun with it, which I think is a big strong point for them. They don’t take themselves too seriously. They’re more worried about playing the game than showing up on the stat records and things like that.”
Senior right-hander Josslyn Sorensen returns as Sumner’s No. 1 arm. Watch for a deceiving changeup from the Pacific Lutheran commit.
“(Josslyn) knows her pitches are always going to be on, what’s working, what’s not working,” Gaines said. “She also does a great job of knowing the batters that she’s facing, and having a heads-up smartness about her that way.”
The Spartans also returned first baseman Natalie Korschinowski and third baseman Naya Alastra, a plus baserunner. Senior Riley Meyers takes over in center field for graduated leadoff hitter Anna Thweatt.
Sumner opens their season with valley rival Puyallup at home on March 17. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
PUYALLUP VIKINGS
There’s a winning expectation each and every year at Puyallup High. Alec Elliott’s squad notched back-to-back third-place finishes at the state tournament in 2023-24, a true contender more often than not.
The Vikings fell short of the bracket last spring for the first time since 2019, but second baseman Kayla Ringenbach doesn’t expect that streak to stick around long.
“I think we have the potential to go really far,” Ringenbach said. “I’m just really excited to see what we can do with all of this new talent.”
That new talent includes 16 incoming freshmen, eight of them slated to see varsity time in 2026. Ringenbach, a junior, assumed a leadership role this spring — leading drills at tryouts and showing first-year players the ropes of high school softball. Elliott loves to see it.
“She’s just a hard worker and she does it the right way,” he said. “I think the cool part is seeing her lead a little bit more this year. Being such a young group, watching her lead by example.”
In 53 career games, Ringenbach has clobbered 4A SPSL pitching despite its status as one of the state’s toughest leagues, slashing .436/.505/.814. The batting average dipped ever so slightly (.448 to .418), but Ringenbach’s homers spiked and her strikeouts dropped. Expect another strong season for the reigning SPSL first-teamer.
Expect 6-foot-1 freshman pitcher Jaycee Kemp to earn a busy role after the graduation of TNT All-Area pick Kiera Thomas. Corner infielders Jenny Tuivaiave and Mackenzie Hardesty are back, and the strong freshman turnout helps fill the shoes of key graduates like Thomas, Amori Hargrove, and Paisley Jamison.
“Whenever you put the (Puyallup) uniform on, there’s an expectation that you make it to state,” Elliott said. “I think the freshman group knows that.”
TIMBERLINE BLAZERS
Head coach Lynsi Polanco has seen her fair share of homers, but nothing like Nevaeh Haagen’s blast in a game with Lincoln last spring. Nothing that far.
“She nuked it,” Polanco recalled Friday.
It’s what Haagen does. The reigning PSL Nisqually MVP clobbered 11 home runs and a South Sound-leading 61 RBI last season, adding 61 innings as Timberline’s No. 1 arm. Expect another two-way workhorse role for the Central Arkansas commit.
“I told her: Make sure that you’re going to a school that’s going to let you hit,” Polanco told The News Tribune, “because for you to go and be a pitcher only is a disgrace. She’s just so consistent with her hitting. She’s a power hitter, but she’s also just a line-drive, base-hit hitter. She gets on, she moves people around. She’s smart on the bases.
“Having her as one of our offensive weapons is just fun to watch.”
Can Timberline make another 3A state tournament run with its core intact? First-team INF/P Madelyn Gilmore moved to Hawaii, but the Blazers return the MVP Haagen and a pair of all-PSL picks — not to mention the chips on their shoulders after falling to eventual-champion Liberty in the first round of last year’s state bracket.
“We’re hoping to pick right up where we left off last year,” Polanco said. “There’s definitely a little more of a championship mindset. They’re hungry. They know that we have unfinished business from last year.”
All-league catcher Kayleese Dorfner forms one of the area’s best batteries with Haagen, also her club teammate. The junior backstop hit .390 with eight homers and 22 RBI last spring.
“Kayleese is a natural leader out there, which is what you expect out of a catcher,” Polanco said. “But she’s a perfectionist. She kind of beats herself up sometimes. But those are the kids that you know will prevail because she’s putting in extra work and making the little, minor tweaks that she needs to, in every aspect of the game.”
Watch for outfielder Brookelyn Read, too, a consistent contact hitter and “RBI machine,” Polanco said.
The defending 3A PSL champions open their league slate at Silas on March 16, weather permitting.
STADIUM TIGERS
When top arm Izzy Galindo graduated last spring, head coach Ed Wells didn’t have to look hard for a replacement. The Tigers returned a pair of left-handers and welcomed a promising freshman into the fold, offering plenty of depth in a rotation Stadium’s head coach considers a strength.
“It’s a nice mix,” Wells said Wednesday. “The mix of lefty, lefty, righty will eat some innings.”
Freshman right-hander Josilyn Pendergrass joins southpaws Ella Enciso and Lily Hart — and all three are set for instant roles in the circle.
Wells expects a step forward for the sophomore Enciso, who notched a 3.92 ERA in just over 30 innings pitched last spring. Hart is Stadium’s primary first baseman (.444 AVG, 25 RBI in 2025) and Pendergrass is “definitely going to be an asset,” Wells said.
Expect a strong defense in North Tacoma led by its senior leaders. Stadium returns Saint Martin’s commit London Kim at catcher, Willamette commit Kate Erickson in center field, along with Hart roaming the infield. It’s a group Wells can always count on.
“They’re consistent,” he said. “They put in a lot of the hard work. It shows.
“I lean on them a lot to introduce things to the team and make sure that things are done right. And they definitely hold the team accountable, each other accountable. That’s a big thing when it comes to leadership.”
Kim paced the Tigers in batting average (.444), RBI (30), and home runs (7) last season.
“That’s something at Stadium... We’ve been able to always have a good catcher along the way,” Wells said, “and London’s definitely filled the shoes.”
PENINSULA SEAHAWKS
Mike Paul guided the Seahawks to the 3A state title in 2023, but pound-for-pound? This might be his best group yet.
“This is the best group of kids, as a total, that I’ve ever had,” Peninsula’s head coach told The News Tribune. “Bar none. Not close. We don’t have (2023 All-Area Player of the Year Alli Kimball), but man, I’m 12 deep of kids that would’ve started for my state team. It’s super fun. Really excited.”
Expect plenty of runs and a stingy defense in Purdy, where Paul has the pieces to contend in the Puget Sound League and beyond.
He won’t have to worry about turnout: Peninsula welcomed 15 freshmen to the program this spring and boasted four catchers at Monday’s practice. The Seahawks return four upperclassmen, including senior Meghan Webster and two-way junior Vivien Sweet.
“I have very high expectations,” Sweet said Monday. “We all just hold ourselves to a really high standard, so we’re all hoping to meet that standard this year.”
Sweet went 11-7 with a 4.46 ERA, slashing .436/.567/.692 with 28 RBI last season. Paul deemed Webster “the glue of the team,” featured at pitcher (4.12 ERA), infielder, and outfielder in 2025.
Paul’s particularly bullish on sophomore infielders Paige Jones (.474 AVG) and Izzy Michaels (.462 AVG), both with 37+ hits and 28+ RBI throughout promising freshman debuts.
“I expect both of them to compete for MVP of the league,” their coach said. “We fail as coaches if they’re not in that spot, because they’re that good.”
Freshman arms Abby Hoyt and Newby Wagner are competing for starting roles. So are freshman catchers Maddison McCasland, Kamea Salazar, and Olivia Strilcov.
If the pitching comes together? Watch out.
“I’m hoping to place at state this year,” Sweet said, “and hopefully go home with some hardware.”
TNT sports reporter Jon Manley contributed to this story.
GIG HARBOR TIDES
Gig Harbor graduated five seniors with all-league 3A PSL honors last spring, but reinforcements are on the way. After three straight trips to the state tournament, can this new-look Tides team make it four?
“Those are big shoes to fill,” first-year head coach Nick DeVaney said, “but we had some starting sophomores last year that kind of cut their teeth and got some very quick exposure.”
Mix in the upperclassmen, and DeVaney is bullish on what the Tides can accomplish in an up-for-grabs 3A PSL Narrows.
Gig Harbor welcomed senior Savanna Newville, a powerful Lakes transfer (.590 AVG in 2025) slated to split time at catcher and third base. She’ll form a catching committee with senior Payton Cantrell, an effort to keep both fresh for the postseason.
“(Payton) wants her senior year to be her best year, and you can just kind of see it in her attitude,” DeVaney said. “She just seems lighter... just excited and ready to go, which has been a lot of fun.”
Expect a pitching committee, too, after the graduation of standout University of Montana left-hander Danielle Biehl. Juniors Isabelle Bartlett and Hallie Hunter are locked into roles, joined by strike-throwing junior Payton Fradet and freshman Camden Riley.
“I think they’re going to step up,” DeVaney said. “I know that they want to, and I know they’re eager.”
Among Gig Harbor’s returners, look for infielders Willow Bonnici and Piper Harrison alongside outfielder Makenna DeVaney — all with 14+ RBI last season.
The Tides open their season with North Thurston (March 16) before visiting crosstown rival Peninsula on March 18.
FRANKLIN PIERCE CARDINALS
Kiley Sledge’s stats jump off the page. In 2025, the sophomore slashed an absurd .737/.757/1.684 with 12 home runs and 32 RBI, the driving force behind Franklin Pierce’s 2A SPSL title and state-tournament run. She even threw 40 innings in the circle, notching seven wins and 70 strikeouts.
How do you top that?
“I’ve increased my weight lifting a lot, so hopefully I’m hitting with a lot more power this year,” she told The News Tribune. “That was a big thing for me, just getting a lot stronger. Hopefully, that translates into my game this year.”
Sledge won’t pitch this year, settling into a permanent role at shortstop. That’s unless first-year Cardinals head coach Ron Angelot needs the Utah commit to weather the storm.
“Unless something happens,” Angelot said. “Like I told her, ‘If I need you to come in in the middle of an inning just to get out of the inning.’”
A handful of talented seniors graduated last spring, bringing plenty of new faces — including Angelot, who coached 2A SPSL rival Fife from 2022-25 — but Sledge headlines a roster that returns its entire infield. If Franklin Pierce figures out their pitching staff? A return trip to the postseason isn’t entirely out of the question.
“The biggest thing I want to see from these players… don’t get discouraged when you fail,” Angelot said. “And continue to work hard and improve. If we take the season as a whole and we look at where we’re at today and where we are at the end of the season, and we see a significant improvement in skillset, then it was a successful season.”
The returners include senior center fielder Lindsay Gade and sophomore sisters Kaela and Laela Andy. Senior catcher Neigha Garcia, who drove in 20 runs last year, is expected to miss the start of the season with a back injury.
Sophomore pitcher Kallie Sullivan is the early favorite to become Franklin Pierce’s top arm. And Sledge? Angelot offered high praise.
“I’ve never had the opportunity to coach a player of her caliber,” he said. “Nothing as fluid and as talented and as versatile as her. For as good a player as she is, from the short time that I’ve been around her, an even better kid. Just nice, polite.
“I think the word, if you were to ask any of her coaches, is ‘coachable.’ … For a player of her caliber, it makes my job significantly easier.”
Looking for more? The News Tribune will be making more stops over the coming days. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
