High school softball 2026 season preview: Emerald Ridge Jaguars
The high school softball season is underway in Washington, and The News Tribune has been making stops across the South Sound, visiting local programs at practices as games begin. Up next, we’re previewing a handful of teams individually as they begin league play.
Here’s how things are shaping up for the Emerald Ridge Jaguars this spring.
Editor’s note: The “outlook” section for each program is pulled from the TNT’s practice tour. Find the full practice tour story here, complete with insight on several teams in the area, quotes, photos, videos and more.
EMERALD RIDGE JAGUARS
Head coach: Adam Schakel, 2nd season
2025 results: 21-10, Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals
OUTLOOK
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.”
KEY PLAYERS
C/UTIL Jayda Guadron
OF Payton Robillard
SS Riley Rooney
SAVE THE DATE
April 14: at Graham-Kapowsin, 4 p.m.
April 22: at Rogers, 7 p.m.
April 28: at Puyallup, 4 p.m.
