Defending champions return at state softball
By Chris Basnett – For the Nebraska School Activities Association
With defending champions returning in all three classes, and plenty of state tournament-experienced teams trying to challenge them, the 2025 NSAA State Softball Championships promise to continue the momentum built on the last two seasons that have seen an explosion of attendance and interest.
Gretna in Class A, Beatrice in Class B, and Bishop Neumann in Class C will all try to bring home titles for the second year in a row, but a case could be made that none of the three are the favorites to bring home the title in the event that begins Wednesday at the Bill Smith Softball Complex in Hastings.
The three championship games will be played Monday, October 20, at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln.
Up-to-date championship information will be delivered via the NSAA Softball Championship HQ page with live GameChanger scoring for each contest as well as current brackets for each class.
CLASS A: Millard North seeks to complete the climb
Millard North has been close.
Last season the Mustangs went to the state final for the second straight year, where they ran into the unbeaten Gretna juggernaut that went 37-0 and beat the Mustangs 8-0 in the title game.
In 2023 Millard North beat Gretna to reach the championship game, only to fall to Papillion-La Vista.
Now in 2025 the Mustangs (32-4) are the No. 1 seed for the Class A state softball tournament, and perhaps the favorite in a balanced field to finally bring home that title.
“They are motivated to prove themselves this year,” Mustangs coach Travis Unzicker said. “Our team has worked incredibly hard to get back, and the past two years definitely have been used as the motivation.”
Seeking their first title since 1993, the first year of the Class A state softball tournament, the Mustangs lean on the senior trio of Jayda Juarez, Courtney Anthony and Macey Jarose, and a large junior class to grab the No. 1 seed.
That’s a lot of players who have seen up close what it takes to get to the top.
“It is a different mindset this year. Our girls feel like they have something to prove,” Unzicker said. “The experience from the past two years helps immensely in that they know what to expect.”
What Millard North is expecting this year is a wide-open bracket.
Millard West (26-7), the No. 2 seed, has given Millard North three of its four losses this season. Elkhorn South, who the Mustangs face in Wednesday morning’s opening round, is responsible for the other defeat.
No. 3 seed Lincoln Southwest and No. 6 seed Bellevue East have both played one-run games against the Mustangs in recent weeks. Bellevue East has won 13 of its last 14 games, with Millard North the only defeat.
Gretna, the defending champion, is the No. 5 seed. Papillon-La Vista, the 2023 champ, is the No. 4 seed.
“All eight teams are very good,” Unzicker said. “Good pitching in this year’s tournament across the board makes this a very tough state tournament.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Abby Beard (Millard North), .548 average, 19 HR, 60 RBI. Alisha McMurtry (Bellevue East), 1.16 ERA, 294 Ks, .142 opponent batting average. Ollie Songster (Elkhorn South), .360 average, 5 HR, 39 RBI, 7-2 pitching record. Maddie Kurrus (Gretna), .484 average, 8 HR, 44 RBI. Taylor Siefken (Lincoln Southwest), .520 average, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 25 SB. Addison Burdorf (Millard West), .378 average, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 21-5 pitching record, 1.95 ERA. Hadley Hansen (Omaha Westside), .366 average, 5 HR, 13 RBI. Malzey Carpenter (Papillion-La Vista), .479 average, 13 HR, 35 RBI, 28 SB.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (games played at 9 a.m. Wednesday): Millard North (32-4) vs. Elkhorn South (23-12); Papillon-LaVista (27-9) vs. Gretna (27-7); Lincoln Southwest (31-3) vs. Bellevue East (24-9); Millard West (26-7) vs. Omaha Westside (20-8). Full bracket
CLASS B: Beatrice tries to go back-to-back
Could the drama of this year’s Class B tournament match last year’s, when Beatrice beat Hastings 1-0 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning?
A glance at the field’s accomplishments says yes.
Beatrice’s only losses this year are a 6-3 defeat to Northwest in the second game of the season, a pair to Missouri large-class schools Blue Springs and Rock Bridge, and to a Class A Kearney squad that won 26 games.
The second-seeded Lady Orange swept through the bracket last season to win their first title since 2003. And the hero of that squad, junior Tatum Tempelmeyer, is back after coming up with the game-winning hit in the 2024 title game.
Top seed Northwest (26-2) has won 24 games in a row, including an 18-3 win over Ashland-Greenwood in the B-1 district title game to book its sixth consecutive state tournament appearance. The Vikings — won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 — haven’t lost since their fourth game of the season on Aug. 26.
Hastings (21-10), on the wrong end of Beatrice’s win in last year’s title game, is back this year as the No. 7 seed, which means a first-round date with the Lady Orange (29-4) in front of a home crowd. Blair, the 2023 runner-up returns to state for the fourth consecutive season.
There will also be an opportunity to see two of the top freshmen in the state. Northwest’s Abby Dinkelman is second in Class B and sixth in the state with a .625 batting average, and her 12 home runs are fifth in Class B. Omaha Skutt’s Leyton Michaelis is just ahead of Dinkleman with 13 homers, in addition to hitting .532. Laini Michaelis, Leyton’s older sister and a senior, is hitting robust .690.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Sadie Hereth (Beatrice), .529 average, 14 HR, 42 RBI. Laynie Brown (Blair), .552 average, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 14 SB. Ella Tinsman (Hastings), 15-2 pitching record, 0.86 ERA, .405 average, 32 RBI. Reese Behrends (Norris), .506 average, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 7-3 pitching record. Abby Dinkelman (Northwest), .625 average, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 14 SB. Leyton Michaelis (Omaha Skutt), .532 average, 13 HR, 33 RBI. Mackenzie Macrander (Ralston), 21-6 pitching record, 1.86 ERA, 246 K, .375 average. Jill Hind (Waverly), .450 average, 11 HR, 44 RBI.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (games played at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday): Northwest (26-2) vs. Ralston (22-7); Norris (22-10) vs. Blair (26-8); Omaha Skutt (25-5) vs. Waverly (21-10); Beatrice (29-4) vs. Hastings (21-10). Full bracket
CLASS C: Bishop Neumann goes for third straight finals appearance
It’s a familiar feeling for Bishop Neumann to be competing in the state softball tournament, and the Cavaliers will try to reach a familiar place in 2025.
The defending Class C champions (23-8) are shooting for their third consecutive finals appearance, and fourth in the last five years after state championships in 2021 and 2024, and a second-place finish in 2023.
And Bishop Neumann will do so as a battle-tested squad, with all eight of its losses coming to Class B opponents.
The Cavaliers, though, aren’t the only squad that played a tough schedule.
Top-seeded Hastings St. Cecilia (25-6) has an impressive resume, including victories over Class B state tournament teams Northwest and Ralston, a one-run loss to defending Class B champion Beatrice, and 13 total wins against Class A and B competition.
The Bluehawks have five regulars better than .400, and senior Audrey Rossow is 19-5 in the circle.
Speaking of production, Kearney Catholic relies on perhaps the top offense and 1-2 batting punch in the field. Kynlee and Raegan Ruyle boast batting averages of .667 (Kynlee) and .648 (Raegan) as part of a Stars lineup that hits a whopping .494 as a team with 37 home runs in 32 games. Kearney Catholic averages more than 11 runs per game.
The field also includes a newcomer, as Centura will make its first-ever appearance in the state softball tournament.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Isabelle Stuhr (Bishop Neumann), .511 average, 5 HR, 33 RBI. Payton Burbach (Central City). .521 average, 35 RBI, 42 SB, 19-7 pitching record. Calleigh Sundberg (Centura), .444 average, 16 2B, 48 RBI, 19-7 pitching record. Sydney Lenners (Freeman), .350 average, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 14-5 pitching record. Maddison Bauer (Hastings St. Cecilia), .412 average, 5 HR, 30 RBI. Avery Cast (Kearney Catholic), .444 average, 10 HR, 46 RBI. Anna Jacobs (NEN), .402 average, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 2.42 ERA. Jordyn Campbell (Yutan/Mead), .467 average, 14 XBH, 22 RBI.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (games played at 2 p.m. Wednesday): Hastings St. Cecilia (25-6) vs. Freeman (23-12); Yutan/Mead (24-6) vs. Centura (23-7); Kearney Catholic (27-5) vs. Central City (24-7); Bishop Neumann (23-8) vs. NEN (21-10). Full bracket
Chris Basnett is a freelance writer based in Lincoln. He has covered prep and college sports for more than 20 years and most recently was the assistant sports editor at the Lincoln Journal Star. He currently provides content for the Harvest Sports Newsletter.