In the Three Rivers, Chatfield and Cotter tie for a league high five All-Conference picks for softball. The top two girls in the Gophers order, stand-outs Lexi Chase and Belle Berg each make the list for a third straight season. The sophomore pitching ace Chase led the Gophers to an 18-4 season. She went 14-2 with 185 strikeouts, just eight walks, and a .287 earned run average over 96 1/3 innings pitched. Included was a seven-inning perfect game (Caledonia/SG) and a no-hitter (PEM) back-to-back in the play-offs, plus nine (variable inning) complete game shut-outs. Chase struck out 10 or more nine times including tallies of 14 twice, 15 twice, 16, 17, and a season-high 19 (versus Southland). Offensively, she hit over .400 with two home runs, 12 doubles (tied for team high), 18 RBI, and 22 runs scored. After being named All-State Honorable Mention as an 8th grader, and 2nd team All-State last year as a freshman, she is 1st team All-State this year. Chase is also Post Bulletin’s softball Player of the Year. Belle Berg’s forte was to play a mean short and hit home runs. The junior shortstop hit near .500 with eight long balls. Of area players, only Hayfield’s Kate Kruger and Kyal Heydt were known to hit as many (eight each also). Berg also led Chatfield with 32 RBI and 33 runs scored. Belle’s 12 doubles tied her with Chase for team lead. For her efforts, she was named 2nd team All-State and made PB’s 1st Team All-Area. Belle (unofficially) has 21 career high school home runs. Fellow Gophers Britney Fretland (senior 2B), Shelby Isensee (junior C), and Carlie Berge (sophomore P/1B) join their teammates on the All-TRC team. Carlie B. hit over .400 with 11 doubles, 12 RBI, and 15 runs scored. She also tossed 40 innings, going 5-2 with 37 strikeouts and an ERA just over 2.00. Fretland, the Gophers only senior, had an excellent last season, hitting near .350 with a team-second-best 19 RBI plus 14 runs scored. Isensee had five doubles, a home run, and 10 RBI. Berge and Isensee repeat as All-TRC. The Gophers’ five All-TRC players are more than the rest of the county combined. FCLMC has one selection in Makaila Eickhoff. The senior pitcher tossed 40 2/3 innings (2-6) with 32 strikeouts. She hit .300 with a home run and 6 RBI. GMLOK has one selection in Liz Jacobsen. The junior catcher caught every inning for the Bulldogs, hit .319, and was named team M.V.P. In the Southeast Conference, Houston’s Amber Chapel is All-SEC for a third time. The senior centerfielder also is honored 2nd team Class A All-State while making PB’s 1st Team All-Area. Stats for the ‘Canes weren’t comlpete, but Chapel hit around .400 while leading the team in home runs (4), RBI, and runs scored. She was a fearless area-covering centerfielder. Teammate Becca Lee is Houston’s second All-SEC pick. Lee platooned short while also checking in at the lead-off spot, posting an average near .350 with a pair of home runs. Chapel and Lee were each at least three year starters. Alyssa Rostad (junior C) is All-SEC Honorable Mention. Mabel-Canton also gets two All-SEC picks in Maddy Michels (junior C) and Kenidi McCabe (freshman SS). Michels repeats as All-SEC. She hit .414 with a team high 16 extra base hits (three home runs, three triples, ten doubles). The junior had a team third-best 21 RBI. McCabe hit a team-best .481 while racking up thirteen extra base hits (team-high-tying four HRs, seven doubles, and two triples). She had team-second-best 24 RBI with 20 runs scored. McCabe made PB’s 2nd Team All-Area. Lexi Thorson (junior 2B) was notably A-C Honorable Mention (.375 average, six doubles, six triples, three home runs, team-high 25 RBI, 26 runs). Also of note, Hannah Snell (junior 3B) tied for the team lead with four home runs and led M-C with 31 runs scored. led MC with The Cougars had an offensive year in posting their second consecutive good season (15-8). Ten girls scored ten or more runs, seven had ten or more RBI (three with 20-plus), and they had 15 total home runs.
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