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Cardinal leads 2024 All-Union softball list
Highland follows Comets, Columbus takes captain spot
The 2024 softball season was once again stacked with some outstanding players throughout the Union coverage area.
A good amount of those players are featured on this year’s 2024 All-Union softball team.
This season, seven different teams are represented on the list. Out of the 14 open spots, five are held by the South Central Conference champion Comets of Cardinal. That includes the coaches selection as well.
Highland, who was one win away from state, follows close behind with three picks. Van Buren County has a pair. Columbus, Hillcrest Academy, Pekin and Winfield-Mt. Union all have one.
Coach: Dustin LaRue, Cardinal
Cardinal head coach Dustin LaRue helped the Comets make quite a run this summer.
In what was a loaded South Central Conference, which featured four teams that were state tournament contenders, the Comets came out on top with a 11-3 SCC record and a 27-8 overall record.
Along with that, Cardinal reach a 2A ranking as high as No. 4 in the class this season. The Comets season came to an end against SCC second place Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, 4-0. The Rockets went onto finish third in Class 2A at state.
Capt: Lily Coil, junior, Columbus
Lily Coil proved once again that she’s one of the top hitters in the entire state and it’s once again why she’s an All-Union captain.
Coil put together yet another great season for the Wildcats. She bat a mind boggling .623 with 33 hits. That batting averaged ranked third best across all classes. Despite playing in just 21 games, Coil’s 21 RBIs were one shy of tying a team high.
In the field, Coil ended with a fielding percentage of .942.
In the circle, Coil was pretty good as well. She finished with an ERA of 2.95, giving up 57 hits, 50 runs (23 earned) with 59 strikeouts.
P: Nicoa McClure, senior, Cardinal
Cardinal’s Nicoa McClure was not only one of the top pitchers in the SCC, but one of the best in all of Southeast Iowa.
She tied for the most wins in the league, amassing an overall record of 22-7. Her 1.85 ERA was a conference best as well.
In all she gave up 151 hits, 78 runs (46 earned) with 163 strikeouts.
McClure was a problem for opposing hitters, forcing batters into an average of .206. At the plate, she finished with an average of .240, notching 23 hits with 17 RBIs.
P: Grace Prybil, senior, Highland
Highland’s Grace Prybil was one of the top pitchers around this summer.
Prybil finished off her senior season with a 15-4 record as the Huskies were just one game off on a state tournament appearance after a one run loss to eventually state champion Sigourney.
In the circle, she gave up just 78 hits, 29 runs (20 earned) with 103 strikeouts. She posted an ERA of 1.29, while holding opposing batters to a .195 batting average.
C: Brinlee Ostrander, senior, Cardinal
Brinlee Ostrander was a fantastic for the Comets in 2024.
Through her 34 games play, Ostrander finished with a perfect fielding percentage behind the plate. She did not commit an error in 249 total chances. In all she threw out a total of four runners on the season.
At the plate, Ostrander batted .340 carding 27 runs, 34 hits with 16 RBIs.
INF: Payton Brun, senior, Highland
Highland senior Payton Brun was a heavy hitter this summer.
Brun led Huskies with a team high batting average of .458. She finished with 33 hits and 29 RBIs, which was a team best. She also had an outstanding .988 fielding percentage at first base.
INF: Malia Yoder, junior, Hillcrest Academy
Malia Yoder was nothing short of stellar for Hillcrest Academy this season.
Yoder finished with an outstanding batting average of .571. She also led Hillcrest Academy in hits and RBIs, carding 44 and 33 respectively.
INF: Myah Bainbridge, Junior, Pekin
Pekin’s lone All-Union selection is Myah Bainbridge. Bainbridge was the Panthers top slugger this summer, leading in nearly every category.
Bainbridge finished with a batting of .552 with 37 hits and 32 RBIs. She also hit a pair of home runs.
INF: Sarah Burton, senior, Highland
Highland senior Sarah Burton finds herself on the All-Union list once again as she helped the Huskies to yet another stellar season.
Burton closes out her career with yet another great season. The Huskies senior hit .438 with a team high 39 hits with 16 RBIs. She also finished with 35 stolen bases.
OF: Summer LaRue, sophomore, Cardinal
Cardinal sophomore Summer LaRue had herself a heck of a second varsity season.
LaRue finished with a team second best batting average of .343. She also posted 36 hits with two home runs. She was clutch with runners in scoring position as well, notching a team high 32 RBIs.
OF: Callie Kracht, junior, Van Buren County
Callie Kracht was integral to Van Buren County’s success this season.
Kracht swung it pretty well this summer, finishing with an average of .412. She also had 33 hits, second most for VBC, with 18 RBIs as well.
OF: Ashlynn Huff, sophomore, Van Buren County
The second VBC Warrior to make the 2024 All-Union list is Ashlynn Huff. Although she didn’t play outfield, Huff is deserving of the list.
She ended the season with an outstanding .512 batting average. She also led the Warriors in hits with 41, while notching 13 RBIs. She was stellar in the field as well, finishing with a percentage of .949.
UTIL: Emma Becker, senior, Cardinal
Through her final high school season, Becker finished with a batting average of .368, the highest for the Comets.
In all, Becker had team highs in runs and hits, tallying 46 runs and 39 hits respectively. Her runs total was the best in the conference. She also had 16 RBIs and was walked 17 times.
UTIL: Makiah Lower, senior, Winfield-Mount Union
Winfield-Mt. Union’s Makiah Lower was a threat at the plate and in the circle for the Wolves this summer.
Lower hit .513 for the Wolves, while finishing with 33 hits and 19 RBIs, both of which were team highs. As the Wolves’s ace, Lower also notched 80 strikeouts.
