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Wieland coach, Coil captain again
Highland leads balanced small school All-Union softball list
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
It was truly one of the toughest lists in recent history, but the 2025 All-Union small school softball team has arrived.
The summer of 2025 saw no dominant teams take over during the regular season, but plenty of Union area teams were major threats to wind up in Fort Dodge, and one of those did just that.
Highland leads an incredibly balanced All-Union group, getting a coach and two players onto the list. The entire All-Union team is made up of eight teams, with no team getting more than two players on the list.
The captain once more is senior Lily Coil of Columbus, and Highland’s Carrie Wieland is our coach this summer after leading her Huskies to the state tournament.
COACH: Carrie Wieland, Highland
It’s fair to say 2025 wasn’t the most hyped-up year for a Highland softball squad that started just two upperclassmen.
Coach Wieland’s team, made mostly of eighth-graders and freshmen, finished third in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division before making an incredible run to the Class 1A state tournament.
The Huskies went 17-11 overall and 9-5 in conference play, and with so many young up and coming stars, Highland looks to be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
CAPTAIN: Lily Coil, senior, Columbus
There isn’t more of a mainstay on the All-Union softball team than Columbus senior Lily Coil.
Coil has made the All-Union team for five-years running, and this will be her fourth time in a row being captain of the squad.
Coil had yet another monster year at the plate for the Wildcats, hitting 15 doubles, three triples and three home runs while batting a scolding hot .537, this all despite being walked 17 times.
Coil finished the year with a team-leading 38 RBIs, and scored 31 runs.
In the circle, Coil started 11 games, going 7-4 with a 2.59 ERA. She struck out 70 batters on the season.
Pitcher: Maclain Hickenbottom, sophomore, Cardinal
Cardinal played in one of the toughest conferences in Iowa, but its sophomore ace was still able to put up one of the best year’s of any Union area athlete statistically.
Hickenbottom finished 10-15 this season, sporting a 2.30 ERA with 187 strikeouts.
At the plate, Hickenbottom hit .153 with one double, one home run and 11 RBIs.
Pitcher: Jessalyn Aller 8th-grader, Keota
Keota softball had its first winning season since the summer of 2008, and a huge boost from an up-and-coming eighth-grader played a big part.
Aller had a fantastic year in the circle, going 13-5 with a 3.19 ERA, while striking out 146 batters.
Aller pitched all but two innings for Keota, and also had a big year at the plate. She hit .370 with seven doubles, four triples and three home runs, while knocking in a team-leading 23 RBIs.
Catcher: Carlie Gambell, freshman, Pekin
Pekin’s freshman has jumped onto the scene in the SEISC, becoming one of the most effective catchers in the league already.
Gambell hit .376 this season, collecting 11 doubles, three triples and one home run. She also led the Panthers with 26 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
Infield: Lilly Barre senior, Highland
Highland may be only replacing one graduated player heading into next summer, but it will be one of the best in Southeast Iowa.
Barre, the only senior on Highland’s team, was exactly what her young teammates needed this season, providing timely hitting and a lot of the team’s power at the plate.
Barre hit .296 this season, slugging six home runs and four doubles. She closed the year out with 27 RBIs, nine more than the second-highest total on the Huskies’ team.
Infield: Ellie Sanders, sophomore, Columbus
Columbus sophomore leadoff hitter was the ideal table-setter for the Wildcats this season, batting nearly .500 this summer.
Sanders hit .494 with five doubles and 13 home runs. She scored 28 runs, thanks in part to a team-leading 24 stolen bases.
Infield: Ashlynn Huff junior, Van Buren County
Van Buren County made a heck of a run late, including a near upset of eventual Class 2A bronze medalist Louisa-Muscatine in the regional tournament.
Junior second-basemen Huff was a big part of the Warriors’ success all year long. Huff led the team with a .449 ERA, seven doubles and 22 RBIs.
Infield: Myah Bainbridge, senior, Pekin
Pekin’s Bainbridge paced the Panthers on offense all season, leading the team in batting average, with a .471.
Bainbridge provided plenty of power with nine doubles and three home runs, while collecting 18 RBIs.
Outfield: Kamryn Fink, freshman, Highland
Patrolling center field for the state-qualifying Highland Huskies was Fink, who bursted onto the high school athletics scene this school year.
Fink was one of the best hitters in the SEISC, batting .424 with three doubles and RBIs. She scored 35 runs on the year, and stole an incredible 40 bases in 42 attempts.
Outfield: Sophie Miller, junior, Mid-Prairie
Weather she was in the outfield or behind the plate, Mid-Prairie junior Miller was a force for the Golden Hawk offense all summer.
Miller hit .442 this season, which led the team. She also paced the squad with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and 22 RBIs.
Outfield: Delaney Shaw senior, Hillcrest Academy
Hillcrest’s senior outfielder/catcher had yet another incredible season at the plate in 2025.
Shaw hit .532 on the year, which led the team. She finished the season with six doubles, five home runs and 36 RBIs, putting up one of the best seasons of anybody in the SEISC.
Utility: Malia Yoder senior, Hillcrest Academy
Making yet another All-Union team for Hillcrest Academy is Yoder, who did it all for the Ravens this season.
Yoder hit a smooth .500 at the plate, led the team with 10 dobles, and added one triple and one home run. Yoder knocked in 26 runs this summer.
Utility: Summer LaRue, junior, Cardinal
Making a return trip to the All-Union team is Cardinal’s Summer LaRue, who once again led the Comet offense this summer.
LaRue hit .415, which led the team, and many of those hits were for extra bases. She finished the year with 13 doubles and one home run, while collecting 19 RBIs.
