GAYLORD ― Some of the most decorated athletes in the Gaylord area since 2020 have been softball players, a reflection of the talent coming out of Otsego County.
It was reasonable to think area teams might take a step back after players like Jayden Jones, Aubrey Jones, Jayden Marlatt and many others moved on to the college ranks. Still, Gaylord and Johannesburg-Lewiston have continued to be successful, both winning 20+ games in 2026 and GHS returning to the Division 2 regional finals.
Now, it’s time to recognize the top players from GHS, JLHS and Gaylord St. Mary.
Check out the Gaylord Herald Times 2026 All-Area Softball Team:
Player of the Year
Nora Bethuy, Gaylord
Perhaps the tightest Player of the Year race in the past four years of Gaylord area sports, GHS senior Nora Bethuy is the fifth-straight Gaylord Blue Devil to win the GHT Softball POY award.
Bethuy was a consistent hitter at the top of the lineup, finishing with a .395 batting average, 50 runs scored and 39 RBIs. What set her apart, however, was her work in the circle. The Indiana Wesleyan commit had 11 wins with 113 strikeouts as Gaylord’s No, 1.
Three games may have pushed her into the POY spot: she had two hits and struck out nine batters in a head-to-head matchup with JoBurg, had a dominant pitching performance in GHS’s district title win over Petoskey and held Shepherd to four earned runs in the regional semifinals. She also pitched a shutout vs. Hillman while going 4-for-4 with a double, a triple and three RBIs against the Tigers’ Gretchen Weiland.
First Team
Pitcher: Ashlynn Burke, Johannesburg-Lewiston
The POY runner-up, Burke was perhaps the most dominant player in the area for a JL team that was ranked in the top ten all season. The junior pitcher went 12-6 overall with 93 strikeouts over 94 innings pitched while leading the area with a .542 batting average and 61 runs.
Catcher: Emery Lawes, Johannesburg-Lewiston
The lefty catcher was elite at the plate for the Cardinals, hitting .443 with 38 RBIs and 46 runs scored,
First base: Lily Ryckman-Hall, Gaylord
The area’s top power hitter hit .450 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs and 38 runs scored.
Second base: Mady Peppin, Johannesburg-Lewiston
Another consistent year for one of the area’s top multi-sport athletes, Peppin hit .400 with 36 RBIs and 46 runs scored.
Shortstop: Nora Bethuy, Gaylord (POY)
Third base: Makayla Kozlowski, Gaylord
Kozlowski wrapped her senior season with a .411 batting average, four home runs, 43 RBIs and 47 runs scored.
Outfield: Piper Wangler, Gaylord
The third Wangler sister through the GHS program, Piper Wangler finished her sophomore year with a .372 batting average, 21 RBIs and 54 runs scored as the starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter for the Blue Devils.
Outfield: Emerson Valentine, Johannesburg-Lewiston
Valentine was a solid hitter with 23 runs scored and 15 RBIs and was a reliable No. 2 option in the circle, going 12-3 with 97 strikeouts over 77 2/3 innings pitched.
Utility: Payton Glasby, Gaylord St. Mary
The top hitter for GSM finished the year with a .476 batting average, 21 runs scored and 17 RBIs.
Utility: Neela Lawes, Johannesburg-Lewiston
A former outfielder turned middle infielder, the elder Lawes sister hit .340 with 25 RBIs and 47 runs scored in her junior season.
Honorable mentions
Brooke Warren, Gaylord
Lily Lauer, Gaylord
Jaeden Briley, JoBurg
Katherine Maves, JoBurg
Lily Crane, JoBurg
Peyton Greenier, GSM
Lily Keister, GSM
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord’s Nora Bethuy leads 2026 GHT All-Area softball team
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
