BRANCH COUNTY – For the fourth straight season the fate of the race for the Big 8 softball conference championship ran through the small town of Bronson as the Vikings claimed their fourth straight Big 8 title in 2025, finishing with an unbeaten conference record of 14-0. The Vikings went on to win a Division 3 District Championship before their season ended in the regional semifinals.
The Springport Spartans finished in second place with a record of 11-3, followed by the Quincy Orioles who took third place at 10-4. Stockbridge finished in fourth place (8-6), followed by Reading (6-8), Union City (5-9), Concord (2-12), and Maple Valley (0-14).
Bronson’s fourth straight conference championship came thanks in no small part to five Big 8 All Conference first team honors, two honorable mention awards, and a second straight Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for star pitcher and leadoff hitter Ashlynn Harris.
Harris earned her second straight Big 8 MVP honor after yet another dominating season for the Vikings, a season that saw the junior excel at the plate, in the field, and especially on the mound where she served as the Vikings ace.
Also earning Big 8 First Team honors for Bronson this season was shortstop Ciara Blankenship; outfielder Braelynn Gimenez; outfielder Kailynne Scare; and catcher Lydia Wells, who earned her second straight Big 8 all conference first team honor.
The Quincy Orioles saw three players earn Big 8 All Conference first team honors as the duo of Deziray and Danika Skirka was joined by sophomore teammate Miley Pointdexter on the Big 8 first team. The Skirka duo has led the Orioles on the softball diamond for four years, with Danika holding down things on the mound while Deziray, who earned her third straight Big 8 first team honor, was a vacuum at shortstop. The Skirka’s now hand over the leadership role to Pointdexter who will return looking to lead the Orioles back to the top of the conference.
Union City had one first team honoree in 2025 as sophomore outfielder Lauren Tundevold earned her first Big 8 all conference honor. Tundevold patrolled centerfield for the Kerri Adams led Chargers while also batting in the leadoff spot for the second straight season at the varsity level.
Joining the nine players from Branch County on the Big 8 All Conference First Team was Cieara Barrett from Concord; Maggie Santure of Reading; Morgan Shoemaker and Ashlyn Underhill of Springport; and the Stockbridge duo of Zoey Horstman and Jessica Sparks.
Branch County boasts seven Big 8 Honorable Mention All-Conference honorees
The Big 8 champion Bronson Vikings had two players earn Big 8 honorable mention honors as junior infielder Veronica Bir and freshman pitcher Madison Shaw were recognized by the conference for their work for the Becky Gray led Vikings.
Quincy also had two Big 8 All Conference honorable mention honorees as junior catcher Makiya Feltner was joined on the honorable mention team by freshman Cali Richards.
Union City had three players recognized by the conference coaches with honorable mention honors, as the junior trio of Ellie Williams (catcher), Gracie Phelps (shortstop), and Madison Krummrey (first base) were all celebrated for their junior seasons.
Joining the Branch County contingent with Big 8 honorable mention honors are Taylor Cole and Hannah Stimer of Concord; Aubree Ervans and Arianna McDowell of Reading; Devan Lowe and Zanah Zerbe of Springport; and the Stockbridge duo of Laura Humrich and Airianna Smith.
Tune in later this week to see which Branch County athletes earned Big 8 All Conference Baseball, Track and Soccer honors.
Follow The Daily Reporter over the next several weeks as we wrap up the 2025 spring sports season with All Conference honors from all sports including softball, baseball, track and field, golf, and soccer. For any questions regarding these awards or any of the write ups please email sports editor Troy Tennyson at ttennyson@thedailyreporter.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Introducing the 2025 Big 8 All Conference Softball honorees
Reporting by Troy Tennyson, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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