HILLSDALE COUNTY — The 2026 varsity softball season opens this week. The county lost several key members of last year’s dream team, including the players of the year. However, there’s plenty of returning starters from last year’s awards lists that will make an impact this Spring.
Below is a look at some of the top returning athletes poised to contend for major postseason honors, along with additional key contributors who could help make the 2026 season one to remember. Players were selected from last year’s dream team and all‑league honors, beginning with first‑team.
Fans can vote for their favorite returning player, with the winner earning an early‑season feature interview and team photo gallery. Each area program is represented by at least one athlete. Voting remains open through Monday, March 30, at 11:59 p.m. (EST) at hillsdale.net.
Top Returners
Bryn Rusk – Jonesville – Senior
Earning first team all-area and Dream Team honors in 2025, Bryn Rusk is Jonesville softball’s top returning athlete this season. The senior earned honorable mention all-league honors after posting a .374 batting average, a .523 on-base-percentage, a .566 slugging percentage and 37 hits. Rusk had 13 extra-base hits, including two home runs. Rusk had 25 RBIs and led the team with 45 runs scored.
Out of 27 stolen base attempts, Rusk successfully stole 25. Rusk will return as the top ace pitcher for the Comet with 16 starts and 21 appearances in the circle. Rusk struck out 130 batters with a 6.918 earned-run-average and a WHIP of 2.259. Her opponents’ batting average was .254. Rusk had 44 putouts, a .986 fielding percentage and four double plays.
Leah Headley – Reading – Junior
After several key departures, Leah Headley returns as the Rangers’ top ace pitcher and a key contributor across multiple positions. She made first team all-area as a pitcher after earning eight wins in 14 starts in the circle for the Rangers. Headley finished the season with 70 strikeouts, an era of 7.260. Her opponent batting average was .409. Headley helped her team win a district championship in a 16-5 win over Camden-Frontier last season, earning two hits, one run and an RBI.
At the plate, Headley finished 2025 with a .242 batting average, 16 hits, seven RBIs and 25 runs. Headley had a .405 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .364. She had a 100-percent steal rate with 11 total for the year. She had a fielding percentage of .863, 18 putouts and 26 assists.
Regan Schaedler – Camden-Frontier – Senior
Regan Schaedler was the unanimously voted SCAA East all-conference captain for the 2025 season. Schaedler earned first team all-area honors last year after being one of the top performing hitters in the County last spring. Schaedler led her team with a 5.67 batting average, a .637 on-base-percentage and a .761 slugging percentage. She had a total of 38 hits —nine extra-base hits — including a homer She drove in 31 runs and scored 23. She stole 26 bases, had a .560 fielding percentage and 47 putouts. She finished the year with 10 multi-hit games, including a game against Pittsford where she drove in seven runs on five hits.
Kherington Ladd – Hillsdale – Sophomore
As a freshman, Kherington Ladd became one of the top Hillsdale County softball aces to watch after posting an impressive debut season for the Hornets. The now-sophomore student-athlete was a multi-Athlete of the Week winner. In addition, Ladd earned first team all-area honors in last year’s Dream Team.
In 17 starts, Ladd earned 119 strikeouts, a 9.969 earned-run-average a WHIP of 3.198 and an opponent batting average of .373. She posted six double-digit strikeout days in the circle, including a 15-strikeout game against Concord. At other positions, Ladd posted a .804 fielding percentage and 37 putouts.
Ladd was also a strong batter, posting an average of .311, an on-base-percentage of .420, a slugging percentage of .405 and 23 hits. Ladd drove in 16 total runs, had one home run and scored 18 runs of her own. She also added nine steals.
Key Players to Watch
Laura LeMar – Pittsford – Senior
LeMar earned first team all-league honors for her play in 2025. Laura LeMar will be one of the top senior captains of the Pittsford varsity softball team and a competitive pitcher that earned second-team all-area honors last season. LeMar posted several top performing games in 2025, including a stretch where the team won three games with her earning two starting wins and one win in relief. She threw 21 strikeouts in the three combined wins, and earned multiple RBIs and double-base hits.
Marissa Todd – North Adams-Jerome – Sophomore
Marissa Todd made an impressive freshman debut for the Rams last season, earning all-area second-team honors and first-team all-conference honors. Todd was a starting pitcher for the Rams, appearing in seven recorded starts, earning 38 strikeouts. At bat, Todd had a .571 batting average, a .700 on-base-percentage and a .643 slugging percentage. In six appearances, she had nine hits, seven RBIs, nine runs and 14 steals.
Dakota Hoffman – Waldron – Sophomore
Another athlete that had a standout freshman season, Dakota Hoffman was as an honorable mention all-area honoree from last season and a second-team all-league honoree. Hoffman had 86 putouts and a .947 fielding percentage in 2025. This included three double plays. She led the team with a .308 batting average, an on-base percentage of .500 and a slugging percentage of .513. She had 12 recorded hits – six of which went for extra bases. She led the team with 14 RBIs and scored 15 runs. She also was a base running leader with 12 steals.
Jordan Mapes – Reading – Sophomore
Mapes earned second-team all-area honors as a freshman for the Rangers, helping her team win a district championship. Jordan Mapes returns as one of the top batters in Reading’s returning lineup. Mapes had a .305 batting average, 18 hits, 12 runs and 14 RBIs as a freshman. In addition, Mapes had an on-base-percentage of .452 and a slugging percentage of .373. In the field, Mapes had a recorded 146 putouts and 14 assists.
Gracie Soltis – Jonesville
Soltis earned second-team all-area honors for the Jonesville softball team last season. Alongside Rusk, Soltis potentially returns with one of the team’s leading batting averages from last season. Soltis had a .359 average, a .512 on-base-percentage and a .391 slugging percentage. Soltis was third on the team in hits with 33. Soltis drove in 16 runs and was third in total runs scored with 34. She was second on the team with 23 steals and a 95.83-percentage. Soltis had 13 putouts in the field for a .654 fielding percentage and one double play.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Vote for the top returning 2026 Hillsdale County softball athlete
Reporting by Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
