Dakota claimed its first state championship and Stillman Valley soared all the way to super-sectionals, as the Rockford area enjoyed one of its most exciting softball seasons in decades.
The last time a Rockford-area team won a softball state title was back in 1999 when Harlem claimed its second. No other Rockford-area softball team had ever won a state championship until this year.
And now that it’s all over, it’s time for you to select your softball player of the year, or MVP.
Choose from our nominees, and let your voice be heard. Please only vote once per day to keep the poll fair. The poll will stay open for one week.
Here are the 2026 softball MVP nominees:
Softball MVP nominees
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Come and vote on your Rockford-area softball MVP for the 2026 season
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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By Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star | USA TODAY Network
