The softball playoffs start up for the Rockford-area teams in a little over a week, with a couple of more interesting tune-ups just before.
North Boone has locked up the Big Northern Conference title and a No. 1 seed in the Class 2A Marengo Sectional. Stillman Valley, North Boone’s key BNC rival this season, got the other No. 1 seed.
Dakota, one of the NUIC champions this season, got a No. 1 seed in 1A and is hosting a regional as well. The same goes for Belvidere North up in 3A, while Hononegah is another team poised for a playoff run in 4A.
As we get set for the brackets to unravel, here are the top 10 power rankings for Rockford-area softball teams headed into the postseason. These are based on which teams have the potential to go the furthest in their respective playoff bracket.
(Records are as the teams were headed into the weekend).
No. 1: North Boone (26-5, 15-0 BNC)
The Vikings placed second at state two years ago and third last year. They returned a good chunk of its talent this year, including star pitcher Courtney Troutt. The experience showed as they plowed through the strong Big Northern Conference, including a 2-1 record against our No. 2 team in our postseason power rankings, Stillman Valley.
North Boone eliminated Stillman Valley in the sectional semifinals last year en route to that third at state. The Cardinals got the Vikings back in the Rantoul Invitational championship game on April 4, but North Boone has won the last two head-to-head meetings headed into this postseason.
Troutt has had a strong junior year, and junior shortstop Hayden Staverand junior first baseman Marlee Alderman have been solid for the Vikings as well. Clearly, this team can be an absolute machine next season. But it may be a state-title contender once again this year as well.
No. 2: Stillman Valley (26-5, 13-3 BNC)
The Cardinals fell to North Boone last week (4-3) and Winnebago earlier this week (8-7), but they also beat NIC-10 champion Hononegah (1-0) last weekend. Pitcher Mackenzi Shere, who was Big Northern Conference Co-Pitcher of the year last year as well as third-team All-State, has been even better this year, and Stillman Valley has been hitting the ton out of the ball down the stretch.
It will toughen up down the stretch, too. Stillman Valley is at Belvidere North on Monday, a team they have already beat, 11-6, in the season opener.
No. 3: Hononegah (23-6, 17-1 NIC-10)
Hononegah will officially clinch sole possession of this year’s NIC-10 championship with a win over Auburn in Tuesday’s regular-season finale. Hononegah has already defeated Auburn 10-2 and 14-1 earlier this season.
Five players with more than 50 plate appearances are hitting over .400 for Hononegah, led by Kaelyn Kelly’s .481 batting average with three homers. Irelyn O’Brien is hitting .455 with 23 RBIs and she’s also 6-1 on the mound with a 0.9 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
No. 4: Belvidere North (17-7, 15-2 NIC-10)
The Blue Thunder were in the hunt for back-to-back NIC-10 titles until they fell 2-0 to Hononegah on Monday. But with the reining NIC-10 MVP Ava Morris on her game and junior catcher Chloe Schadle back from an injury, this team has weapons. Morris is hitting .509 with three homers, 13 doubles and 21 RBIs, and she is 10-2 on the mound and just surpassed 100 strikeouts on the season.
North hosts a double-header against North Boone on Saturday and then takes on Stillman Valley on the road on Monday in a couple of true tests headed into the playoffs.
No. 5: Dakota (23-4, 12-0 NUIC)
Dakota has won five in a row since falling 11-0 to Stillman Valley in early May, and it hasn’t given up more than three runs in any of those games. This is a team that could get hot in the postseason. It has beaten all of the teams in its regional bracket this season.
No. 6: Oregon (16-11, 9-7 BNC)
Pitcher Izzy Berg has led this team on an up-and-down regular season that included an April with a four-game win streak and a three-game losing skid. But the Hawks are a talented bunch, and wins over Winnebago, Dixon and Rock Falls proved that.
No. 7: Winnebago (16-9, 9-6 BNC)
Winnebago beat Stillman Valley by one last week and has three other big wins, including a 21-11 victory over Oregon, that show that it’s ready for some kind of postseason run. Winnebago opens the postseason against Rock Falls, which it just beat 4-2 two weeks ago.
No. 8: Harlem (20-8, 13-4 NIC-10)
Harlem made a midseason surge, winning nine in a row in April. They are 8-5 since, but have some firepower and could be dangerous in the postseason. Rylie Adams is hitting .526 with three homers, nine doubles and 28 RBIs.
No. 9: Milledgeville (16-5, 8-0 NUIC)
Milledgeville received some votes in the lates ICA rankings and could make some noise in the 1A postseason. The Missiles had won nine in a row headed into their regular-season finale at home against Lena-Winslow.
No. 10: Eastland (17-6, 4-4 NUIC)
Eastland lost five of seven during a rough midseason stretch, but the Cougars have turned it around of late, winning six in a row headed into Friday’s home battle with Dakota. That game could be a prelude to a sectional showdown.
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: Top 10 softball teams from Rockford area show who could make a run
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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