The finalists for 2026 Indiana Miss Softball have been announced by the Indiana Softball Coaches Association. Each district gets one finalist for the senior-only award as voted upon by their respective coaches.
The winner of this year’s award will be announced at the SCAI All-Star games June 20 at IU’s Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington.
Meet this year’s finalists.
Emma Bruggenschmidt, Castle (IU), SS
The 6-foot infielder is batting a career best .553 for the regional champion Knights. That average includes 57 hits (14 doubles, two triples, five homers) and resulted in 43 runs and 23 RBIs. She’s matched her career-low with six strikeouts and has drawn 14 walks for a .595 on-base percentage.
Bruggenschmidt, who missed volleyball season in the fall with injury, has been excellent in the field, committing just seven errors on 118 chances (.941 fielding percentage, seven double plays).
Bruggenschmidt has a .507 average with 51 doubles, eight triples, 19 homers, 159 runs and 126 RBIs.
Riley Byford, Jennings County (Franklin), IF-OF
Byford led the basketball team to a semistate runner-up finish in February. Now she’s looking to go a round further with the softball team. The all-around standout has maintained a .915 fielding percentage this season, registering three double plays and 48 assists, and has stolen 22 bases – more than double her total from a year ago.
The lead-off hitter has been tremendous at the plate, as well, averaging a career-best .462 with 49 hits (11 doubles, eight triples, three homers), 42 runs and 35 RBIs. She’s also only struck out four times.
For her career, Byford is batting .393 with 16 doubles, eight triples, eight homers, 79 runs and 58 RBIs.
Taylor Danley, Fort Wayne Carroll (Findlay), P-1B
Danley has been excellent in the circle for the 27-1 Chargers, racking up a 17-1 record with a 0.29 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 118.2 innings pitched. Those figures are all career-highs for the Findlay signee, who’s allowed only one home run and five earned runs (10 total), and held opponents to a .104 average.
Danley is also batting .313 with three homers and 19 RBIs.
For her career, she is 37-8 with a 1.10 ERA and 516 strikeouts in the circle, and carries a .337 average with 10 homers and 58 RBIs.
Brynley Erb, Western (Kentucky), INF
The reigning Gatorade Player of the Year and state’s all-time home runs leader with 70 dingers, Erb’s power stroke resulted in mammoth RBI (236) and runs scored (235) and not come at the expense of her average (.651; 16 strikeouts).
Isolated to this season, the future Wildcat helped the Panthers to their first 4A sectional title, averaging .659 with 58 hits (10 doubles, eight triples, 13 home runs), 54 runs, 43 RBIs and only three strikeouts.
Erb swiped a career-best 27 bases (81 career) and turned three double plays as part of her .930 fielding percentage. She also made her first couple pitching appearances, allowing zero runs on one hit with five strikeouts in four innings.
Paige Liezert, Crown Point (Miami (Ohio)), P
Liezert stepped in as the Bulldogs’ sole No. 1 pitcher as a junior last season and promptly led them to a Class 4A state championship, compiling a 19-2 record with six no-hitters, a couple perfect games, 226 strikeouts and a 0.85 ERA. She came back with a similarly prolific senior campaign, going 16-2 for the sectional runner-up, while maintaining a 0.86 ERA (five shutouts, two no-hitters) and totaling 226 strikeouts.
Liezert finished 41-8 for her career with a 1.06 ERA and 660 strikeouts.
The righty maximized her opportunities at the plate, as well, batting .488 in her 43 career at-bats. That average included four doubles and three homers, and generated 23 RBIs and 10 runs.
Brynn Meyer, Center Grove (IU), INF
The fourth-year speedster has been brilliant atop the Trojans lineup, batting a career-best .543 (51 hits) with six doubles, seven triples and five home runs, plus 13 steals. She has a career-best on-base percentage of .574, and has drawn 11 walks while striking out just five times.
Meyer has 17 multi-hit games this season, including a four-hit (two homers), six-RBI effort vs. Zionsville and a three-hit outing against Decatur Central in the sectional quarterfinals.
For her career, Meyer carries a .488 average with 21 doubles, 12 triples and five home runs, and has driven in 88 RBIs and scored 128 runs herself. She has 64 career steals.
Logan Rumble, Penn (Northwestern), OF
Driven by a focus on simply putting the ball in play, Rumble is in the midst of a breakout senior season. She’s maintaining a .506 average for the semistate-bound Kingsmen, collecting 15 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 46 runs scored and 50 RBIs. The Northwestern commit has struck out only nine times this season, matching her career-low and has stolen a career-high five bases.
For her career, Rumble is averaging .434 with 150 hits, including a school-record 29 home runs (surpassed 2025 Miss Softball Ava Zachary). She’s also totaled 140 RBIs and 121 runs scored.x
Rumble has maintained her status as an excellent fielder, as well, maintaining a perfect fielding percentage this spring (.964 career).
Kaitlyn Whitlock, Silver Creek (Evansville), CF
This was a breakout spring for the Evansville-bound senior, who batted .659 with 58 total hits. Her collection of hits included seven doubles, three triples and three homers, and resulted in 52 runs scored and 14 RBIs. Whitlock struck out just five times and averaged .584 wtih 20 doubles, 11 triples, 11 home runs, 152 runs and 72 RBIs in the three seasons listed on MaxPreps.
Whitlock stole a career-high 38 bases this season, and was perfect on 45 chances in the outfield with three assists.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Meet the eight finalists for 2026 Indiana Miss Softball
Reporting by Brian Haenchen, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brian Haenchen, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
