Logan Rumble loves to work on her craft.
Her immense dedication to the sport of softball with a relentless work ethic is just one reason why the Penn High School star is the South Bend Tribune’s Area High School Softball Player of the Year for the 2026 campaign.
Rumble, a four-year staple for the Kingsmen, put together a stellar senior season on the diamond. The right fielder batted .474 with 46 runs scored to go with 50 RBIs and just 10 strikeouts in 119 at bats. Rumble also had 15 doubles and a single-season record 11 home runs with an on base percentage of .555, a slugging percentage of 1.021 and an OPS of 1.576.
Rumble, one of four Penn seniors, paced Penn to a 28-4 mark. The Kingsmen won the Northern Indiana Conference title at 12-0 and the program’s 12th straight sectional and regional titles before losing 5-0 to Lake Central in a semi-state semifinal game. Lake Central went on to the win the Class 4A state championship.
Rumble could be found on most days after practice back in the batting cage with Penn head coach Beth Zachary throwing extra BP to the humble star.
“Logan is such a success due to her work ethic,” said Penn coach Beth Zachary. “She’s elite because of the intangible qualities that she has. She’s always watching and learning. She’s never stagnant. She always wants to get better.
“She hits all the time. It’s just a different level of commitment. It’s the things that she does when no one is watching. It’s the grinding it out. It’s the never taking a day off.”
Rumble had a strong final prep campaign that earned her the NIC MVP along with All-State honors. She was also one of eight finalists statewide for Miss Softball. As a junior, she batted .348 with five doubles, seven home runs and 32 RBIs, all while playing on a broken foot.
“The thing is that Logan had a broken foot that we did not know about it last year that she played through,” related Zachary. “She’s just tough as nails, and I think it was just her mental toughness and her team first mentality to play through that.”
Rumble, a Northwestern University commit, helped Penn go 108-20-1 over her prep career. She was a starter on the 2023 team that won the Class 4A state title by upending favorite Roncalli 2-1 in nine innings. Rumble hit .426 with 12 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBIs as a freshman.
“I think that Logan’s work ethic is a testament to our program and that’s something that I’m very proud of,” noted Zachary. “I’ve thrown so many rounds of batting practice because I can’t get our kids to go home after practice. And I love it. It’s the reason why players like Logan are going to succeed at not only the next level in softball, but more importantly in life.”
Rumble played in 124 games for Penn with a career batting average of .426. She had 150 hits, 121 runs, 140 RBI with 47 doubles, three triples and a program best 29 home runs.
2026 South Bend Tribune All-Area Softball First Team
Pitcher: Caitlyn Denny (Penn): The senior was 16-2 with 21 earned runs allowed in 93.1 innings of work with 34 walks and 110 strikeouts.
Catcher: Bailey Harris-Rogers (Elkhart): The senior batted .430 with 34 RBIs and an OPS of 1.017 as Elkhart won its second straight Class 4A sectional title.
First base: Payton Thomas (John Glenn): The senior slugged 13 home runs with 50 RBIs in leading Glenn to a Class 3A regional title for the first time in program history. Thomas also batted .462 with an OPS of 1.477.
Second base: Kiley Weinberg (South Bend Saint Joseph): The speedy senior leadoff hitter batted .515 with 42 runs scored and 30 stolen bases.
Shortstop: Ava Walker (Elkhart): The junior batted .582 with seven doubles and seven triples. Walker also had 48 runs scored and 44 RBIs to go with 23 stolen bases.
Third base: Carson Petty (Penn): The sophomore batted .392 with 38 runs scored and 17 RBIs. Petty also had seven doubles and two triples and also played an outstanding third base with just three errors.
Leftfield: Addilynn Luther (New Prairie): The junior batted .333 with 21 RBIs and 14 extra base hits, which included five home runs.
Centerfield: Addie Reid (Elkhart): Reid was the catalyst at leadoff for the Lions. The sophomore hit .472 with 51 runs scored to go with 14 RBI and 30 stolen bases.
Rightfield: Logan Rumble (Penn): See above for stats.
Designated Player: Karmen Frazier (Mishawaka): The senior batted .380 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs in leading Mishawaka to the NLC championship.
Second team
Bella Esquibel (South Bend Saint Joseph), Khloe Hershey (Mishawaka), Julia McNellis (South Bend Adams), Elliana Gonzalez (South Bend Riley), Claire Carlton (Jimtown), Shayla Sorg (LaPorte), Payton Sears (NorthWood), Easton Masten (Penn), Charlie Swiger (Penn), Madison Jones (Fairfield), Eliana Grubbs (Bremen), Ivy Stackhouse (Plymouth), Chloe Weber (Mishawaka Marian), Shea Crawford (Mishawaka), Rachel Humbarger (Northridge), Dellancey Jenkins (South Bend Riley), Layla Winrott (Jimtown), Mia Wilton (John Glenn), Sophia Lizzi (John Glenn), Emma Thomas (John Glenn), Grace Matherly (Mishawaka), Millie Bultinck (Mishawaka), Willow Staley (Northridge), Victoria Vega (NorthWood), Emily Diaz (Goshen), Esmeralda Perez (Concord), Gracie Patrick (Plymouth), Lilly Runyan (Plymouth).
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn’s Logan Rumble is the Tribune’s Softball Player of the Year
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
