Congratulations to Mishawaka High School senior Khloe Hershey for winning the South Bend Tribune 2025-26 Softball Preseason Player of the Year poll. Hershey garnered 32,617 of the 115,171 total votes, or 28.32% of the poll. Hershey batted .383 last season with four home runs and 36 RBI in helping her team win a conference championship.
Coming in second is Elkhart High School senior Bailey Harris-Rogers, who received 30,357 votes, or 26.36% of the poll. Junior Julia McNellis of South Bend Adams was third with 16,111 votes, or 13.99% of the poll.
Below are the 15 nominees from 13 different South Bend Tribune coverage area programs, listed in alphabetical order first by school then by first name.
Esmerelda Perez, Concord senior
Perez hit .447 with 33 runs scored, 28 RBIs and eight doubles a season ago.
Ava Walker, Elkhart junior
Walker hit .439 with 18 RBIs and 29 runs scored a season ago.
Bailey Harris-Rogers, Elkhart senior
Harris-Rogers hit .448 with 27 RBIs a season ago.
Payton Thomas, John Glenn senior
Thomas hit .585 with eight homers and 30 RBIs a season ago.
Shayla Sorg, LaPorte junior
Sorg hit .429 with five homers and 31 RBIs a season ago.
Khloe Hershey, Mishawaka senior
Hershey hit .383 with four homers and 36 RBIs a season ago.
Addi Luther, New Prairie junior
Luther hit .359 with four triples and 21 RBIs a season ago.
Rachel Humbarger, Northridge senior
Humbarger hit .436 with nine doubles and 30 runs scored a season ago.
Payton Sears, NorthWood junior
Sears hit .547 with 32 runs scored and 40 RBIs a season ago.
Logan Rumble, Penn senior
Rumble hit .348 with seven homers and 32 RBIs a season ago.
Caitlyn Denny, Penn senior
Denny was 8-0 as a pitcher with 104 strikeouts in 77 innings of work a season ago.
Gracie Patrick, Plymouth junior
Patrick hit .372 with 11 doubles, 15 RBIs and 29 runs scored a season ago.
Julia McNellis, South Bend Adams junior
McNellis hit .362 with six triples and 19 RBIs a season ago.
Elliana Gonzales, South Bend Riley senior
Gonzales hit .326 with 10 doubles and 27 RBIs and was also 13-5 as a pitcher with 151 strikeouts a season ago.
Kiley Weinberg, South Bend Saint Joseph senior
Weinberg hit .447 with 21 runs scored a season ago.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Khloe Hershey wins South Bend Tribune Softball Preseason Player of the Year poll
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
