The calendar has flipped to May which means that the prep softball season is hitting the stretch run.
Area squads are honing in on conference titles and preparing to peak in time for postseason play starting the week of May 25 with sectional action.
That being said, let’s take a quick glance at the South Bend Tribune’s power poll for area teams.
No. 1 Penn
The Kingsmen are hands down the cream of the crop among teams in the South Bend Tribune’s coverage area.
Coach Beth Zachary’s squad, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, sits at 15-2 overall and atop the Northern Indiana Conference at 6-0 through games of May 2. The Kingsmen have outscored their 17 foes by a 161-54 count. They have lost to Class 4A No. 1 Lake Central and Daviess County from Kentucky.
Penn has not missed a beat despite losing 11 seniors from last year’s 25-5 team that lost 4-2 to Crown Point in the semi-state title game.
The Kingsmen are led by a pair of seniors in Logan Rumble and Caitlyn Denny. Outfielder and Northwestern University commit Rumble, who is the program’s all-time home run leader, is a Miss Softball candidate. Denny is undefeated in the circle and has committed to play at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Penn, which won a state record 11th straight regional championship a season ago, features plenty of pop at the plate with the likes of Rumble, to go with senior Phoebe Wood, junior Kaiya Garringer and sophomore Charlie Swiger.
No. 2 Elkhart
The Lions have roared to a strong start thanks to an offense that has scored runs in bunches.
Coach Matt Walker’s team, which won a Class 4A sectional title before losing to Penn in the regional in 2025, had plated 168 runs in its first 18 games. The Lions took a 14-4 overall mark and a 5-0 record in the NIC into a home contest versus Penn Tuesday night. Elkhart will play at Penn Thursday night.
The Lions are led by star shortstop Ava Walker. The junior five-tool player boasts Division 1 skills and was batting a robust .593 through her first 18 games.
Elkhart has also gotten a strong effort in the circle from Ava Sanders, who transferred in from Penn. Sanders is also one of the top hitters for the Lions, along with senior Bailey Harris-Rogers and junior Fionna Topolski.
No. 3 South Bend Saint Joseph
The Huskies, despite hitting a rough patch of late, should still be a contender to make some noise in Class 3A come the postseason.
Coach Earl Keith’s talented team had lost four in a row as of May 2 to drop to 8-5 overall and 5-3 in the NIC. St. Joe’s four losses were a pair to Elkhart and two to Class 3A No. 3 Logansport by counts of 4-2 and 2-1 at home on May 2. Logansport (15-1) features sophomore pitcher Gracie Risley, a University of Texas commit.
The Huskies, who were beaten in the sectional in 2025, are led by second baseman Kiley Weinberg and shortstop/pitcher Bella Esquibel. Weinberg, who will play at Ferris State University in Michigan, is one of just two seniors for St. Joe.
No. 4 Mishawaka
The Cavemen are by far the cream of the crop in the Northern Lakes Conference.
Coach Brian Miller’s squad, which has six seniors, dropped to 10-3 overall with a pair of losses to Fort Wayne Dwenger and Class 4A No. 6 Fort Wayne Carroll in its own Cavemen versus Cancer Classic May 1-2. The Cavemen rallied from a 6-0 deficit versus Carroll to lead 8-6 before losing 10-8.
Mishawaka, whose other loss was to rival Penn, is 6-0 in league play. The Cavemen have won the NLC title each of the last three seasons, including going 12-2 in 2025.
The Cavemen are led by senior Khloe Hershey, sophomore Shea Crawford, senior Karmen Frazier and senior pitcher Grace Matherly. Hershey will play at Glen Oaks Community College next season.
No. 5 Fairfield
The Falcons under longtime coach John Skibbe were 12-3 through May 2.
Fairfield is led by junior pitcher and slugger Madison Jones, who had belted six roundtrippers in the first 15 games. Also key for the Falcons is senior Lilly Yoder.
The Falcons have lost to Elkhart and Churubusco twice.
Honorable mention: South Bend Adams: The Eagles are much improved this spring, including a big NIC win over Saint Joseph’s. Adams, whose roster has just two seniors, is led by junior Julia McNellis and freshmen Brayah Williams-Winston and Alivia Redman.
Northridge: The Raiders are competing with several teams in the NLC to try and chase the Cavemen. Northridge is led by senior Rachel Humbarger and junior Willow Staley, a pair of captains.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Who is the top area prep softball squad?
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
