The 2026 Iowa high school softball season is almost upon us.
It begins Monday, May 18, with several gifted players ready to step up and make a big impact for Ames-area teams this summer.
Ames will be in rebuilding mode after losing the bulk of its talent from a 2025 team that produced the best season in program history, finishing 30-8. In the Raccoon River Conference, Gilbert will look to post another winning season and Ballard will attempt to make a big jump after going 7-27 a year ago.
Roland-Story and Nevada will try to turn things around in the Heart of Iowa Conference after they both posted losing records last year. Collins-Maxwell will contend for the Iowa Star Conference South title after placing second in the league last year, and Colo-NESCO will also look to move up the conference standings.
Proven veterans will mix with incoming young talent to give the 2026 season the potential to thrill and surprise local softball fans. With the state softball tournament moving to a double-elimination format, it is an exciting time to be a softball fan in Iowa.
This is just a preseason list, so plenty of new names could burst onto the scene during the season. But here are the top 15 high school baseball players in the Ames area right now.
Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name
Julie Banks, Colo-NESCO
Freshman, Pitcher
Banks is the top returning pitcher for Colo-NESCO.
She took the circle as an eighth-grader in 2025. She went 2-7 in 47 1/3innings of work with 39 strikeouts, and she will look to improve those numbers in 2026.
Evelyn Carlson, Roland-Story
Freshman, Outfield
Carlson was a versatile weapon at the top of the order for Roland-Story last season as an eighth-grader.
She hit .312 with seven doubles, one triple, three homers, 17 runs and 12 RBIs. She will look to do even more damage this year while continuing to provide consistent defense in the outfield.
Cypress Erickson, Collins-Maxwell
Senior, Outfield
Erickson will be batting at the top of the order and manning a spot in the outfield for the fifth straight year.
The talented slap hitter posted a .474 batting average last year with 37 runs and 36 steals. She is not only a big weapon at the plate, but a reliable outfielder who did not commit a single error in 2025.
Mya Geffre, Ames
Junior, Infield
Geffre is the top returning player for Ames.
She is reliable at multiple infield positions and carries a big stick at the dish. Geffre posted a .463 average with 25 extra-base hits, including eight homers, 43 runs and 32 RBIs last year.
Miley Geise, Roland-Story
Junior, Pitcher
Geise gives Roland-Story an experienced pitcher and hitter.
As a sophomore, Geise went 11-11 with a 4.42 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 111 2/3 innings in the circle. She provides some power at the plate after hitting .392 with four doubles, one homer and 12 RBIs in 2025.
Landrey Harris, Colo-NESCO
Freshman, Catcher
Harris gives Banks a reliable battery mate.
She handled most of the catching duties for Colo-NESCO last year, throwing out one base runner. Harris also has potential at the plate after hitting .246 with two doubles and scoring 10 runs a year ago.
Jorie Hillman, Nevada
Junior, Infield
Hillman is one of the top infielders in the Heart of Iowa Conference.
She belted eight home runs with 23 RBIs as an eighth-grader, hit .323 with three homers as a freshman and posted a .340 average with two homers, 15 runs scored and 12 RBIs as a sophomore. Hillman is also an excellent infielder, finishing the 2025 season with 49 putouts, 22 assists and just two errors.
Jadyn Melohn, Nevada
Senior, Infield
Melohn provides Nevada with a strong presence at the hot corner.
In 2025, she made 46 putouts, 26 assists and just six errors. Melohn is also steady with the bat, hitting .294 with two homers and 11 RBIs last season.
Haylee Merryman, Collins-Maxwell
Senior, Infield
Merryman is one of the top shortstops in the entire ISC.
She recorded 51 assists and 31 putouts while covering a ton of ground last season. She is also another productive slap hitter in the Spartan lineup, hitting .406 with 30 runs scored and 28 steals in 2025.
Clara Newton, Gilbert
Senior, Pitcher
Newton enters the 2026 season as one of the top players in the Raccoon River Conference, and that is saying something since the conference is routinely one of the top two or three in the state, regardless of class.
The Tiger pitcher went 17-10 with a 2.47 ERA and 119 strikeouts against 32 walks in 176 innings last year. She can also clobber the ball on offense, as evidenced by her .450 batting average with six doubles, 10 homers and 35 RBI in 2025.
Jayden Peters, Collins-Maxwell
Junior, Pitcher
Peters might be the best returning player in the entire ISC South.
She was a third-team all-state selection in Class 1A last year. As a pitcher, she was 12-10 with a 2.67 ERA and 82 strikeouts against 28 walks in 112 2/3 innings, and she was electric at the plate with a .519 average, seven doubles, nine homers, 32 runs scored and 44 RBIs.
Madeline Schonhorst, Ballard
Junior, Catcher
Schonhorst gives Ballard an all-state caliber player behind the plate.
The Bomber catcher hit .370 with 14 doubles and 26 runs scored as a freshman and .373 with 10 doubles, three homers, 13 runs scored and 20 RBIs as a sophomore. She is also a weapon in the field, throwing out nine runners and committing just four errors in 2025.
Katie Sniezek, Gilbert
Senior, Infield
Sniezek is an elite infielder who has been selected to at least one all-state team three times during her outstanding career.
Last year, she hit .412 with nine doubles, 29 runs and 21 RBIs. Sniezek was also phenomenal in the field once again with 70 assists, 52 putouts and just five errors.
Kiley Sodahl, Ames
Sophomore, Pitcher
Sodahl is the top returning pitcher for Ames.
But she has big shoes to fill with the loss of Josie Theilen and Sydney Smalley from last year’s 30-win team. She was effective in the circle when she got the chance, going 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 30 strikeouts against just two walks.
Sodahl can also hit the ball, posting a .333 average with 10 doubles, two homers, 20 runs scored and 16 RBIs in 2025.
Zoe Wilson, Ballard
Sophomore, Infield
Wilson gives Ballard some power at the plate.
The talented third baseman hit .234 with two doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs last season. She also made 27 putouts and 26 assists in the field.
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: See our top 15 Ames-area Iowa high school softball players for 2026
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
