LANCASTER – With the high school softball regular season over, the Eagle-Gazette will be posting its All-Area teams and Player of the Year soon.
Here is your chance to vote on who you think should be the 2026 Eagle-Gazette High School Softball Player of the Year.
Fans are encouraged to vote on who they think is most deserving in the fan poll. Fans can vote as often as allowed.
The poll will run from 6 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Friday. The winner will be revealed soon after the poll concludes.
Here is the list of seven candidates:
Kendyl Bonkowski, Millersport: She struck out a program record 282 batters and had a 1.34 ERA and finished her career with more than 700 strikeouts. At the plate, she batted .536 with 24 RBIs.
Ella Harmon, Fairfield Union: Just a junior, she finished with a .608 batting average, had 48 hits, hit 19 home runs, and had 55 RBIs.
Emma Brandt, Bloom-Carroll: a junior, she went 10-0 in the circle with a 1.97 ERA, striking out 108 in 74.2 innings. At the plate, she batted .429, had 36 hits, 36 runs, and 31 RBIs.
Eden Wilson, Liberty Union: Only a sophomore, Wilson is 10-0 with 138 strikeouts in 68 innings. At the plate, she has a .533 batting average, including 12 home runs and 36 RBIs.
Kendall Brown, Lancaster: A first-team all-Ohio catcher, Brown has a .630 batting average, including 51 hits, 13 home runs, and 40 RBIs. She had a 55-game hitting streak dating back to her sophomore year and has not struck out once all year in over 100 plate appearances.
Suzie Shultz, Liberty Union: After leading her team to a state title and a state runner-up finish, she went 12-1 in the circle with 111 strikeouts, and at the plate, hit .634, including nine home runs and 15 doubles.
Madelyn Gates, Bloom-Carroll: Gates, a senior four-year starter, had a .558 batting average, including 11 home runs, 11 doubles, and five triples. She struck out only twice in 101 plate appearances.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: You decide | Vote for the 2026 Eagle-Gazette H.S. Softball Player of the Year
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
