Myah Merry and Williston are the No. 2 seed from the West Region. The defending state champion plays Fargo Shanley in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 28, at 4 p.m. at Scheels South Hill Sports Complex. Mike Kraft/MDN

When softball first became an NDHSAA-sponsored sport in 2008, the East Region quickly asserted its dominance on the diamond, specifically West Fargo.

The Packers won the first nine Class A state championships and 10 of the first 11, beating eight current and former West Region representatives in the title game during their run. Minot High in 2018 delivered the West Region its first state title in the sport before West Fargo returned to the top of the mountain the following year.

When the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 season, it also served as the end of an era as it came to the East Region’s stranglehold on the championship hardware. Not only has the West Region won the last five state titles since play resumed in 2021, but the last five championship games have pitted two teams from the WDA against one another. The East Region hasn’t been represented in the title game since 2019.

This year’s tournament field features a little bit of everything, from a first-timer to blue bloods to recent powerhouses. Seven of the eight teams finished ranked in the top 10 of the final coaches’ poll, headlined by Dickinson and Williston. The Mavericks and Coyotes spent the entire season occupying the top two spots in the rankings. Williston is the defending state champion after winning their first title in 2025. Dickinson won the previous two and won three of four since 2021. Either Dickinson or Williston have played in the title game each of the past five years.

The two West Region powers split the WDA regular season title before Dickinson captured the tournament championship over Williston, 5-3. The Mavericks won two of three matchups this season. This is Dickinson’s 14th straight trip to the state tournament. The Mavericks have three state titles to their name and finished runners-up four other times.

Dickinson (28-3) hit .410 as a team, led by Gabriella Sobolik and Kyndall Peterson, who each hit .600 or better. Sobolik hit 12 home runs, drove in 50 runs and scored 62 times. Peterson belted 10 homers, with 55 RBIs and 29 runs scored. The Mavericks hit 35 home runs as a unit and plated 305 runs. They amassed 10 or more runs in 20 games this season.

On the mound, the Mavericks were led by a trio of arms in Peterson, Reagan McMahen and Hali Henke. McMagen threw a team-high 64 innings, sporting a 1.75 ERA. She allowed 31 runs on 54 hits, striking out 60 and walking 12. Peterson, Sobolik and McMahen were all named all-WDA. Dickinson opens the state tournament against Fargo Davies, which is making its fourth appearance at state and second straight. The Eagles (20-7) finished fourth in the EDC regular season and knocked off No. 3 seed and fifth-ranked Grand Forks Red River in a state qualifier.

Williston (28-3) may not be the No. 1 seed or the No. 1 ranked team like their WDA rival, but they are a mirror image of the Mavericks. The Coyotes led the WDA in scoring with 380 runs, putting up double-digit runs in 21 of 31 games this season. They hit .427 as a team with 377 total hits, 109 doubles, 14 triples and 33 home runs.

Rylee Irgens led the Coyotes with a .491 batting average, collecting 54 hits, 40 RBIs and 59 runs scored. Mekiah Klumker had a team-best seven home runs. Eleven Coyotes hit home runs this season. Kyah Stundahl (.484), Chloee Stundahl (.456) and Allli Wilcox (.456) all had more than 40 hits.

Alana Thomas and Klumker have been the work horses in the circle, tossing all but 10 innings. Thomas threw 87 â…”, striking out 112 batters and sporting a 3.05 ERA. Klumker went 69 2/3 innings with 113 strikeouts and a 2.61 ERA. They combined to toss nine shutouts.

The Coyotes had six players named to the all-WDA, leading the rest of the conference. Those names included Wilcox, Irgens, Klumker, Thomas, Kyah Stundahl and Chloee Stundahl.

Williston draws Fargo Shanley in the quarterfinals. The Deacons (13-7) won the EDC regular season title, but dropped their semifinal contest to West Fargo. They booked their first trip back to the state tournament since 2016 by defeating Fargo North, 4-3, in a state qualifier.

A pair of Bismarck schools round out the field for the West Region. Mandan is the No. 3 seed after finishing the regular season fifth in the WDA standings. They upset Bismarck Legacy in the quarterfinal round before punching their ticket to the tournament for the second time in program history with a 7-6 victory over Jamestown in a state qualifier. The Braves didn’t have a victory over any of the top-four teams in the conference before knocking off Legacy in the WDA Tournament.

The Braves (17-11) were led by their lone WDA all-team selection in Kaebry Weekes. She led the team in batting average (.615), hits (48), doubles (14), RBIs 49 and runs (38) and was tied with Grace Bugbee for the lead in home runs with five. Mandan hit .396 with 317 hits and 264 runs scored.

Aubrey Karsky is the team’s ace in the circle, tossing a team-high 79 2/3 innings with a team-leading ERA of 4.92. She has 40 strikeouts. Harper Belohlavek (44 IP) and Hadley Harris (42 2/3 IP) also saw significant time in the circle. The duo combined for 59 strikeouts.

Waiting for the seventh-ranked Braves in the first round is the past juggernaut program that is West Fargo. However, the Packers (15-12) are the only unranked team in the field. Despite finishing fifth in the EDC regular season, West Fargo advanced to the title game before falling to West Fargo Horace, 4-1, to settle for the No. 2 seed.

Mandan is making its second state appearance and so is fourth-seeded and fourth-ranked Bismarck Legacy. The Sabers (17-10) upset third-ranked Bismarck High in a state qualifier, avenging a pair of losses with the Demons earlier in the season.

Riley Ingemansen and Kyen Haggin both hit over .400 this season at .429 and .427, respectively. Ingemansen collected 39 hits – five home runs – and drove in 34 runs, while Haggin scattered 35 hits – four home runs – while plating 26 runs.

Rawling Borseth accounted for more than half of her team’s innings pitched. Borseth threw 83 1/3 innings out of 158 total, registering a 3.44 ERA. She struck out 126 batters while walking just 18. Paisley Lessard (44 1/3 IP) and Rawni Roemmich (25 IP) shouldered the rest of the load, striking out 50 combined batters they faced.

Ingemansen and Borseth were named all-WDA.

While this is just Legacy’s second trip to the state tournament, the Sabers are still the more experienced group in their first-round matchup against West Fargo Horace. The champions of the East Region are making their first appearance to the dance after capturing their first EDC Tournament title. The Hawks (22-8) opened the season with three straight losses, but enter the state tournament on an 11-game winning streak.

Horace is the top-ranked team from the East Region among the field at No. 6.

The Class A state tournament gets started on Thursday, May 28, at Scheels South Hill Sports Complex beginning at 11 a.m. with Dickinson playing Fargo Davies.