By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was an impossible task to fit 27 Shawnee County state softball championship teams into just 10 spots on the TopSports.news Best of the Best list.
But after a great deal of consternation and second-guessing, 12 state tournament winners received mention on the Best of the Best list, headed by a pair of co-No. 1s -- Shawnee Heights' 25-0 2017 Class 5A title team and Topeka High's 25-0 2021 6A champions.
Steve Giddens' 2017 Shawnee Heights softball team went 25-0 to win the Class 5A state title, the first in school history. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Shane Miles' 2021 team, which went 25-0 to win Topeka High's first state softball title, shares the No. 1 spot on the Best of the Best list. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Shawnee Heights sent retiring coach Steve Giddens out with a perfect 25-0 record and the T-Birds' first state softball championship in '17, capped by a 10-0 win over Blue Valley Southwest in the state final.
Top players for Heights included seniors Faith Rottinghaus and Kaisha Wells, juniors Kayleigh Bayless and Lydia Ostenson, sophomores Paige Petefish, Abbey Fischer and Sydney Wellshear and freshmen Jaycee Ginter and Aniya Holt.
Shane Miles' Trojans went a perfect 25-0 in '21 en route to the first state softball championship in Topeka High history and High's first of two straight titles.
Current Stanford star pitcher NiJaree Canady was dominant in the pitching circle for the Trojans, who allowed just one run at state, capped by a 7-1 win over Olathe North in the tiitle game.
Top players included Canady and fellow Division I players Zoe and Adisyn Caryl (Illinois).
Tara Griffith coached Shawnee Heights to its second straight Class 5A state softball championship in 2018. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Silver Lake's softball team went 24-0 to win the Class 3A softball title in 2013, starting a run of three straight titles. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Shawnee Heights' undefeated '18 championship team and Silver Lake's undefeated '13 champs were tapped for the No. 3 and No. 4 Best of the Best spots while Silver Lake's '96 team, which won the Eagles' fifth straight title, rounds out the top five.
Silver Lake's 1996 softball team won its fifth straight state championship. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Washburn Rural's championship '95 and '14 teams share the sixth spot on the Best of the Best, followed by Hayden's '01 4A championship team at No. 8 and Shawnee Heights ('19), Topeka High ('22), Seaman ('16) and Rossville ('23) in a tie for the final position.
Silver Lake has won a county-high 13 state titles, also winning in '92, '93, '94, '95, '99, '04, '05, '09, '14, '15 and '18 while Hayden added 4A titles in '99 and '02, and Rossville won in '00 and Washburn Rural in '08.
Rossville, which garnered the 3A state title this past spring, earned the No. 1 spot in Reader's Choice balloting, followed by Silver Lake's '96 team and a tie for third between Shawnee Heights' '18 team, Silver Lake's '13 team and Topeka High's '21 team.
TSN TOP 10 BEST OF THE BEST SOFTBALL TEAMS
1. (tie) Shawnee Heights (2017) -- Shawnee Heights sent retiring coach Steve Giddens off with a perfect 25-0 record and the T-Birds' first state softball championship. Shawnee Heights beat Salina Souh 12-0 in the first round of the state tournament and took an 8-2 semifinal win over Valley Center before a 10-0 win over Blue Valley Southwest in the state final. Top players for Heights included seniors Faith Rottinghaus and Kaisha Wells, juniors Kayleigh Bayless and Lydia Ostenson, sophomores Paige Petefish, Abbey Fischer and Sydney Wellshear and freshman Jaycee Ginter and Aniya Holt.
1. (tie) Topeka High (2021) -- Shane Miles' Trojans went a perfect 25-0 en route to the first state softball championship in Topeka High history and High's first of two straight titles. Current Stanford star pitcher NiJaree Canady was dominant in the pitching circle for the Trojans, who allowed just one run at state. High opened with a 5-0 win over Olathe East, took a 1-0 semifinal win over Gardner-Edgerton and a 7-1 win over Olathe North in the tiitle game. Top players included Canady and fellow Division I players Zoe and Adisyn Caryl (Illinois).
3. Shawnee Heights (2018) -- Tara Griffith took over as Shawnee Heights' head coach and led the T-Birds to a second straight perfect 25-0 season and second straight Class 5A state title. Heights opened state with a 13-3 win over Maize South, beat Mill Valley 6-3 in the semifinals and capped its title run with an 11-0 romp past Bishop Carroll. Top players included seniors Kayleigh Bayless, Lydia Ostenson and Josie Hutcheson, juniors Paige Petefish, Abbey Fischer and Sydney Wellshear and sophomores Jaycee Ginter and Aniya Holt.
4. Silver Lake (2013) -- Mark Workman's Eagles posted a perfect 24-0 record on the way to the Class 3A state championship, one of Silver Lake's 13 state softball titles. Senior Megan Lockwood, who bounced back from an ACL injury as a junior, and sophomore pitching star Megan Deiter played big roles as Silver Lake capped their perfect season with a 6-1 victory over Sacred Heart after a 3-1 win over Lyons in the semifinals.
5. Silver Lake (1996) -- Silver Lake won its fifth straight state championship, one of the Eagles' 13 titles overall, earning the Class 3A-1A championship with a win over Yates Center in the state title game. Kathy Mohler, who went on to become a Hall of Famer at Washburn University, was a star pitcher for the Eagles, while other top players included Nikki Butler, Kristy Grimmett, Alicia Phelps, Lacey Robison and Danielle Huske, who were all part of multiple state championship teams.
6. (tie) Washburn Rural (1995) -- Carolyn Altman coached Washburn Rural to the school's first Class 6A state championship, with the Junior Blues topping Blue Valley Northwest in the state title game. Lisa Carey, who went on help lead Oklahoma to a national championship and is a member of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, had an outstanding season for the Junior Blues.
6. (tie) Washburn Rural (2014) -- Current Washburn University coach Brenda Holaday led Washburn Rural to a 23-2 record and the school's third Class 6A state championship, with the Junior Blues topping Olathe East in the state final. Top players for Washburn Rural included seniors Kelsee Henry and Savannah Moore, junior Chloe Holman, sophomore Megan Henry and freshman Madison Roth.
8. Hayden (2001) -- Lee Schmidt's Wildcats went 20-6 to win the Class 4A state championship, Hayden's second in three seasons, capped by a win over Mill Valley in the state final. Senior leaders for Hayden included Bridget Bargmann, Amber Artzer, Jeny Garst, Amanda Pinkel and Jacie Taggart. The Wildcats repeated in '02 for their third title in four seasons.
9. (tie) Shawnee Heights (2019) -- Shawnee Heights won its third consecutive Class 5A state title and second straight under Tara Griffith, capping a 22-1 season with a 12-1 romp past Bishop Carroll in the state final. The T-Birds opened the state tournament with a 10-0 win over Lansing and beat Maize South 8-3 in the semifinals. Top players included seniors Abbey Fischer, Paige Petefish, ShyAnne Tyler and Sydney Wellshear and juniors Jaycee Ginter, Alexis Dial, Aniya Holt and Kam Wells.
9. (tie) Topeka High (2022) -- Topeka High went 22-3 to win its second straight Class 6A state championship, taking a 2-1 win over city rival Washburn Rural in the 6A championship game. Topeka High took a 6-0 win over Olathe North in the first round of the state tourrament and advanced to the state final with a 10-0 semifinal win over Wichita Northwest. Trojan standouts included NiJaree Canady (Stanford), Adisyn Caryl (Illinois), Alesia Alvarez and Elycia Joyce.
9. (tie) Seaman (2016) -- Jay Monhollon's Vikings went 23-2 on the season, capturing their lone Class 5A state softball championship. Seaman beat Valley Center 5-1 in the first round of the state tournament, took an 11-1 semifinal win over St. Thomas Aquinas and edged city rival Shawnee Heights 3-2 in the final. Top players for Seaman included Division I standouts Lauren Mills (Wichita State) and Hailey Reed (Pacific and Kansas).
9. (tie) Rossville (2023) -- John Nitsch's Bulldawgs posted a 20-4 record on the way to the Class 3A championship, the school's second state title and first since 2000. The Bulldawgs opened state with a 19-7 win over Columbus, took a 6-4 semifinal win over Southeast-Salline and shut out Santa Fe Trail in the state title game. Brinley Dyche, Kinsey Perine, Katie Spielman and Haley Horton were standouts for the Bulldawgs.
READER'S CHOICE SOFTBALL AWARDS
1. Rossville (2023) -- Tie No. 9 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
2. Silver Lake (1996) -- No. 5 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
3. (tie) Shawnee Heights (2018) -- No. 3 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
3. (tie) Silver Lake (2013) -- No. 4 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
3. (tie) Topeka High (2021) -- Tie No. 1 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
6. Washburn Rural (2014) -- Tie No. 6 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
7. Seaman (2016) -- Tie No. 9 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
8. Hayden (2002) -- Lee Schmidt's Wildcats won their third Class 4A state title in four seasons.
9. Shawnee Heights (2017) -- Tie No. 1 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
10. (tie) Hayden (2001) -- No. 7 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
10. (tie) Washburn Rural (1995) -- Tie No. 6 on Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above)..
Next up: Girls/boys swimming Best of the Best Top 10 teams and Reader's Choice awards.
