06/11/26 – KHSAA Softball State Semifinals Set to Go on Friday at John Cropp Stadium

June 11, 2026 2025-2026 News Releases

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 11, 2026

The KHSAA Softball State Tournament presented by UK HealthCare enters the semifinal round on Friday with four teams in search of their program’s first state title. We will have a first-time champion crowned this weekend at John Cropp Stadium.

Action gets underway at 3:30 PM between the 9th region winner, Highlands (35-6), and the 4th region victor, South Warren (43-0). The Bluebirds from Northern Kentucky are making their fourth trip in five years to the state tournament and have won 19 in a row, but needed extra innings to advance past North Hardin 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Highlands is batting .382 as a team, paced by Cam Markus (.475 BA) and Layla Zepf (.457 batting average), with Kate Class also batting at a .410 clip.  The Birds are dangerous on the basepaths, having swiped 115 bases in 121 attempts. Zepf is 26-for-28, and Class is 20-for-21. Ace pitcher Kaitlyn Dixon is 30-3 with a 0.66 ERA. Four of Highlands’ six losses have been by one run. 

South Warren, winners of 43 straight, has been atop the state’s softball rankings all year and is currently ranked in the Top-5 nationally by most, if not all, publications.  Led by Kentucky’s Gatorade Player of the Year, McLaine Hudson, who is batting on the season with a .731 with 26 homers and 78 RBI. The Lady Spartans’ top seven hitters are batting .436 or better, with Hudson, Parker Willoughby, Layla Ogden, and Hadley Borders all batting .500 or better. South Warren has clubbed 69 round-trippers and stolen 185 bases. Ogden and Courtney Norwood anchor a pitching rotation that has allowed only 27 earned runs over 192 innings pitched. South Warren nearly saw their perfect season come to a close in the quarterfinals against Madison Central. Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Layla Ogden slammed her 13th home run of the year, a 2-run shot, to send the Lady Spartans into the semifinals. 

Bullitt East (31-4) and George Rogers Clark (38-5) face off in the other semifinal to begin at 6:30 PM from John Cropp Stadium. These two softball powers have not faced each other in more than 13 years.

The Lady Chargers are making their inaugural trip to the doorstep of the championship game. The Lady Chargers are back-to-back region champions for the first time in school history, and Bullitt East’s first-round victory over reigning state champion Assumption was the first win in program history at the state tournament. East blanked Assumption in the opening round 5-0 but had to claw and scratch their way to a 16-8 win over Hazard in the quarterfinals. The Lady Chargers scored nine runs in the final two innings to pull away. Six batters in Bruce Pierce’s lineup are hitting better than .440.  In the circle, Bullitt East has the duo of Ryleigh Watrous and Mackenzie Mingus, who have combined for a 27-4 record with 243 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA.

George Rogers Clark has had the most success in the state tournament semifinals among the other three teams. GRC has advanced to the KHSAA state tournament 12 times, but not since 2010. The Lady Cardinals got to Lexington by knocking off state power Harrison County in the region final. After defeating Ashland Blalzer in round one, the Redbirds slipped past Henderson County 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Like the others in the semifinals, GRC is not shy in hitting the softball, sporting a team batting average of .434 with seven stuffing the stat sheet at a .417 clip or better. Lilliana Hill leads the Cards in the box with a .527 batting average with 15 HR and 66 RBI, and is just as impressive in the circle with a 17-2 ledger and a 1.91 ERA.  Arabella Guinn and Jordan Abner each have double digits in homers and are among the team leaders in extra base hits, RBI, and stolen bases. GRC has stolen 112 bases in 116 attempts.

2026 KHSAA Softball State Tournament presented by UK HealthCare

• Purchase State Softball Tickets (all electronic, no cash sales on site)

• State Semifinals, Finals Schedule of Events

• UK Athletics Clear Bag Policy

• Directions to John Cropp Stadium

• UK Softball Parking Diagram, Shuttle Drop-Off/Pick-Up Point

• khsaa.tv 

• khsaa.net 

• Live Stats 

• KHSAA/Riherds Scoreboard 

• Tournament Bracket 

• Tournament Program

 

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