Photo by Jake Olson: The Martin County West softball team celebrates its 3-2 victory over Cleveland during the quarterfinals of Saturday's Section 2A Softball Tournament in North Mankato.

WELCOME – Darrell Ziegler had nothing but positive remarks for his Martin County West softball team last Thursday night.

The No. 1 Mavericks trotted off field four of Caswell Park on the receiving end of its first losing streak of 2026. No. 2 United South Central stormed back from a second-round loss to Nicollett, winning six straight games to secure the Section 2A softball tournament championship and earn a chance to reclaim its Class A crown for the second straight season.

For Ziegler and company, it was the end of a historic season. A season that saw a 24-3 record, the top seed in the section tournament and a month-long, 17-game winning streak.

“I told the girls that there was nothing to hang their heads about,” Ziegler said. “We had a chance to win that first game, but left too many people on base. She’s [USC’s Mariah Anderson] the best pitcher in the Class A Tournament, that’s for sure. There’s a reason why she has over 1700 career strikeouts.”

“But I just told them I was very proud of everything they accomplished and the work ethic of the girls. We had kids who stayed after and worked on individual things every night. And I didn’t have to ask them. They wanted to.”

Ziegler’s approach to this season had a similar blueprint to the previous four. His counter to roster turnover has been the steady integration of young talent to fill the gaps. Talent that slowly progressed from simple bench contributors to impactful starters.

Every year, individuals are lost upon graduation. And every year, the Mavericks have seemed to find themselves among the top teams in the Tomahawk-Valley Conference. It’s been a recipe for consistency. MCW’s 64-28 record since 2022 is all the proof needed.

“We’ve been able to have a number of younger kids come in and contribute,” Ziegler said. “Not having all seniors and juniors has been nice too. We’re not starting over with everybody. We’ve got experience and kids who’ve learned from good players who have been in front of them. All those little things have made a big difference for us.”

It was again the case this spring. Departures from CF Hannah Rosenberg (.467 BA) and SS Emily Anderson (.472 BA) would not just leave holes in the Maverick batting order, but two additional steady presences in the field with plenty of varsity experience. However, like clockwork, the MCW replenished the lineup turnover with young athletes ready to take a leap.

CF Lillie Schultz and SS Rowan Faber continued to build on their roles in 2025, becoming consistent, every-game players. DP Stella and RF Ida Rohman seamlessly entered the lineup as two more talented weapons. Add in the other five individuals who started last spring, including ace pitcher Maddie Carlson, and you have a team capable of building on its previous 22-5 season.

That’s just what the Mavericks did. The first eight games of the season saw MCW win by an average of 11 runs. After suffering a loss to Cleveland on April 30, MCW rattled off 17 more wins before entering section play, including a walk-off victory over Fairmont to wrap up the regular season at 21-1.

There wasn’t a specific moment Ziegler recalled as telling him just how strong the Mavericks would finish the season. That sign reflected the different ways his team could pull out a victory.

“I don’t know if there was one particular moment, but with a few of those close games we had found ways to come through,” Ziegler said. “We had so many different kids contribute and step up at the big-time level. Whether it was defensively or some play on offense in an at-bat. It just showed how even and balanced we were in our lineup.”