Photo by Jake Olson: North Union's Shallie Walders celebrates her home run during the June 24 game against Belmond-Klemme in Swea City.

SWEA CITY – The 2026 North Union softball team had expectations entering this season. Expectations of climbing even higher than the program’s 22-8 campaign a year prior. And with the return of virtually everyone from a roster that fell to St. Edmond in the Class 1A, Region 7 semifinal, why not have even loftier goals after an offseason of development?

For Warriors head coach Kim Price, her team hasn’t simply grown from last season. It goes beyond that. The steady improvements over the summer have led to another impressive year in Swea City. North Union has been developing right before her eyes.

“There’s been an improvement on the offensive side for sure, as far as consistently getting hits, and really, the extra base hits,” Kim Price said. “Our slugging percentage this year, and being able to hit so many doubles and home runs, has been a huge development from last year. It definitely exceeded any expectations I had.”

“Even from the beginning of the season to now, defensively, we have improved. We had multiple games early on with five or six errors that cost us. But we’ve tightened it up a bit. There are still errors, but it’s better with more consistent games without any. There’s a lot of growth from last year and even the beginning of this season.”

North Union heads into the Class 1A, Region 6 playoff bracket with an impressive 23-10 record. It’s a 16-0 trek through conference play that has once again made them leaders of the Top of Iowa – West.

Ethan Miller, the team’s mental performance coach, kept his message short and simple in this week’s informative video. A mantra that will be consistently repeated in the Warriors’ home dugout during Wednesday’s quarterfinal contest against Bishop Garrigan.

“It was probably the most powerful 10-word sentence when it comes to competing, ‘If it is to be, then it’s up to me,” Kim Price said. “This is the time when each person needs to have this mindset. If it’s a pitch that needs to be thrown in a critical moment, it’s up to me. If it’s a defensive play that needs to be made to get out of an inning, it’s up to me. Stop leaving it up to other people and take that ownership.”

Kim Price wants her players to buy into this mental space. North Union has built its season on explosive offensive capabilities and a steady presence in the circle. Leaning into what they’ve established themselves as will be the deciding factor in just how far this team can go.

No more small ball

Fans of North Union’s program know Kim Price’s typical offensive style during her tenure. It’s all about small ball.

The Warriors have been tagged as a team that isn’t afraid to manufacture runs the old-fashioned way. Bunting, slapping, and stealing bases have all been used by Kim Price in past years to draw her players closer to home plate. It became their trademark.

“I’ve had multiple seasons with two, three, and even four slappers on the team. Almost half the lineup was bunting and slapping for base hits all the time,” Kim Price said. “This is the first season where games go by, and I don’t have someone bunt.”

This year is different. A major change from past seasons.

47 times the North Union team has seen a ball fly over the outfield fence. This mark ranks No. 1 in all of Class 1A. It’s also the fourth-most home runs among programs in the state of Iowa. The Warriors sit behind only Ankeny Centennial (72), Dallas Center-Grimes (57) and Cedar Rapids Kennedy (52). Some pristine company.

Seven different players have helped reach this mark. Brylie Deim and Maisey Bierstedt lead North Union with double-figure totals of 13 and 10. Aslynn Sobolik (9), Shallie Walders (8) and Ainsley Ulrich (5) have added 22 more.

Kim Price’s lineup, with the consistent power and capability to send one out of the park, has completely changed her offensive philosophy.

“That is my thing. You get a runner on and move them over. With a runner on third with zero or one out, I have always bunted,” Kim Price said, jokingly. “This year, almost anybody up to bat in that situation, I trust and have confidence that they are going to hit to move the runner. Like, we don’t have to use that.”

These powerful instances can be a complete momentum shift in a game. Multiple times this season, North Union has used this ability as a knockout punch against its opponents. One swing of the bat can turn a contest on its head in a matter of moments.

“I think it’s huge if you look at some of our games,” Kim Price said. “Our game against Osage, when we went into nine innings at a tournament, we had three home runs. Aslynn Sobolik had two home runs. If those home runs didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have been in extra innings. That’s a huge weapon right there.”

Scoring in multiple ways

The home run isn’t the only reason North Union scores nearly 10 times per contest. It’s not the only reason they rank No. 3 in Class 1A in total runs (308). Kim Price’s offensive unit has become a well-oiled machine in every facet of the game.

North Union has seven batters with a batting average above .340. Five of these individuals – Bierstedt (.482), Ulrich (.449), Sobolik (.436), Deim (.421) and Olivia Price (.408) – range above the elusive .400 line.

The team is represented throughout Class 1A in multiple offensive statistics.

They sit second in doubles (79) and total bases (559). In RBIs (257), run difference (179) and total hits (329), they rank fourth. It’s not just the longball that poses a threat to opponents. Take away North Union’s ability to hit home runs, and this offense is still capable of putting up crooked numbers. This season has shown this time and time again.

“Just the fact that we’ve had so many hits, 329 in 32 games, that’s a really good average. When you’re playing most teams, if you have nine or 10 hits in a game, you can win that game,” Kim Price said. As long as you execute and string them together, you will score runs. That’s been just so huge for us, too.”

“That’s also intimidating, to come up against that. These girls hit a lot of singles and doubles. Even if you took away our home runs, we’re still a really powerful hitting team.”

Having an ace

Every team needs an ace. North Union has one.

Neither the wins nor the impressive run differential numbers would be possible with a strong pitcher. A pitcher who will throw strikes, keep hits at a minimum and always give her team a chance. Ulrich has been this individual.

Her sophomore campaign was a breakout season. She finished 2025 with a 2.48 ERA over nearly 160 innings, piling up an impressive 210 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .225 batting average.

This summer has been more or less the same. Similar statistics across the board – 2.65 ERA, 177 IP, and 225 strikeouts – have made her another piece that the Warriors can count on for wins.

However, an outlier that has improved Ulrich’s game is her consistency in the zone. The junior’s walk total has gone down by 23 compared to last summer. Despite logging more frames, the improved control has made Ulrich even more effective.

“Last year, in over 30 games, she had 89 walks,” Kim Price said. “This year, she has cut that down a lot. That’s been helpful. There were times last season when she was striking out girls, but there were a lot of people on base because of walks. With one or two hits, the other team is scoring runs. I think it makes her feel more confident that she’s throwing more strikes.”

North Union’s battle against Bishop Garrigan this Wednesday will take place in Swea City. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. This winner will take on either Newell-Fonda or Gehlen Catholic on Friday to determine one of the two representatives in the Regional Championship.