Brainerd Softball Making 9th State Tournament Appearance

Brainerd is playing its best softball at just the right time, winning nine of their last 10 contests en route to the program’s first Class AAAA state tournament berth since 2022.

The Warriors ran the table in Section 8AAAA by way of an offensive onslaught, outscoring their opponents 27-3 across all four games they played. But as hot as their bats are lately, the Warriors’ calling card all year has been pitching and defense, where they allowed fewer than three runs per game while shutting out the opposition eight times.

Their toughest challenge, however, lies ahead in the state quarterfinals against a 23-2 Bloomington Jefferson squad that is averaging over seven runs a game.

“Pitching is key, and we have Mya [Tautges],” said head coach Shane Jordan. “So we feel really confident with that. And she’s a gritty competitor, so we know she’ll bring her best stuff.”

He continued, “The ‘X’ factor could be base running, just having the opportunity to get on base and move people around and taking advantage of little mistakes that the other team may give you, and they may only give you one. But we got to take advantage of that.

“We’ve improved a lot,” said senior OF Hannah Phillips. “I think that every game we’ve gotten better and I think we can just keep going up from there. If we just have a tight defense, we’ll be all set, and just trying to get on base. Like, we don’t have to hit homers every at bat.

“We’ve done good at our hitting, we’ve done good staying together as a team, keep the positive energy going,” asserted senior OF Keira Nickaboine. “And I think with putting that throughout the season, put that towards the game, towards state—keeping it together, ball on the bat, relax, keep it simple.

Brainerd was seeded 5th overall, and Bloomington Jefferson is the 4-seed coming out of Section 2. Their meeting Tuesday at Caswell Park in Mankato will be the Warriors’ first with the Jaguars since 2014.