We continue our year-end look at the Top 10 Softball Stories of 2025…  Here is the schedule for this list which will run the rest of December and into January 2025, when we’ll publish the No. 1 Softball Story of The Year:

Click on the links of those previously posted to see what we’ve covered so far!

• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #10 – Tue, Dec. 23, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #9 – Wed, Dec. 24, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #8 – Thu, Dec. 25, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #7 – Fri, Dec. 26, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #6 – Sat, Dec. 27, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #5 – Sun, Dec. 28, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #4 – Mon, Dec. 29, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #3 – Tue, Dec. 30, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #2 – Wed, Dec. 31, 2025
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #1 – Thu, Jan. 1, 2025

Also, on Jan. 2, 2026, Line Drive Softball will list all the Top 10 stories in a list and then on Jan. 3^rd we’ll will run the Other Stories Considered List.

For each topic (story), an article that we ran earlier this year on Line Drive Softball is reposted along with any other articles that may be tied into the subject listed that day.

So how were the Top 10 picked?

We looked at what were considered the most memorable and important stories of the year as they impacted the sport.

In researching the Top 10, we talked to those in softball, including college and travel ball coaches, other media members and you—the fastpitch community.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball

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The Top 10 Softball Stories of 2025: #8… Club Dynasties Highlight Year Including One Championship Winner That’s Just Two Years Old! (Dec. 25, 2025)

It was a great year for top teams and programs to shine in travel ball softball with some of the most familiar names pulling down the biggest wines.

As our Carlos Arias covered throughout 2025, here were some of the major headliners:

*** OC Batbusters – Stith/Byrd has won back-to-back 12U Alliance national championships now after it went to the PGF 10U Premier national championship game in 2023 as the SoCal FireByrds.

Taylor Goodwin, ranked No. 4 overall in our 2030 HOT 100 player rankings, was the star of the team and was our 12U All-Summer Team Pitcher MVP after the right-hander, who is also a standout outfielder with a dangerous bat, pitched 40 strong innings to earn Outstanding Player honors at the 12U Alliance Nationals.

She also batted .462 with a .615 slugging percentage in the Batbusters championship run.

*** In a somewhat Batbusters-related note, perhaps the biggest college player transfer of the year was Sophia Bordi who left Oklahoma to play for the national champion Texas Longhorns. She won an 18U Alliance national championship with OC Batbusters – Stith in 2023.

*** Texas Bombers Gold – Malpass won its second straight 14U Alliance national championship and third in four years, winning national titles in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

In this year’s tight 7-6 clinching title game win over Unity-Johnson, 2028 outfielder  Courtney Latronico went 3-for-4 with a pair of triples, two runs scored and three RBIs to spark the victors.

*** Athletics Mercado 2010 – Tidd had a huge year, capturing the following titles:

• the 14U Triple Crown P5 Patriot Games,
• the 14U National Power Pool at Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July and
• PGF 14U Premier national championship

*** Aces Fastpitch Club was in the 18U Alliance National Championship Series for the second time in three seasons and won its first national championship.

Nebraska-committed 2026 3B/1B Kali Bogart, ranked No. 12 in the 2026 Line Drive Hot 100, hit a grand slam in the top of the second in

*** Warrior Academy – McDonald won the 16U Alliance National Championship, its second national title in five years.

Shortstop Arielle Henriquez sparked the winners with a 3-for-4 performance.

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But the story of the year in club play had to be the amazing championship won by Arizona Rising – Appel, the PGF 18U Premier National Championship.

Why?

Because it was just the organization’s second year in existence!

Great leadership by Head Coach Steve Appel and a team loaded with talent made all the difference.

A bit of historical context: The Arizona Rising organization emerged from what was the Arizona Storm program prior to 2024. Appel coached in the Storm program and officially launched the Rising organization from the Storm which dates back to 1990. 

Here’s a closer look at the Arizona Rising – Appel team’s pinnacle of success in the Summer 0f 2025, capturing the PGF 18U National Championship… 

Club News: PGF 18U Championship… Arizona Rising – Appel Unstoppable with 13-Run 2nd Inning Enroute to 19-2 Run-Rule Title Game Victory (July 26, 2025)

Under beautifully sunny skies and 77-degree weather, final of four championship games played over the last 24 hours at the 2025 PGF Nationals was as one-sided at they get.

Following exciting 18U and 16U Platinum Games Friday evening and a thrilling 3-2 walk-off Saturday morning in the 16U Premier National Championship, the 18U game was effectively over by the top of the 3^rd inning.

That’s when the Arizona Rising 18U team coached by Steve Appel exploded for 13 runs against a strong Lady Dukes 18U – Lamar squad after going ahead initially in the top of the 2^nd inning putting up a three spot.

The Rising would up score a run in the top of the 4^th and two more in the 5^th to tally a final score of 19 runs to make the final score 19-2 in a shortened five inning game.

To highlight the game-breaking 3^rd inning, Peyton Valentine, a 2025 shortstop headed to Auburn, smacked a grand slam to give her four RBIs for the day as well as four runs scored herself thanks in part to two walks.

So dominating was the offensive onslaught by the Rising that 10 players would have at least one hit—first baseman Kealyn Moffitt (Boston College) and third baseman Taylor Hampton (Texas A&M) each had two hits.

Equally impressive was the fact that nine different players would drive in at least one run. Valentine had four with her grand slam while Payton Westra, an outfielder signed with Oklahoma, had a bases-clearing triple for her trio of runs knocked in.

As dominant as the offense was—and it was unstoppable to the point that one Rising fan joked that he was disappointed the team missed two extra points—the pitching was equally impressive as starter Goose Goodwin would start the game, pitch three innings and then come back into the fifth and final inning to close out the win.

The Northwestern-bound pitcher totaled four innings and only gave up two hits and one earned run while striking out five. Macee Jackson tossed the fourth inning and gave up one hit—the only highlight the Lady Dukes would have as infielder Alex Williams hit a solo home run in the 4^th for one of the two runs scored by the Lady Dukes, who had three hits in total.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball

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Here is our Line Drive interviews after the 5-inning run-shortened game with Head Coach Steve Appel and standout pitcher Goose Goodwin and grand-slam hitting Peyton Valentine:

… and the team receiving the PGF championship trophy…