Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – McKennah Sargent
By Ray Hamill — Five McKinleyville Panthers have been named to the Big 5 All-League Team in softball, including conference MVP McKennah Sargent.
Sargent was a force all spring for the conference champs, both in the circle and at the plate, leading the Panthers to the title in what was one of the most exciting races in years.
Down the stretch, the McKinleyville players held their nerve on the way to clinching the championship, beating Arcata in their final game to secure it outright.
With Sargent leading the way, the McKinleyville girls won four of their final five conference games and got the better of all four Big 5 opponents over the final 11 days of conference play.
And the role Sargent played cannot be understated.
“She was the undisputed heartbeat of our team this year,” McKinleyville head coach Shanna McCracken said. “Winning all-league MVP is a massive honor, but it only scratches the surface of what she meant to this program.”
The senior MVP, who will play for Santa Rosa JC next year, made her presence felt in multiple ways.
“She is the ultimate lead-by-example player,” McCracken added. “Whether she was locking things down defensively in the circle, or sparking our offense at the plate, she put this team on her back when it mattered the most.
“She raised everyone’s level of play simply by being out there
Sargent is joined on the All-League Team by McKinleyville teammates Cabella Carper, Liana Stumpf, Josie Provolt-Dowd and Leili Guerrero, each of whom also played key roles on the path to success.
The Panthers closed out the regular season 14-8 and were 9-3 in the Big 5.
Avery Bartoo and Addison White each also received an all-league honorable mention for the conference champs.
Just three wins separated the top four teams in this year’s Big 5, and Fortuna, Del Norte and Eureka each also are well represented on the All-League team.
Fortuna’s Evalynn Little enjoyed an outstanding season for the Big 5 runners-up, who lost two of three conference games to the Panthers, which ultimately ended up being the difference in such a tight conference.
But Little did her part, batting .522 with an incredible 47 RBIs, 13 doubles and seven home runs.
The standout junior is joined on the All-League team by Fortuna teammates Hailee Thompson and Olivia Hayes, a pair of seniors who closed out their high school careers strong.
Isabel Sanchez, Addie Collenberg and Sophia Castillo were also included as honorable mentions for the Huskies, who finished the season 21-6 and were 8-4 in the Big 5.
The Del Norte Warriors also impressed this spring and finished third in the Big 5, just two wins behind the champs.
Sophomore pitcher Addi Whitford and standout outfielder Bella Arriola each made the All-League team for the Warriors, who were 7-5 in the Big 5 and 16-10 overall.
The Del Norte girls also had four honorable mentions, including senior Bliss Blackburn, who helped anchor an impressive outfield alongside Arriola.
Gianna Antonetti, Deja Travis and Natasha DeNicholas also were included among the honorable mentions for Del Norte.
The Eureka Loggers, meanwhile, enjoyed a turnaround season that resulted in a Charles Lakin Tournament championship.
After going winless in 2025, the Eureka girls finished fourth in the Big 5 with a record of 6-6 (13-13 overall).
But that was good enough to qualify for the postseason tournament because the Warriors were unable to participate, and they took full advantage of their opportunity once they got there, wining three tournament games in four days, including a 14-7 win over Fortuna in the championship game.
The Loggers, who finished just three games behind McKinleyville in the final Big 5 standings, realistically could have had more All-League selections based on their performances, but ended up with just one, senior Bailey Brown.
The four-year varsity player enjoyed an outstandingly final high school campaign, hitting a team-best .422 with 22 RBIs, 14 doubles and three home runs.
The influential Brown will play for College of the Redwoods next year.
Her teammates Makenzie Wolff and Macy Secor each was included among this year’s all-league honorable mentions after big seasons for both players.
And rounding out the All-League team is Arcata senior Peyton Miller, who also enjoyed a good season in conference play.
Miller averaged .386 at the plate with team-highs in RBIs (19), doubles (nine) and home runs (four).
Nallia Meyer, Alli Mitchell and Josie Cunningham each also received an all-league honorable mention for Arcata.
