Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – McKennah Sargent is the 2026 Humboldt Sports Softball Player of the Year.

By Ray Hamill — Three different programs are represented in our end-of-season high school softball awards this year, showcasing just how competitive the H-DNL was in 2026.

Just three wins separated the top four teams in the Big 5, while the race for the Little 4 championship was decided by just one win and went down to the final day of conference play.

But when all was said and done, one player stood out above all others, one coach had a bigger impact than all others, and one team solidified its place in school history more than any other.

The 2026 Humboldt Sports Softball Players of the Year is McKennah Sargent of McKinleyville, who led the Panthers to a Big 5 championship and enjoyed a big send-off to the college ranks.

Sargent, who will play for Santa Rosa JC next spring, was arguably the most consistent pitcher in the H-DNL all spring and also set the standard for her team at the plate, playing a pivotal role on the path to success.

She also provided some necessary team leadership and her impact for the conference champs did not go unnoticed.

“She was the undisputed heartbeat of our team this year,” McKinleyville head coach Shanna McCracken said when Sargent was named Big 5 MVP last month. “Winning all-league MVP is a massive honor, but it only scratches the surface of what she meant to this program.”

Sargent beat out a talented and deep pool of worthy candidates for the award, all of whom deserve an honorable mention.

Eureka’s Bailey Brown was hugely impactful for the Loggers in their remarkable turnaround season that culminated in a Charles Lakin Tournament championship and a deep run in the North Coast Section playoffs.

Likewise with Fortuna’s Evalynn Little, who was one of the most impactful batters in the league this spring and enjoyed an outstanding few months for the Huskies, who finished second in both the Big 5 and Lakin tournament.

Another young player who enjoyed an outstanding spring was South Fork junior Mackenzie Coleman, who took home Little 4 MVP honors for the second straight year after leading the Cubs to a second straight conference championship.

Several other players also impressed for their respective teams this spring, all of whom were included on the all-league teams, including Little 4 co-MVP Monteya Colegrove of Hoopa.

The 2026 Humboldt Sports Softball Coach of the Year, meanwhile, goes to Eureka’s Bob Secor.

Secor took over a program that had won just two games over the previous two years combined and had an immediate impact.

Along with assistant coaches Jimmy Harris and Blake Dunbar, Secor had the Loggers in contention for the Big 5 title for much of the conference campaign and they followed that with an impressive run through Lakin tournament play, winning three games on the way to lifting the trophy.

An impressive season continued in the Section playoffs, with the Loggers going further than any other local team and reaching the Division-5 semifinals.

The Eureka girls were one of the stories of the season here on the North Coast and Secor and his staff played a huge role in that.

As always, there were several other worthy candidates for the coach of the year award, and an honorable mention goes to McCracken, who continued to work her magic and puts the Panthers in position to succeed year after year, as well as Fortuna’s Eric Helms, who is not just one of the best softball coaches in the H-DNL but one of the best league coaches in any sport.

Likewise with South Fork’s Lisa Todd, who has done a remarkable job in her time with the Cubs.

In 2025, under Todd’s guidance, the Cubs ended a 35-year wait for a conference title and the coach and her players followed that with a second straight title in 2026.

And speaking of the South Fork Cubs, they are our choice for 2026 Softball Team of the Year.

The South Fork girls have established themselves as the team to beat in the Little 4 over the past two years and I don’t see that changing any time soon considering the wealth of young talent Todd has on the roster.

But it’s not just the talent that helped them over the finish line in a hard-fought campaign that saw them edge Hoopa for the title on the final day of conference play.

After splitting an early conference doubleheader with the Warriors, the South Fork girls knew they had little room for error after that if they wanted to retain their title.

And they delivered with 10 straight wins on the way to clinching the crown and solidifying their place in South Fork sports history.

An honorable mention in our team of the year category goes out to the McKinleyville and Fortuna girls.

The Panthers deserved special recognition for winning a very competitive Big 5, while the Huskies were consistent throughout the campaign and pushed both the Big 5 and Lakin tournament champs all the way in both competitions.