The Highland Huskies softball team made history in 2024-25, earning their first state tournament berth since 2014. With only three players older than freshmen, the young squad overcame an uneven start, losing six of their first 11 games, before sparking an incredible late-season turnaround.
A 5-3 victory over Columbus ignited the comeback, followed by a four-game winning streak to close the regular season. Once the postseason began, the Huskies rolled past English Valleys 8-0, then shocked the high school softball world by defeating 2023 Class 1A state champion North Linn 8-2 in the regional quarterfinals.
Behind eighth-grade pitcher Jillian Stranksy’s brilliance, Highland edged BGM 2-1 in the semifinals. In the Region 4 final, senior Lilly Barre delivered a game-changing two-run homer to help secure a 6-3 win over Iowa Valley, sending the Huskies to Fort Dodge.
During the eight-game winning streak, Stranksy went 7-0 with a 1.24 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 45 innings. Barre and freshman Kamryn Fink each hit .500 in that span, with Fink adding 11 runs and 11 stolen bases, and Barre driving in nine runs.
At the state tournament, Highland battled hard but fell to #1 Wayne 7-4 and Newell-Fonda 7-6. They finished with eight all-conference selections, with Fink earning first-team all-state honors (.424 avg, 35 runs, 40 steals) and Barre named second-team all-state after a senior campaign that included six home runs and a team-best 27 RBI.