Ten Yankton teams will begin their quest for a state title today at the USA Softball South Dakota Youth Fastpitch Class A/B State Championships in Sioux Falls.
Competing for Yankton this year will be Fury Gazelles (18u), Fury Lancers (16u), Fury Diamonds (14u), Fury Black (14u), Fury Red (12u), Fury Outlaws (12u), Fury Storm (12u), Fury Lancers (12u), Fury White (10u), and Fury Lancers (10u).
Games will take place throughout the day, with the first matchups taking place at 8:30 AM.
Yankton Post 12 will be one of eighty teams competing in this year’s Gopher Classic Legion Baseball Tournament, beginning this morning.
Yankton will compete in Pool D in Eden Prairie. Also in Yankton’s pool are Eden Prairie, Farmington, Hastings, and Lincoln Hotel Group.
Yankton will play the first game of the day at 9:00 AM against Hastings, before taking on Lincoln at 2:00 PM.
The Tabor Bluebirds handed the Yankton Lakers their first South Central League loss of the season on Thursday, winning 10-3 at Riverside Field.
Tabor outhit Yankton 11-5 in the win. Nolan Carda led the offense, finishing 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and an RBI. Riley Rothschadl added a pair of runs as well, along with a team-high two stolen bases.
Will Rauch recorded four of Yankton’s five hits, finishing 4-for-4 with a run, a walk, and an RBI.
Tabor improves to 8-4 in league play while Yankton falls to 12-1. Both teams return to league play on Sunday. Yankton travels to Freeman for their final SCL game of the regular season, while Tabor hosts Crofton.
The Wynot Expos were dominant in their win over Crofton last night, shutting out the Bluejays 15-0.
Jesse Lundal accounted for over half of Wynot’s runs, scoring three times while driving in five more runners. Lundal also tallied the lone home run of the game. Landon Wieseler pitched all five innings for the win on the mound.
Crofton were held to just two hits in the loss, one each from Seth Wiebelhaus and Mitchell Steffen.
Wynot, 6-6, will host Irene on Sunday for their next league game, while Crofton, 5-8, will be on the road against Tabor.
The Freeman Blacksox jumped the Lesterville Broncs in the South Central League standings last night, winning their head-to-head matchup 13-8.
Colton Spader and Luke Peters combined for five of Freeman’s ten hits in the win, with Peters tallying a run and two RBIs.
Tanner Skorepa had a big day at the plate despite the loss for Lesterville, ending the night with two doubles, four RBIs, and a run scored.
Freeman, 6-6, will host Yankton on Sunday for their next game, while Lesterville, 6-7, have a week off from SCL play before they host Menno next Thursday.
The Irene Cardinals earned their first South Central League win of the season last night, defeating the Menno Mad Frogs 13-6.
Irene were active at the plate, finishing with 16 hits as a team. Tate Gale, Noah Hansen, and Dustin Livingston carried the offense, as the trio combined for eleven hits, seven runs scored, and six RBIs. Livingston also picked up the win on the mound.
Despite the loss, Connor Merriam was dynamic for Menno, ending the night 3-for-5 with two runs, two stolen bases, and an RBI.
Irene, 1-11, will return to action on Sunday with a road matchup against Wynot. Menno, 6-7, are off until their SCL regular season finale next Thursday at Lesterville.
Avon Girls’ Softball Coach Paul Kuhlman has been named the Softball Coach of the Year by the South Dakota High School Coaches Association.
Kuhlman led Avon to a 17-9 record this past season, as the Pirates captured their first state tournament victory en route to a 7th-place finish in Class B.
The full list of the SDHSCA’s spring coaches of the year is available below.
The 2026 SDHSCA Spring Sports Coaches of the Year are:
- Girls Golf: Kim Zimmerman, Aberdeen Central
- Boys Tennis: Tim Hedblom, Huron
- Boys Track & Field: Jim Jarovski, Sioux Falls Lincoln
- Girls Track and Field: Julie Preheim, Colman Eagan
- Girls Softball: Paul Kuhlman, Avon
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