With one local team making state and seven total players earning all-state recognition, 2024 was a banner year for high school softball in Monroe County.

Here’s a look at the Republic-Times All-Local Softball Team featuring standout athletes from Waterloo, Columbia, Valmeyer, Gibault and Dupo high schools. 

FIRST TEAM

Mia Miller, Waterloo. She’ll be pitching at Missouri S&T following a record-setting career as a Bulldog. Miller led Waterloo to its first ever state semifinal appearance by going 19-6 with a 1.41 ERA and 284 strikeouts in 159-plus innings to garner all-conference and all-state accolades. At the plate, she hit .298 with 17 RBIs.

Jaylyn Brister, Columbia. Another all-stater, this recent graduate capped off a stellar Eagles career by hitting .470 with a .523 on base percentage, four home runs, 11 doubles, 41 RBIs and 32 runs scored this spring. Up next for Brister is the softball field at Northern Illinois University.

Elle van Breusegen, Columbia. A senior-to-be, van Breusegen received all-state recognition by hitting .477 with a .555 on base percentage, 15 stolen bases and 43 runs scored this spring.

Samantha Juelfs, Waterloo. The leading hitter for the Bulldogs, this shortstop was named all-state after hitting .407 with 15 doubles, 26 RBIs and 32 runs. She’ll look to lead the ‘Dogs again as a junior in 2025. 

Raelyn Melching, Waterloo. Another senior leader for the Bulldogs on their state run was Melching, who was named all-state after hitting .383 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs.

Paige Froess, Columbia. Another senior-to-be for the Eagles, Froess made all-state after hitting .444 with 28 RBIs and going 6-4 in the pitching circle with a 2.58 ERA.

Mallory Thompson, Waterloo. Another all-state junior-to-be for the Bulldogs, Thompson hit .379 with 15 doubles, 17 RBIs and 33 runs scored.

Brooke Miller, Valmeyer. Yet another accolade for this all-time Pirates sporting great. Miller capped off an amazing high school softball career by hitting .493 with seven homers this spring in addition to going 10-4 with a 1.99 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 98-plus innings pitched.

Payton Similey, Valmeyer. Another recent graduate that was vital to the Pirates’ softball success, Similey hit .431 with eight doubles and 18 RBIs while playing solid defense at catcher.

Libby Mesch, Gibault. This recent grad led the Hawks in hitting at .536 with four home runs and 14 RBIs. As a pitcher, she went 3-3 in 26-plus innings.

Avery Proffer, Valmeyer. A junior-to-be, Proffer offers hope for future Pirates softball success. She hit .482 with 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs.

Maddie Gummersheimer, Waterloo. Yet another senior leader for the Bulldogs this spring, Gummersheimer hit .355 with 10 doubles and 20 RBIs.

Mia McSchooler, Valmeyer. A recent grad, McSchooler was another key part of the Pirates softball success in recent years. This spring, she hit .409 with 23 runs and 18 RBIs.

Keara Prater, Dupo. A sizzling freshman season puts this Tiger on the list. She hit .375 and scored 15 runs.

SECOND TEAM

Grayce Mayer, Waterloo. A fantastic freshman season gives the Bulldogs even more to look forward to. She hit .391 with 10 stolen bases and 11 runs. 

Reagan Mathews, Columbia. Another sophomore-to-be makes the list. She hit .368 with five home runs and 16 RBIs for the Eagles.

Karina Jerkatis, Gibault. A junior-to-be, Jerkatis hit .365 this season with 17 runs. 

Emma Steibel, Gibault. She provided senior leadership for the Hawks while also hitting .354 with six doubles and 15 runs.

Paige Webb, Columbia. She hit .342 with 22 runs as a sophomore, meaning the future looks bright. 

Alex DeLuca, Valmeyer. Another reason why the Pirates feel good about the future, she hit .352 with 13 RBIs as a sophomore. 

Reagan Jarrard, Columbia. The fourth sophomore-to-be on our list, she hit .330 with 20 RBIs and 20 runs for the Eagles.

Reese Jarrard, Columbia. Not to be outdone, this senior-to-be hit .315 with 30 runs scored. 

Maddie Ehrhard, Dupo. This outgoing senior concluded a stellar Tigers sporting career by hitting .333 with 15 RBIs.

Madisyn Huddleston, Valmeyer. And another sophomore-to-be makes the list. She hit .328 with 15 runs in addition to going 2-1 with a 3.50 ERA as a pitcher.

Aidan Dintelman, Waterloo. She hit .306 with 16 RBIs and 18 runs as a sophomore in addition to going 7-2 with a 1.34 ERA in 62-plus innings pitched.

Emily Webb, Columbia. She went 6-5 with a 2.00 ERA in 63 innings pitched as a sophomore. 

Kaitlyn Roberts, Dupo. Another sophomore-to-be, she hit .318 with eight doubles this season for the Tigers.

Kate Lindhorst, Waterloo. An all-conference selection, this senior-to-be hit .291 with 17 RBIs this spring. 

SPECIAL MENTION

Kaylee Bosch (Columbia), Sam Augustine (Columbia), Lauren Lanham (Gibault), Sophie Winkeler (Gibault), Hope Chambers (Gibault), Ashley Murphy (Gibault), Ava Brown (Waterloo), Rylee Nagel (Valmeyer), Hannah Gideon (Valmeyer), Adrienne Latimer (Dupo), Lily McMannis (Dupo), Kaitlynn Townsend (Dupo)