By Matt Browning

The 2022 Valley Center softball team won the 5A State Championship on May 28 at Wichita State University’s Wilkins Stadium.  

The Hornets rode great pitching, defense and timely hitting to defeat Basehor-Linwood 4-1 in extra innings and finished the season with 20 consecutive wins and  a 23-2 record. 

In the opening round facing Spring Hill, Valley Center won 5-2 and in the semifinals, Valley Center jumped on Eisenhower in the third inning when Maci George blasted a grand slam home run to left center field to give the Hornets a 4-0 lead. Valley Center went on to a 9-1 victory.  

In the championship game, Valley Center had a matchup with undefeated Basehor-Linwood, which had knocked out the Hornets 5-4 in the opening round of 2021 state a year ago. In the top of the eighth inning and the score tied 1-1, George again came through with a big hit, blasting the game-winning three-run home run.

Valley Center won the first state championship in program history and won the school’s first girls team state championship in 44 years, the only other title being the 1978 title by the girls track and field team. 

George, who is going to play at North Texas next year, went 8-for-12 in the tournament with nine runs driven in and four runs scored.

Sykora Smith pitched over 13 consecutive innings without allowing a run during the tournament.

The Hornets had five first team all-league performers: George, Smith, Lucy Hooper, Mykah Klumpp and Tori Turner. Head coach Cory Jones was named Coach of the Year, Hooper was named Player of the Year and Smith was named Pitcher of the Year.

Others that were given all-league recognition were Ainsley Kraus, Alyssa Crumbliss and Morgan Thatcher (second team) and Kennedy Johnson (honorable mention).