The 2025 prep softball season nearly made history for the area, as two Aurora-area programs — Cherokee Trail and Eaglecrest — came oh-so-close to creating the first-ever all-area Class 5A state championship game.
The Cougars and Raptors — who were were locked in tie games in the 5A semifinals on adjacent fields at the Aurora Sports Park before they lost to Legend and Broomfield, respectively — supply a significant amount of the talent on the 2025 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Softball Team, which is picked by the Sentinel in conjunction with balloting of league coaches.
The 5A state runner-up in 2024, Cherokee Trail came into the new season regarded as one of the two primary championship favorites along with Broomfield. Coach Caley Mitchell’s Cougars and the Eagles — who would go on to win the title — held the top spots in the rankings the whole season.
A big reason for belief in Cherokee Trail came with the double-barreled pitching duo of juniors Sydney Cobb and Emma Rice, who lived up to the billing.
Cobb earned 5A All-State first team honors with a season in which the right-hander won 11 games, posted a miniscule 2.38 ERA and struck out 123 hitters in 76 1/3 innings, all while hitting a team-best .482 with 37 RBI.
Rice nearly reached double digits in the win column as well, as she collected nine victories, led all Aurora-area starting pitchers with a 2.14 ERA and fanned 65 hitters in 55 2/3 innings. For good measure, Rice led the Cougars with four home runs, hit .433 and drove in 28 runs.
Bolstered by that quality starting pitching, Cherokee Trail’s offense has also plenty of firepower and were relentless on the opposition as 10 times it invoked the 10-run mercy rule in victories.
The top of the lineup was particularly potent and featured senior center fielder Izzy Becker, whose defensive prowess alone was a huge advantage for the pitching staff. Becker — who was voted as the Centennial League’s Player of the Year — certainly could handle the bat as well and hit .446 and scored 31 runs. In the postseason (two regional games and three in the state tournament), Becker went 9-for-15, scored seven times and drove in three runs.
In an All-Aurora utility spot is junior Tayah Burton, whose speed in the outfield made a huge difference and she created havoc on the basepaths with 27 stolen bases.
Eaglecrest went into the state tournament as the No. 11 seed, but coach Yvette Hendrian’s group very nearly toppled Broomfield in the semifinals. Senior right-handed pitcher Zaya Elliott did a masterful job holding the potent Eagles down for 11 innings in a 5-4 loss. With an understanding of situations and the strike zone rather than overwhelming speed, Elliott racked up an Aurora-area best 12 wins and finished with the third-lowest ERA among regular hurdlers in the area at 2.79 to go with 83 strikeouts in 103 innings pitched.
Helping Elliott out was the presence of fellow senior Sybella Trevino behind the plate, though she also got time on the infield. Trevino turned in a quality at-bat just about every time she came to the plate and she hit .402 with 32 RBI.
Elliott’s sister, Haisley, arrived and made a huge impact as a freshman. While she was a very effective No. 2 pitcher (6-2 with a 1.67 ERA), the Raptors were best with her solidifying the defense. Elliott was incredibly clutch with the bat in her hands and pounded out 45 hits for the season, scored 36 times and drove in 27 runs to go with 17 stolen bases.
A lot of pop in the order (which produced the most runs of any Aurora team with 279) came from junior Abby Files, who fills the All-Aurora designated hitter spot after she had five home runs and drove in a team-high 34 runs.
Grandview qualified for the 5A state tournament again despite significant turnover and were one again led by senior Sasha Kennedy, an All-Centennial League first teamer and CHSAA All-State second team pick. The Grand Canyon University signee accrued an absurd 63 base hits (15 more than the next-closest local player and with 26 of them going for extra bases), hit .677 and led the 5A classification in both runs scored (54) and stolen bases (37).
Outgoing Wolves coach Liz Carter had a very talented infield that included senior Maddie Donaldson, another All-Centennial League first team performer who hit a sparkling .514 and led all area players with 38 RBI.
Donaldson’s sister Monroe, a junior, earned one of the All-Aurora outfield spots as the All-Centennial League first team honoree owned a healthy .384 average with 21 RBI in addition to outstanding defensive play.
The Aurora area’s leading hitter resided in the lineup at Vista PEAK Prep, where senior Amara Herrera capped a marvelous prep career with a season in which she hit .701 (47-for-67) and reached base at a .740 clip.
Herrera (who scored 38 runs and stole 12 bases plus pitched in relief when needed) was an All-City League 5A/4A first team pick.
Smoky Hill had one of the area’s top performers in All-Centennial League first teamer and senior outfielder Kiley Snyder. Snyder had range and a rocket arm in center field, while she hit .524, smacked four home runs, scored 27 runs and knocked in 20.
Overland once again played an independent schedule and versatile junior Michaela Halton did damage against every opponent during a 9-7 campaign. Her nine home runs easily led Aurora-area players and helped her to a .694 average and 30 RBI.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
