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EVERYTHING ON THE LINE: 2026 UIL Softball State Championship Preview — Katy vs. Forney, 6A D2
WHERE: Red & Charline McCombs Field -- Austin, TX
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KATY TIGERS
The long-anticipated breakthrough has arrived for Katy (38-5). In just her second season as head coach, Meghan VanEtta has guided the Tigers back to the pinnacle of Texas high school softball, as the ballclub now prepares to compete in its first UIL State Championship since 2019.
VanEtta (formerly Meghan Burrell) is no stranger to the standard Katy carries year after year. Before taking over the program, she spent 12 seasons as an assistant under Kalum Haack and was part of the Tigers’ 2015 and 2019 title-winning squads along the way.
While Austin had long been viewed as the destination entering the season, the possibility of bringing home a third state trophy truly began to crystallize after Katy swept defending 6A Division II champion Kingwood in the third round of the playoffs.
From there, the Tigers handled business against Clear Creek in the Region III Final before securing another hard-fought sweep over Pharr-San Juan-Alamo in last week’s State Semifinal series.
It’s no secret where Katy’s firepower originates. The “Death Valley” portion of the batting order—seniors Ella Kate “EK” Smith (Oklahoma signee) and Maddie Smith (NC State), alongside junior Auburn commit Evie Willemssen—is formidable enough on its own.
Add in the veteran presence of senior outfielder Lexie Waugh (UT Arlington), along with the emergence of freshman pitcher Haley Schmitt (16-1 in 2026) and sophomore second baseman Nevaeh Phillips, and this Tigers squad looks destined to make history on Saturday.
Some of the stars of 2025-26 Katy Tigers SoftballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
FORNEY JACKRABBITS
From one established state power to another, Forney returns to the 6A Division II title game for the second year in a row. Since assuming command of the program prior to the 2016-17 campaign, head coach Pat Eitel has guided the Jackrabbits to four UIL State Tournament appearances, with last week’s impressive sweep of Guyer also marking the seventh trip in school history.
Needless to say, Forney (37-3) is operating at full throttle and now sits one victory away from adding a second state banner to the trophy case alongside the one secured in 2018, when the team competed at the 5A level.
The Jackrabbits boast the luxury of not one, but two ace-caliber arms in their pitching staff, namely sophomore Avery Pitts and junior Emmie Santos. Pitts has pieced together a phenomenal 20-1 record while piling up well over 200 strikeouts in the circle, while Santos—an Eastern Kentucky commit—stands at 17-2 and has also made her presence felt at the plate, hitting .316.
On the batting side, shortstop Carlee Rabal and outfielder Bailee McGhee pair reliability with big-play potential, as the sophomore duo is hitting .448 and .416 at the plate, respectively. The same can be said for sophomore Sophia Heredia, who is batting just under .400 while stepping up in the catcher role.
