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Whataburger Team of the Week: Lake Creek Wins Battle of Wills, Completes Repeat for 4th UIL State Title
Despite making its first UIL State Tournament appearance, Brewer came out swinging. Kamren Pride set the tone in the top of the first with a three-run home run off the left-field foul pole, giving the Lady Bears an early 3-0 lead.
Lake Creek, however, responded behind the poise of pitcher Sara Wiggins, who exuded the “unbothered” mentality head coach Candyce Carter often attributes to her Wichita State-bound senior. Wiggins and the defense settled in, allowing just two unearned runs—both in the fifth on a fielding error—the rest of the way.
Lake Creek Sr. RHP Sara Wiggins (Wichita State signee)Matthew Ogle (VYPE)
The Lions chipped away in the second, with an RBI triple from Gracee Brewer followed by a sacrifice fly from Miranda Orso to cut it to 3-2. In the third, Wiggins delivered a two-RBI double to give Lake Creek the lead, with Laney Galloway adding a groundout RBI for insurance.
Brewer tied it at 5-5 in the fifth, but senior Madalyn Davis scored the decisive run later that inning on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Wiggins.
Davis, who will soon continue her playing career at North Carolina, was named the 5A Division II State MVP after going 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring two runs, and recording two stolen bases in the win.
Senior Madalyn Davis (North Carolina) is presented with the 5A Division II State Tournament Most Valuable Player AwardMatthew Ogle (VYPE)
Reflecting on the performance, she credited the team’s resilience.
“Before the game, we knew that we’d be facing some adversity,” Davis said. “So, being able to overcome the situation and rely on each other to come through and win the game was really awesome.”
At the conclusion of the celebration in front of a sold-out crowd, head coach Candyce Carter—who was quickly doused with a water cooler by juniors Morgan Winn and Bella Kirby—led Lake Creek (40-1) to back-to-back state titles. In the process, the win also marked the program’s fourth state championship in the span of just five seasons.
“I think composure is something we talk about a lot, and these girls have a ton of it and a ton of grit,” Carter said. “The playoffs really played a big role in preparing us for this moment. I’m just really proud of them and can’t say enough great things about how much I love this group and what they mean to me—especially the nine seniors leaving as back-to-back state champions.”
Matthew Ogle (VYPE)
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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CLICK HERE TO STAY UPDATED ON ALL OF THE UIL SOFTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
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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.
