Girls Softball: Rocori makes new memories with Class AAA championship

While winning a state championship can be the salve to cure many ailing memories, the Rocori softball team doesn’t want to forget. In each of the past three seasons, the Spartans have lost in the state tournament quarterfinals. When they look back now, those losses helped set a mindset, a drive and a determination to reverse course. 

And did they ever do so in 2025. 

The Spartans opened the Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Softball State Tournament as the No. 5 seed, an unenviable position that easily could have spelled another early round loss. Instead, the Spartans embraced their position and set out to turn heads. They opened with a 14-inning victory over No. 4 Becker in the quarterfinals and then stunned top-seeded Mankato East in the semifinals. Mankato East was the two-time defending Class AAA champion and heavily favored to record a three-peat. 

Following those impressive victories, Rocori did not stumble on the season’s final day. 

Rocori scored six runs over their final innings of the season to pave the way to a 9-3 victory over No. 6 Byron in the Class AAA championship game on Friday, June 6 at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. Junior pitcher Jessica Boos and junior designated player Abby Storms had two runs batted in each to power the Spartans (20-5) to their first softball state championship in 11 state tournament trips. 

“I can't even descibe this --- I have so many emotions going. I'm just so proud of everyone,"  said Boos, who had 12 strikeouts. “I haven't seen us play this well together . . . ever. I'm really happy we did it with this team."

Boos was in the thick of the four-run sixth inning when she stepped into the box with the bases load. Her sharply-hit ball to second evolved into a fielding error and two runs scored. Moments later, Storms sliced a single up the middle to score two more. 

Byron (17-7), which had an upset of its own in the semifinals with a victory over No. 2 Chisago Lakes, scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to tie the score at three apiece. The Bears, who averaged more than seven runs per game, got on the board behind an RBI double from sophomore shortstop Kaydence Fjerstad.

Senior catcher Sophia Hess, the heroine of Rocori’s victory over Mankato East with a two-run homer, opened the scoring when she crossed home following a dropped fly ball off the bat of Storms in the bottom of the second inning. 

"If you would've asked us at the start of the season if we thought we could be state champions, I don't think we would've been confident in that," Hess said. "We're all in a state of shock. 

"We had been to the state tournaments multiple times before this. I think that helped this year. We knew what to expect. We were more ready this time around."