At KCII we’re counting down the top 10 biggest stories in Washington High School sports for the 2024-2025 academic year. At number five is the softball team winning a conference championship for the first time since 2018.

Back-to-back seasons with 24 wins for Washington, the first back-to-back winning seasons for the program in over a decade, had yet to yield a Southeast Conference title, as the Demons finished second place to Burlington both times. But 2025 would be different, and that was apparent right from the beginning.

Washington started conference play by hosting a doubleheader against defending champion Burlington on June 2nd and made an early statement.

A clutch two-run double by freshman Makenzie Messer on her first career hit to take a 5-2 lead in Game One after trailing 2-0 was followed up later by two-runs singles from Messer and sophomore Colbie Greiner to break open a tie game as the Demons went on to win 9-6, but they were just getting started.

Washington rolled up a whopping 12 runs in the first inning of Game Two alone and would win 13-1 after four innings to complete a sweep of a Burlington team that had won three straight and eight of the previous 10 meetings.

From there, the Demons were off and running, winning their first 12 conference games of the season and finishing 14-1 in league play to end up three games clear of second-place Fairfield.

For a third straight year, Washington was the best offensive team in the Southeast Conference, leading the league in virtually every hitting category, but they were arguably even better in conference games.

The Demons averaged almost 11 runs scored per game and posting impressive numbers with a combined .450 batting average, .517 on-base percentages and .593 slugging percentage as a team.

Just about every starter had stellar conference seasons for Washington, including junior Leighton Salazar, who hit .586 in league play with 34 total hits, 28 runs scored and 27 stolen bases on her way to being named the Southeast Conference Player of the Year for a third straight season.

Senior Ella Greiner batted a team-best .587 with four doubles, one triple, one home runs, 21 runs batted in and another 25 scored, while Colbie Greiner was just as potent, hitting .560 with six doubles, two homers and 23 RBI.

Seniors Alyvia Anderson and Bella Salazar would also excel at the plate in conference play, each hitting well over .440 and combining for 34 runs driven in. Seven of the nine starters in the Demons’ everyday lineup would bat .333 or better in league action.

Pitching was also top-notch when it needed to be, as Bella Salazar went a perfect 7-0 with a 2.37 earned-run average and 42 strikeouts in nine conference games. Fellow senior Halle Cuddeback was 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA in league play as well.

Cuddeback, Anderson and Messer joined freshman Natalie Hartman, Bella and Leighton Salazar and Colbie and Ella Greiner in receiving all-conference honors for the first Washington softball team to win a league title in seven years and the first to win it outright since 2013.

Keep listening to KCII and check online at KCIIradio.com as the countdown continues tomorrow of the Top 10 Washington High School Sports Stories of 2024-2025.