San Juan softball ends season as runner-ups

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School softball team entered the 2026 2A Utah State Tournament as the #1 seed, sporting a very impressive 24-2 record.
They enjoyed a first-round bye and traveled to Spanish Fork on Thursday, May 7 to compete in the remainder of the tournament.
The Broncos scored nine runs in the first inning of their second-round game, cruising past #8 South Summit 15-0. Then they topped #5 South Sevier 6-1 in the quarterfinals, setting up a state semifinal matchup against local rival, #7 Grand County.
Most of the Utah State tournaments throughout the high school sports season are single-elimination with consolation brackets for teams that lose a game at some point in the tournament.
Interestingly, if that was the case in softball, San Juan’s game with Grand on Saturday, May 8 would have been the 2026 championship game.
But the softball state tournament is a double-elimination tournament, allowing teams that lose in the winners’ bracket to play back into the state championship game.
When San Juan defeated the Red Devils 5-3 the Broncos earned a trip to the championship round for the first time since they finished second in 2015.
Unfortunately the final result this past weekend at BYU would ultimately mirror what happened those 11 seasons ago.
In the championship round San Juan came up against an Enterprise team that had entered the tournament ranked fourth, but had suffered a loss to South Sevier in the second round.
Since that loss the Wolves had rattled off five straight wins, including a 13-12 thriller over #3 Duchesne in the one-loss fourth round and a 13-2 blowout over Grand in the one-loss final.
The momentum Enterprise had built in their rally to the championship round proved too much for San Juan to overcome, as the Wolves defeated the Broncos 11-6 in game one and 7-4 in game two.
It was a heartbreaking and ironic finish. San Juan had beaten Enterprise in the first two games of the season back in March and now had suffered losses to the same team in the final two games of the season.
The Broncos had gotten used to playing with a lead throughout the tournament this past weekend. But they fell behind the Wolves in both of the championship games and were never able to dig themselves out of the holes.
Despite the heartbreaking losses and the second-place finish the 2026 San Juan softball team has every reason to hold their heads high. What they accomplished this season was truly amazing.
Without a doubt it was a true team effort, but the Broncos did get some elite performances from some of their leaders and that started on the mound.
Freshman Ella Stearns gave San Juan softball a taste of what it will have for the next three seasons with a remarkable showing in her first season.
Not only did she dominate on the mound, she also led the team offensively with a .575 batting average including 46 hits. Her .629 on-base percentage, 48 RBIs, 13 doubles, and ten home runs were all team highs.
On the pitching side Stearns maintained a 1.71 earned run average, which ranks eighth in the state. She was 12-2 on the year, allowing a stingy 17 earned runs on 50 hits while striking out 116 batters in 69.3 innings.
Madden Perkins led the team with 48 hits on the season and 32 stolen bases. She batted .495 with a .564 on-base percentage and collected eight doubles, four triples, and four home runs. Perkins drove in 30 runs and scored 45 herself.
Khatira Keith hit .472 this season with 42 hits, nine doubles, and five homers. She drove in 28 San Juan runs. Averie Gilson hit .477 with 42 hits, ten doubles, four triples, and eight dingers. She also had 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.
Khatira Keith was also impressive on the mound for the Broncos this year with nine wins and a 4.28 ERA. She struck out 71 batters, allowing 37 earned runs on 78 hits in 60.3 innings of work.
Kheirra Keith had a .434 average with 36 hits, including 12 doubles and five homers. She drove in 43 runs and scored 29.
Kheirra Keith put in a lot of time on the mound and pitched well. She won three games and had a 2.97 ERA, allowing ten earned runs on 27 hits while striking out 15 in 23.3 innings.
Lizzie Palmer contributed 37 hits with a .481 average. She collected 11 doubles, two triples, and two homers. She drove in 26 runs, scored 39, and stole 15 bases.
Colee Crofts batted .446 with 33 hits. She had eight doubles, two home runs, 24 RBIs, and 27 runs scored. Miley Harrison had 26 hits, including three doubles and six homers with 34 RBIs.
Morgann McPherson had 24 hits this season with four doubles and a home run, nine RBIs, and 28 runs. She also stole 16 bases. And Keegan Palmer collected 17 hits with 21 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
San Juan Head Coach Mike Bowers, who finished the fifth year of his second stint as head coach and tenth overall this past weekend, took a moment to reflect on the season and the team after they returned to Blanding.
“The 2026 San Juan High School softball team had an incredible year,” he observed. “We had players go all-in and work hard throughout the season.
“Before the season began I took an assessment of what a championship program should look like. At this point in my coaching career, I knew what it should look like.
“I failed the assessment miserably in my mind. The main missing component was clear communication with the girls. I know what it should look like, but do the girls know? The answer ultimately was no.
“Before the season, I asked the girls to finish this statement: “We win because we…” After hearing the responses, the message was clear. They weren’t seeing my vision for the team.
“As a result, I created standards that the team needed to know and live daily during practice and competition. The list below is the vision; the standards were recited and used for the daily grind of the season.
“Softball is definitely a grind. In the 11 weeks between varsity and junior varsity schedules, we played 52 games. We needed a simple format for practices and games, and the athletes were consistently working to improve these standards:
Offensive Identity
Situational mastery – Elite at-bats, pressure, and power (Get ’em on, get ’em over, get ’em in)
Defensive Identity
Make routine plays – Aggressive range – Situational awareness: ball–base–backup (You’re either fielding the ball, covering a base, or backing up a play.)
Pitching Identity
Strike-throwers – Pitch to contact – Field the position – Limit free passes
Behavioral Identity
Name it – Own it – Flush it – Next rep (Errors are part of the game. What makes a player elite is how they respond or reset after the mistake is made.)
“Another contributing factor to this team’s success this year was the offseason “Bucket Challenge”. Every 20 balls hit, pitched, and fielded counted as one bucket.
“These reps had to take place outside the team practice time. This was successful because players worked to improve beyond the norm.
“I am so very proud of this team. They are an amazing group of people who will do great things in the future. Each player, whether during games or practices, dedicated themselves to improving and refining their teammates.
“Seniors Morgann McPherson, Madden Perkins, Averie Gilson, Keegan Palmer, Lizzie Palmer, Khatira Keith, and Miley Harrison will always hold a special place in my heart. I love them so much.
“Some will say San Juan is rebuilding next year. In actuality San Juan will simply reload. The 2027 team includes key returning starters, a talented sophomore class, and a key incoming freshman group.
“The freshmen and sophomores next season will have played more games than any of the seniors throughout their high school careers.
“I want to thank our amazing underclassmen this year for all their hard work and dedication. Miracle Harrison, Daveigh Mitchell, Ellie Beck, Brooklyn Lameman, Alice Jeppesen, Colee Crofts, Ella Stearns, Peyton Hosler, Jayden Benally, Harmony Oshley, Kynnedy Bingham, Keeli Bradford, Aaliyah Hatalie, Tayzia Singer, Mira Spotted Elk, and Kheirra Keith.
“The San Juan softball program would not be possible without the amazing support staff these players have, including coaches Charlie Taylor, Laura Stearns, Nataiah Giddings, Journi Black, Remmington Laws, and Brian Gilson.
“The future for San Juan softball is bright. I’m sure they will enjoy much success. I love them all and am so proud of them. They deserve all accolades for their hard work this season.”