Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: The St. Edmond softball squad has reached the state tournament for the first time since 2015. Team members are, front row (left to right): Anna Kolacia, Kaili Henning, Payton Bradley, Ansley Oswald, Josie Harvey, Sylvia Hess and Faith Shirbroun. Back: Sophia Schlienz, Maggie Flaherty, Alyssa Elbert, Ava Andrew, Hadley Oswald, Lauren Gibb, Michaela Leiting, Myrah Lemon and Kara McGonegle.

The St. Edmond softball team knows they are the underdogs on paper as they prepare to face Martensdale-St. Marys here Tuesday evening in the Class 1A state tournament.

First pitch is set for 5 p.m. on Diamond 1 at Rogers Park.

The ninth-ranked Gaels (23-11 overall) punched their ticket to state with a stunning 11-1 win over No. 4 Newell-Fonda, extending their current win streak to six in a row. During the regular season, St. Edmond and fourth-year head coach Bill Shirbroun captured the outright North Central Conference title and played five fellow state qualifiers.

Led by a youth-dominated roster, the Gaels are at state for the first time since 2015, making their sixth appearance all-time. Junior Kaili Henning has gone 14-4 with 150 strikeouts and a 1.58 earned run average inside the circle this year while also hitting .337 with a team-leading 27 RBI.

Lauren Gibb, a sophomore, has 50 hits with 37 runs scored and 23 steals, followed by .300 hitters Ansley Oswald, Payton Bradley, Anna Kolacia and Faith Shirbroun. Kolacia is the lone senior starter with classmate Sylvia Hess also on the roster.

Ansley Oswald, Hadley Oswald, Bradley, Kolacia, Shirbroun and Gibb all have double-digit RBI totals, with Michaela Leiting, Josie Harvey, Ansley Oswald, Kolacia and Shirbroun each checking in with at least 11 steals.

Eighth-graders Sophia Schlienz and Myrah Lemon have rotated time in the lineup and in the outfield, stealing 10 combined bases with nine runs driven in.

On the opposite side of the field will be the Blue Devils (25-6), winners of the Pride of Iowa Conference and a returning state semifinalist. Martensdale-St. Marys swept 1A qualifier Southeast Warren and split with Wayne, who is also in the tournament.

During the season, they also played 4A top-seed Carlisle and regular state contenders Johnston and West Des Moines Dowling. In June, the Blue Devils bested Webster City, who split with St. Edmond during the year.

Junior Campbell German was named to the all-tournament team a year ago and is 10-4 this season with 163 strikeouts and an earned run average under one. She is one of seven returning starters, as MSM has just two seniors on the roster.

Ellie Baker, a sophomore, is hitting .452 with German and Brynlynn German also batting over .400. Five different players in the Blue Devil lineup have driven in at least 20 runs, while nine have a homer, led by three from Abigail Hughes.

The winner between St. Edmond and Martensdale-St. Marys will face either Wayne (21-8) or Remsen St. Mary’s (25-1) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the semifinals. On the bottom side of the bracket will be North Linn (36-6) vs. Sigourney (26-4) and Southeast Warren (25-6) vs. Clarksville (28-1).