How Collins-Maxwell matches up against St. Edmond in the 1A state softball quarterfinals

Collins-Maxwell finally has the monkey off its back.

After losing in the regional finals three years in a row, the Class 1A No. 5 Collins-Maxwell softball team is headed back to state for the first time since 2020 after blanking No. 12 Earlham by a 4-1 score during Tuesday's 1A Region 3 final at Collins.

"It has been a few years where we have come up just short, so to see this team come together like it has to accomplish this goal makes me very proud," said Collins-Maxwell coach Troy Houge. "They have been a joy to coach because they truly love to play together and had confidence, they could make it to state."

Collins-Maxwell takes a 27-3 record into the state tournament. The Spartans are the No. 5 seed in 1A, and they will face No. 4 seed Fort Dodge St. Edmond (25-5) in the quarterfinals next Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. on the Iowa Central Field at the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

Here is what to look for from the Spartans during their quarterfinal matchup with the Gaels.

Showdown between the two best players in 1A

High school softball fans are in for a treat when Collins-Maxwell faces off against St. Edmond.

The game features 1A's two best players in Collins-Maxwell senior pitcher Erica Houge and St. Edmond junior shortstop Mariah Myers. Both players are Division 1 athletes, with Houge set to play at Western Kentucky and Myers verbally committed to Iowa.

More: Last ride: Ace pitcher Erica Houge writing her final chapter for Collins-Maxwell softball

"It seems like nobody has been able to slow (Myers) down yet, so I don't know if we will or not, but it will be a fun matchup," coach Troy Houge said. "Two of the best facing off. She (Myers) does have a little advantage since she will be playing on her home field. I am sure they like their chances with her, and I like our chances with Erica, so it will be fun to see who wins the matchups."

Myers leads 1A in slugging percentage (1.478) and on-base percentage (.734). She is second in home runs with 14 and tied for second in batting average with an average of .627.

Houge is the top pitcher in 1A. She leads 1A in wins (27), ERA (0.19), walks and hits per inning pitched (0.38), opponent batting average (.081) and strikeouts (364).

Houge is also an elite hitter herself. She leads 1A in batting average (.640), ranks second in walks (30) and OBP (.722), third in doubles (17) and fourth in slugging percentage (1.160).

Who else steps up?

Houge and Myers might be the headliners, but the game could easily come down to the other eight players on the field for each team.

"We need to play a complete game in all areas and play for each other," Troy Houge said. "If we don't make the situation too big, we will have a chance to advance."

St. Edmond features a potent lineup with seven other players hitting over .300.

Junior Ansley Oswald is hitting .423 with 19 runs and 17 RBIs. Sophomore Faith Shirbroun is hitting .391 with 10 doubles, seven homers, 35 steals and 28 RBIs; senior Kaili Henning .387 with 10 doubles and 34 RBIs; junior Lauren Gibb .380 with 43 steals and 22 RBIs and eighth-grader Toryn Helle .357 with three homers and 30 RBIs.

More: What we learned from Ames' 5A Region 1 softball title game loss to No. 1 Valley

Freshman Sophia Schlienz had a .320 average with 17 runs and junior Hadley Oswald is hitting .301 with 11 RBIs for the Gaels.

Henning is the top pitcher for St. Edmond. She enters state with 15-3 record, 2.36 ERA, 155 strikeouts and 24 walks in 112 2/3 innings.

"They are a great team with a lot of weapons," Troy Houge said. "They were also at state last year, so they have some experience, and they had a big weapon move in this year in Myers, who has been on a tear. We will have our hands full."

Sophomores Cypress Erickson and Haylee Merryman give Collins-Maxwell two talented slap hitters, and freshman Jayden Peters and senior Emma Pasquariello provide the Spartans with strong contact hitting to support Houge.

Erickson is hitting .330 with 36 steals and 33 runs, and Merryman has a .375 average with 27 runs and 17 RBIs. Peters boasts a .354 average with four home runs and 25 RBIs, and Pasquariello is hitting .349 with four doubles, 24 runs and 22 RBIs.

Seniors Hannah Kimberley and Vivian Kahler also produced timely hits for Collins-Maxwell. Kimberley has a .282 average with 22 steals and 21 runs and Kahler has 16 RBIs for the Spartans.

Eighth-grader Adalie Kane is hitting .246 with nine RBIs.

As a team, St. Edmond has scored 268 runs on a .374 average with 26 home runs and 196 steals. Collins-Maxwell has pushed 230 runs across on a .313 average with 12 home runs and 123 steals.

Team with the fewest mistakes wins

With both teams featuring quality lineups and pitchers, the game could come down to which team plays the cleanest game in the field.

Both teams enter state with a team fielding average of 94.8%.

The Gaels have 35 errors in 671 chances. The Spartans have tallied 37 errors in 709 chances.

Collins-Maxwell versus St. Edmond prediction

As talented as Erica Houge is, Fort Dodge has such a strong lineup that it is going to find a way to push at least a couple of runs across.

Collins-Maxwell will need to play flawless defensively to limit the damage and get timely outs when needed. The Spartans are also going to need several players to step up on offense, because the Gaels are unlikely to pitch to Houge in crucial situations.

St. Edmond has the stronger team on paper. But with Houge being the best all-around player in 1A, and an experienced group of players surrounding her, the Spartans will pull it off and advance to the semifinals on Wednesday. Collins-Maxwell 4, St. Edmond 3.

Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: How Collins-Maxwell matches up against St. Edmond in the 1A state softball quarterfinals