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Members of the Velocity 12U fast-pitch softball team pose after winning the state title Sunday, July 13, 2025 in Shakopee. Team members are, front row left to right: Ayla Rudenick, Aspen Krakow, Sydney Zuidema, Lily Lingl and Maggie Strand. Back row, left to right: Ashtyn Solberg, Haddie Carroll, Amelia Kveene, Brooklyn Wadsworth, Revalee Serrano and Claire DeLeeuw. Coaches are Kelly Zuidema, Matt Carroll and Britney Lingl.Photo courtesy of the Willmar Velocity 12U fast-pitch softball team.
SHAKOPEE — Sunday marked a big moment for the Willmar Softball Association .
The Willmar Velocity age 12-and-under team won the program's first state title.
Velocity won the Tier III state title Sunday at the Neil Johnson Fields in Shakopee by beating the Chanhassen 12B Blue squad 7-2.
"It's a talented group of girls who had a lot of desire," said head coach Kelly Zuidema. "They were focused on giving their best effort."
The Velocity went 5-0 through the weekend. Included were wins over the 612 Minneapolis 12A Navy team, 10-4, the Chaska 12B Purple 11-1, and the Champlin 12B Silver 3-2 in pool play. In the semifinals, Willmar knocked off the Chanhassen team it eventually met in the championship, 9-3. Chanhassen came through the losers' bracket to meet Willmar in the final.
"We're incredibly proud of the girls," Zuidema said.
Willmar heads to the Upper Midwest National Championships this weekend in Cottage Grove, Eagan and Mendota Heights. Teams from North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska are expected. For the Velocity, it's another step for the program. There are 128 teams expected with pool play taking place at multiple sites in the south metro.
"They (the players) are really looking forward to it," said Zuidema, who is on the Willmar Softball Association's board of directors. "They want to see what we can do there."
Zuidema said USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association), the sanctioning body for youth fast-pitch softball in Minnesota, had some 208 teams competing in state tournaments at various levels. Tier III is the highest the Velocity has achieved in the association's five years of existence.
Throughout the season, the Velocity played Class A and B teams. The Velocity, a Class B team, beat all its Class B opponents and lost to Class A teams.
"We are Class B," Zuidema said. "We played all Class A and B ball in all of our tournaments. And while we played well against the A teams, they beat us. I'd say we were an A-minus or B-plus team."
They now are also state champions.
They finished fourth two years ago as a 10U team.
Team members are: Haddie Carroll, Claire DeLeeuw, Aspen Krakow, Amelia Kveene, Lily Lingl, Ayla Rudenick, Revalee Serrano, Ashtyn Solberg, Maggie Strand, Brooklyn Wadsworth and Sydney Zuidema.
Coaches are Kelly Zuidema, Matt Carroll and Britney Lingl.
Source: https://www.wctrib.com/sports/tribune-notebook-willmar-team-wins-a-state-title
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