Vote: Class 5A Iowa High School Softball Midseason Player Of The Year

Check out the nominees for the top player in 5A this summer on the diamond.

Waukee Northwest’s Sophia Schlader (19) pitches against Ankeny in a Class 5A state softball quarterfinal at Rogers Sports Complex on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Fort Dodge, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With June rapidly finishing up, that means the Iowa high school softball season is preparing to enter the stretch run of the year.

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Softball Tournament will begin Monday, July 20, in Fort Dodge at Rogers Park, bringing together many of the top teams and players in the state. High School On SI Iowa currently provides a Top 25 state softball power rankings, so now, we need to see who the top players are.

Below are the nominees for the High School On SI Iowa Class 5A Softball Midseason Player of the Year in each classification. Stats listed with the player are from Bound and based on those numbers imputed as of June 26, 2026 at noon CT.

Feel free to vote as many times as you like, with voting set to close on Friday, July 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT.

High School On SI Iowa Class 5A Softball Midseason Player Of The Year Nominees

Kari Rose, West Des Moines Valley, Senior

Rose is hitting .623 with 31 runs scored, 18 RBI and 17 walks for the Tigers. She has recorded 13 doubles and two triples.

Addie Abens, Dallas Center-Grimes, Junior

Abens has blasted 19 home runs, driving in 49 with 36 runs scored. She also has eight doubles and a triple.

Lily Knutson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Senior

In addition to going 14-2 with 168 strikeouts and a 0.65 earned run average, Knutson has 13 home runs, 10 doubles and 30 RBI, scoring 31 times.

Jordyn Kennedy, Ankeny Centennial, Senior

The Minnesota commit continues to make a push for the state career home run record, hitting 16 this season with 55 RBI and nine doubles. She has been walked 25 times  and hit four times in 31 games.

Sophia Schlader, Waukee Northwest, Sophomore

Schlader is batting .492 with 14 home runs, seven doubles and a triple with 19 walks. But it is inside the circle where she is even better, sporting a record of 19-0 with 188 strikeouts, an earned run average of 0.62 and an opponents batting average of .097.

About Our Midseason Player of the Year Voting

High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.