Central softball team cruises in semifinals victory, sets up Friday regional showdown with Havana

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Realistically, Brey Genenbacher said her Camp Point Central softball team was approaching Wednesday’s game as more of a workshop.

The Panthers were an overwhelming favorite in their Class 1A regional semifinal matchup with Augusta Southeastern and proved why in a 15-0 victory, a game shortened to 3 1/2 innings by the IHSA’s 15-run mercy rule.

“We tried to stress to the girls it was important to play the game (the right way) and concentrate on doing the things we needed to do,” Genenbacher said.

Moments after the one-sided verdict, she already had her club pointing toward Friday’s much-anticipated meeting with Havana.

Havana (22-3-1), which routed Mendon Unity 13-0 in the other regional semifinal earlier this week, is the No. 2 seed in the Triopia High School sectional. Central (16-7) is No. 3, and Triopia (26-7) is No. 1. 

Central plays host to Havana at 4:30 p.m. Friday for a berth next week in the sectional semifinals. Triopia entertains Payson Seymour (13-14-1), an opponent it has beaten twice this season, at 10 a.m. Saturday. The winners of those two games will play at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Triopia.

“I’d have to say we’ll be the underdog in Friday’s game against Havana. They’re the (higher) seed,” Genenbacher said.

There’s also a wild card element involved in that contest.

“To my knowledge, Havana and Central have never played in softball,” said Genenbacher, who noted recent IHSA redistricting placed the two schools inside the same sectional. “We had the chance to watch them against (Unity) on Tuesday, and we’ll be using practice on Thursday to get ready for them.”

Junior Kaydi Miller is batting .620 with 10 home runs for Havana, which has won its last six games and four consecutive regionals. Addie Atwater (.486) and Maddie Howerter (.441) also wield hot bats. Hannah Hodgson (10-0. 2.61 ERA) and Howerter (6-3, 1.95) are Havana’s top two arms.

Sophomore Emma Stephens (11-3, 2.35) will pitch for Central, which last won a regional title in 2021. Stephens faced just 13 batters against Southeastern, allowing no hits and one walk. Stephens is no stranger to the spotlight. She’s been the Panthers’ ace since she was a freshman.

“It helped pitching last year as a freshman,” said Stephens, who was 6-8 as a rookie in 2024. “I have more experience and feel I’m mature this year.”

Central scored four runs in its first at-bat and 11 more an inning later against Southeastern (3-16), which closed its season with seven consecutive setbacks by a combined score of 121-18.

No player had more than one hit for Central, which sent 25 batters to the plate in the first two innings, capitalizing on 11 walks, six hit batters and six wild pitches from Southeastern pitchers.

Karly Peters, Claire Huston, Lauren Miller and Anna Peters each scored three runs for the Panthers. Gwen Huston had three RBIs.

Karly Peters (.615), Stephens (.382), Miller (.371), Gwen Huston (.365) and Anna Peters (.358) have been Central’s most consistent hitters. Karly Peters (32) and Anna Peters (26) have combined for 58 RBIs.