Before every game, St. Edward's softball team gathered around two teammates in the outfield, first leaping up and down in dance in a small huddle, then joining hands to form two concentric, spinning circles in a frenetic rendition of Ring Around the Rosie.
 
In many ways, the Hilltoppers' 2025 season mirrored their pregame ritual. It was a whirlwind of ups and downs, joyous and organized chaos, and, most importantly, one that St. Edward's navigated in unity.
 
"This was a fun season. The team really bought into our culture and the changes we've tried to make," St. Edward's head softball coach Hailey Post says. "They worked hard, played together, and played with joy. That's the kind of team you want to have." 
 
St. Edward's highs were extreme, such as Ella Hutzler's walk-off solo blast in the ninth to defeat Eastern New Mexico at home, or back-to-back walk-off wins to sweep St. Edward's doubleheader against nationally-ranked Oklahoma Christian. The Hilltoppers celebrated six walk-off wins in all. The lows were frustrating, as they split doubleheaders against the likes of Sul Ross State and Texas Permian Basin, balancing the giant-killing victories and keeping the team at a .500 record. 
 
The work and improvement, however, remained constant. As did KATIE DILLON. 
 
St. Edward's senior right fielder was the guiding light that oriented the Hilltopper offense, as reliable as the North Star. Dillon put together the program's best season in recent memory, posting a .423 batting average and leading the Lone Star Conference in steals with 29, the fourth-best seasons in those categories in program history. In doing so, she became the program's first All-LSC First Team honors and first All-Region selection since 2016. 
 
"Katie has been the epitome of student-athlete for us," Post says. "She set the table for what we're doing offensively, leads by example, and in the classroom carried a 4.0 cumulative GPA. You couldn't ask for anything better." 
 
Dillon's speed set the table with a reliable on-base runner and stretched slap-hitting singles and bunts into scoring threats with her ability to steal extra bases. Juniors Hutzler and SLOANE HILL were the primary beneficiaries, combining for 71 RBI in breakthrough seasons. 
 
Hill, in her second season as the Hilltoppers' starting catcher, led the team with 42 RBI, hitting .325 with 15 doubles. Hutzler posted six home runs, 29 RBI, and 31 runs, tweaking the angle of her swing to convert the previous year's pop flies into line drives and earn her first all-conference selection, making All-LSC Third Team at first base.
 
"Sloane and Ella are doing great things. They're buying into what the coaches are trying to teach them, and it's paying off," Post says. "They're starting to tap into their potential and set the stage to build on this and have stellar senior seasons." 
 
Shortstop MEGAN MORRIS was the team's other primary offensive threat, wrapping up a solid career as a four-year starter by hitting .335 with 38 RBI, 31 runs scored, seven doubles, and two home runs. She finishes ninth in program history with 194 career hits, tied for eighth with 36 doubles, fifth in stolen bases at 55, and fourth and second in assists and double plays turned with 441 and 41. 
 
Next to Morris, as has been the case for most of the past four years, was LAUREN HOYT. The duo was a reliable presence in the middle of the infield, helping to form the defensive identity that carried St. Edward's successes. Hoyt supplemented her defense with a better year at the plate, hitting .310 with 23 RBI and 17 runs scored by mixing some power (seven doubles, three home runs) and bunts for singles and sacrifices; including a 3-for-3 performance to key a critical win over Texas Woman's University. 
 
"Megan and Lauren have been in mainstays in the middle of the defense for a long time and helped raise the standard for St. Edward's softball," Post says. "They were a big part of our defense and we're going to miss them." 
 
The Hilltopper defense was further bolstered by newcomers CIANA RODRIGUEZ and SOFIA APONTE. Rodriguez settled into the starting lineup at third with a reliable glove in the hot corner. 
 
Aponte's arm added a new dimension in centerfield between the speedy Dillon and ARIANNA VIDALES. Aponte threw out four runners and kept many more in check, most notably by keeping St. Mary's off the scoreboard twice in one inning, deterring runners at third from tagging up on sac fly opportunities with perfect throws to the plate in an 8-7 win. The plays helped St. Edward's earn a crucial 3-1 series win over St. Mary's, and Aponte earned an LSC Golden Glove Award in her freshman season.
 
Vidales shifted to left field to accommodate Aponte and had a late-season resurgence, closing out the regular season on a nine-game hitting streak to recover from an early-season slump and finish the year hitting .307 with 22 runs. 
 
It was altogether enough for a pitching staff that blossomed under new pitching coach Zoe Bacon. KYLEN PADGETT remained steady as the Game 1 pitcher, striking out 65 while limiting opponents to .255 hitting, a 3.76 ERA, and a 9-9 record. At the same time, LISETTE URQUIDEZ made significant gains in her final season, keeping opponents in the infield and allowing the defense to work. MADDIE AGUILAR and HALEY CARMONA rounded out the pitching staff with Aguilar posting a 6-3 record with a pair of saves in her first year. 
 
"All credit goes to our new pitching coach, Zoe Bacon. She's done amazing work for us," Post explains. "They had a great plan of attack all season and remained composed in a lot of close games."
 
St. Edward's also got support from across its roster, getting glimpses of potential from its younger student-athletes. Sophomore AUDRI CASTILLO posted 10 RBI splitting time at third and stepping in as a pinch-hitter, freshman ALYSSA BURDGE hit .348 with six RBI in 23 at-bats, and sophomore AVI MARTINEZ returned from injury and had a productivee stretch in March, posting multi-hit games against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International, and junior JERZIE PELHAM filled in gaps and contributed a little bit of everything. 
 
It's a promising comfort in light of the team's departing senior class. Dillon, Hoyt, and Morris leave as four-year players who've anchored the program to its first NCAA Regional in a decade in 2023, and came through for the Hilltoppers time and again this season. 
 
The trio fought tooth and nail to keep their collegiate seasons going, culminating in a spectacular senior day when they led the Hilltoppers to a 7-6 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville in 11 innings to clinch a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. 
 
Morris drove in the first runs on a two-RBI single in the first inning, Hoyt kept St. Edward's alive with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th, and Dillon scored the winning run on Hutzler's walk-off single.
 
It was a fitting final image at Diane Daniels Softball Field for a senior class whose final days set the foundations for new beginnings for the St. Edward's softball program. 
 
"Katie, Lauren, and Megan have been the ideal leaders," St. Edward's head softball coach Hailey Post says. "They're the true example of what our team culture is now and is going to be."
 
In Post's second year at the helm, the softball team bought in, showing improvement across the board with a culture and season steeped in resilience and fun. Sometimes, chaotically so. This season was one of walk-off wins held together by fingertip diving catches, big strikeouts from the pitching staff, timely hitting, and a few pregame rituals.