Red River's Riley McQuillan rounds out game to lift Roughriders to state softball tournament
Jun. 1—GRAND FORKS — A year ago, Grand Forks Red River's Riley McQuillan was voted the team's defensive player of the year as a freshman.
As a sophomore this year, McQuillan has added the offense.
That total package has helped propel the Roughriders to their first state tournament since 2012. Red River opens state Thursday at 1 p.m. against Bismarck High in Jamestown.
"I feel like I was able to make better contact, keeping my head on the ball and making solid contact," McQuillan said.
McQuillan is hitting .464 this year with a team-high four home runs, eight doubles, 24 runs and 25 RBIs. The shortstop was a notable snub, however, from the all-East Region team.
Red River teammates Ella Weippert, a sophomore centerfielder, and Ella Speidel, an eighth-grade pitcher, were chosen to the team.
"The others really deserve it," McQuillan said. "It's a goal for me for next year then."
McQuillan was certainly one of the region's top performers at last weekend's Eastern Dakota Conference tournament in Grand Forks.
McQuillan was 7-for-10 at the plate with a home run and a double through the three games.
Red River, without a senior in its lineup, started the season with the goal of making the state tournament.
"Wins would be great (at state) but anything extra here is really just icing on top," Red River coach Hannah-Rose Rodriguez said.
In addition to McQuillan, three other Riders are batting better than .400 this year. Eighth-grader catcher Ella Nelson is hitting .465, Weippert is batting .453 and freshman Brooklyn Soderberg is hitting .412.
Coach: Hannah-Rose Rodriguez.
Record: 11-7.
State matchup: Red River, the East's No. 3 seed, faces West No. 2 Bismarck High at 1 p.m. Thursday in Jamestown.
Top hitters: Eighth-grader C Ella Nelson .465, soph. SS Riley McQuillan .464, soph. CF Ella Weippert .453, fr. IF Brooklyn Soderberg .412, jr. IF Liz Nuelle .395, fr. 2B Mya Mannausau .370, seventh-grader IF Jocelyn Berg .370, eighth-grader P Ella Speidel .368, eighth-grader IF Amy Jacobson .364, fr. IF Taylor Kilgore .308, fr. OF Brooke Dorsey .263.
Top pitcher: Speidel 9-2, 94 Ks, 2.90 ERA.
State tournament history: Red River is back at state for the first time since 2012. Softball was first sanctioned in 2009. The Riders have no state titles but finished runner-up in 2010.
