Softball Sectional Final Preview: Haverling and Waterloo set to battle for Class B1 title

One squad is looking for its first title since 2016. The other looks for its third Section V title since 2019. Honeoye Falls-Lima High School is the setting as Haverling and Waterloo battle for the 2025 Section V Class B1 crown. Here’s the breakdown:

Class B1
No. 1 HAVERLING RAMS (16-1 / Livingston I)
vs.
No. 3 WATERLOO TIGERS (12-7 / Finger Lakes)
Thursday, Honeoye Falls-Lima High School, 5 p.m.

How they arrived here: Top-seeded Haverling beat Penn Yan (20-0) and Livonia (12-0) to reach the sectional final. Waterloo took down Hornell (9-0) and Aquinas (12-5) en route to the championship game.

Tempo and trends: Haverling averages 7.5 runs scored per game while only giving up 1.4 per game. Waterloo scores 12.3 runs per game and allows 8.3. Haverling has won 12 straight games coming into the final. Waterloo has won five of its last seven games.

Players to watch for Haverling: Lola Coots Sr. SS (.357 AVG, .429 OBP, 15 RBI, 9 R, 3 2B, 1.000 fielding percentage); Ryleigh Laverty Sr. UTL (.429 AVG, .500 OBP, 11 RBI, 17 R, 3 2B); Kas Plewa Jr. 2B (.419 AVG, .486 OBP, 8 RBI, 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B); Makayla Smith So. 1B (.375 AVG, .406 OBP, 19 RBI, 17 R, 8 extra-base hits including 6 2B and 1 HR); Caydence Spears Sr. C (.441 AVG, .468 OBP, 17 RBI, 18 R, 13 extra-base hits including 4 HR, 3 3B, .988 fielding percentage, 11 runners caught stealing); Abbie Whaley 9th CF (.367 AVG, .377 OBP, 9 RBI, 22 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 16 SB, 1.000 fielding percentage); Kaili Witherell Sr. P (.542 AVG, .594 OBP, 14 RBI, 21 R, 10 extra-base hits including 1 HR and 3 3B, .990 fielding percentage/ 14-2, 5 shutouts and 2 no-hitters, 182 K (359 batters faced), .150 BAA, 0.75 ERA).

Players to watch for Waterloo: Haylee Beesley Sr. CF (.520 AVG); Gwen Dilorio Eighth Grade P (.320 AVG); Brook Hack 9th C; Ava Panek Eighth Grade LF (.380 AVG); Gwyn Panek So. 3B (.600 AVG, 3 HR); Madison Westerberg Sr. 1B (23 extra-base hits including 6 HRs, 8 3B and 9 2B, 34 career HRs ranks second all-time in Section V and 7th in NYS); Tangel Williams So. SS (.373 AVG).

Coaches: Rachel Ratchford (Haverling), Kierstyn DeCory (Waterloo)

History 101: Haverling won back-to-back sectional titles in 2015 and ’16. Waterloo won Class B2 in 2019 and B1 in 2022.

What’s at stake: A spot in the Class B regional qualifier against either Wellsville or Avon.