Vote for the SouthCoast Softball Player of the Year for 2026
· Yahoo Sports
This spring was an exciting one for SouthCoast softball teams as Apponequet made its first state final appearance in 27 years with a remarkable run through the Div. 3 state tournament.
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Of the area’s nine teams, seven — Apponequet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, GNB Voc-Tech, New Bedford, Old Colony and Wareham — qualified for the 2026 MIAA playoffs.
New Bedford and Wareham won their respective conference titles.
It’s time to shine a spotlight on the SouthCoast athletes that stood out this spring.
Before we announce our super teams, we need more help from our readers to help choose our Player of the Year in each sport. Like our polls from this past winter and fall, the list has been narrowed down to the most elite athletes in the area.
Vote for the SouthCoast High School Softball Player of the Year below. Reader votes will make up 25% of the tally, with Sports Editor Laurie Los Lee making up the rest of the vote.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by school.
Voting will conclude at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 5.
THE POLL
THE CANDIDATES
Reese Taylor, Apponequet
Taylor had a season to remember on the mound and at the plate as she powered the Lakers to the MIAA Div. 3 state final. In her second year starting, the sophomore pitched 163 innings, allowing 32 earned runs on 92 hits and 52 walks with 265 strikeouts for an ERA of 1.33. She had a no-hitter against New Bedford High during the regular season and threw a 1-hitter against top-seeded Dighton-Rehoboth in the state semifinals. At the plate, the South Coast Conference All-Star batted .338 with 9 doubles, 3 home runs, 23 RBIs and 14 runs scored. She had an on-base percentage of .467.
Akiira’Ley Vazquez, GNB Voc-Tech
As a second-year starter, the sophomore pitcher threw 131 innings, striking out 158 for an ERA of 2.51. She threw a no-hit shutout over Fairhaven with 1 walk and a school-record 17 strikeouts during the regular season. She also had the hitting average on the team at the plate, batting .435 with 40 hits, including 9 home runs. Vazquez, the 2025 Standard-Times Softball Player of the Year, had 29 RBIs and 26 runs scored with only 12 strikeouts this spring.
Ivy Mattos, New Bedford
Mattos, a senior shortstop, capped off her four-year varsity career by helping the Whalers win the Big 3 Conference championship. She batted .603 on the season with 27 RBIs. With runners in scoring position, her batting average was .708. She had 7 doubles, 1 triple and 5 home runs, including 3 in a game against Falmouth. She also scored 25 runs. The Big 3 All-Star was also named the school’s Female Athlete of the Year.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Vote for the SouthCoast Softball Player of the Year for 2026