Rochester Mayo at Mankato West
5 p.m., Friday, April 8

Perennial power Mankato West returns pitcher Lexi Schoper, and that’s bad news for the rest of the Big 9 Conference.

Schoper, who was named to the Class 3A all-state team by the coaches association, threw a perfect game last season in a 10-0 win over Albert Lea. She also recorded 14 strikeouts, including 12 straight, in the victory.

The senior's talents aren't limited to a softball field. She is the Mankato West girls’ basketball all-time leading scorer with 2,185 career points. Schoper will play basketball at MSU-Mankato next year. In the meantime, she’ll make the Scarlets a contender not only in Class 3A, Section 2 but also in the Big 9, where Mankato West looks to continue its dominance. The Scarlets posted 15-1 mark en route to their third consecutive league title last year. They were 21-4 overall and ranked No. 5 in the final Class 3A poll.

Rochester Mayo posted a 10-3 conference record and finished second in the league standings for the second consecutive year. The Spartans return junior starting pitcher Sarah Lisko.