Mankato West marched into last spring with a talented, senior-laden roster with a realistic goal of taking home the Class 3A state championship that narrowly eluded the Scarlets in 2019.
Then the pandemic arrived and wiped out the 2020 spring sports season. Despite the graduation of nine seniors, including power-hitting pitcher Kayla Grunst and speedy outfielder Madi Mueller, the Scarlets have picked up right where they left off, with a state championship goal.
A lot of the names have changed, but Mankato West (5-0, 1-0) remains a Class 3A power. Pitchers Lauryn Douglas and Abbi Stierlen were freshmen on the Scarlets squad that lost to Northfield and Brynn Hostettler in the 2019 championship game. They form one of the state's top pitching duos this season. Hard-hitting Carly Nelson enrolled at Mankato West last year after hitting seven home runs for her school in Washington state as a freshman in 2019 and junior Lani Schoper is one the state's best infielders.
Mankato West has outscored opponents 43-4 in five games this spring and beat a trio of talented teams — Chaska, St. Peter and Maple Lake — last weekend in a home round-robin tournament.
One obstacle has been removed from the Scarlets' path. Hostettler, now a senior, and Northfield have moved up to Class 4A. But another potential speed bump to Mankato West's quest sits just across town: Mankato East (3-1, 3-1), which split a doubleheader with Winona last weekend.
Junior pitcher Madison Mangulis and senior third baseman Taylor Swalve lead the Cougars, who play intracity rival Mankato West on Tuesday.