Laramie Softball Looks to Return to State with Veteran Roster

Everything Abby Sanchez envisioned started in her family's backyard, digging into the grass and firing pitch after pitch toward her dad. That work built toward a senior season at Laramie High where she stands as one of the Plainsmen's top pitchers, looking to lead the program back to the state tournament after a 2025 run that ended 1-2.

The Plainsmen enter 2026 with a large returning core despite graduating key contributors from last year's squad, which won the inaugural South Conference tournament before falling at state. That conference title gives the program a baseline of recent success to build on, and the players who remain are expected to carry that standard forward.

Among the returners generating early attention is Claude, an underclassman who posted a .452 batting average with 33 hits and five home runs. McKinney has watched her work carry over from the offseason into the early days of the 2026 season.

"She is one of those kiddos that works really hard in the offseason, and it is showing up already for us this year," McKinney said. "I expect her to be one of the leaders of this team, even though she is an underclassman, just the way that she works and the effort that she puts in every day."

Davanee Hodges, who took an at-bat against Cheyenne East last April in Laramie, is another returning piece with state experience and clear motivation heading into the new season.

"I am really excited," Hodges said. "I am hoping that we can get back to where we were last year and make it even further in that state tournament."

Laramie opens the 2026 campaign this weekend at the 307 Invitational in Cheyenne, where the schedule includes four opponents across two days. The Plainsmen face Thunder Basin at 11:30 a.m. Friday and Sheridan at 5:30 p.m. that same evening. Saturday brings a 10:30 a.m. matchup against Campbell County, the reigning state champion, followed by a 1:30 p.m. game against Worland.

Facing a state title holder in the season opener sets an immediate benchmark for where Laramie stands against Wyoming's elite programs. For Sanchez, whose path to the circle ran through years of backyard repetition, the timing of that test could not be more fitting for a senior looking to close her career on different terms than the 2025 state bracket allowed.