Pahrump freshman Jaycie Hayes dominates first varsity season for state champion Trojans

Jaycie Hayes turned her first varsity softball season into the kind of debut Pahrump Valley can build around for years. The freshman went 21-7 in the circle, struck out 298 batters in 170.2 innings and hit .462 as the Trojans won the 2026 Nevada Class 3A state title.

Pahrump Valley closed the season with a 12-1 win over Lowry in the if-necessary championship game on May 16 in Spanish Springs. Lowry had forced the winner-take-all game by beating the Trojans 9-5 earlier that day, but Pahrump Valley answered to claim its fifth state softball championship and its first since 2019.

The South 2-seed reached the final by beating Fernley 13-4 on May 14 and Virgin Valley 2-0 on May 15. Hayes set the tone against Virgin Valley, striking out 11 and throwing a complete-game four-hitter, the kind of outing that carried Pahrump Valley through a bracket that gave the Trojans little margin for error.

Her season numbers made clear how far she separated herself from the rest of Class 3A. Opponents hit just .172 against Hayes, and she piled up complete games, shutouts, no-hitters and a perfect game along the way. She finished more than 100 strikeouts ahead of the next closest pitcher in the classification, and before the playoffs she had become the first player in Nevada to reach 200 strikeouts in the 2026 season.

Hayes also gave Pahrump Valley production at the plate. MaxPreps lists her varsity totals as 41 games, a .462 batting average, a .520 on-base percentage, a .662 slugging percentage and a 1.182 OPS, plus 13 stolen bases. Her line also included 60 hits, 44 runs, 54 RBIs, 17 doubles, three triples and a home run, numbers that matched the way she influenced games from both the circle and the batter’s box.

The rise did not happen by accident. Hayes started in tee-ball and coach pitch, then moved into softball during the COVID era after choosing the sport because a friend was already playing. Her father, Brian Hayes, later helped create the Girls of Troy program so local girls could keep competing when opportunities were limited, and that pathway helped produce a freshman season that already ranks among the strongest in recent Nye County memory. With Brian Hayes still coaching the Trojans and Jaycie Hayes entering her sophomore year as a proven ace, Pahrump Valley will start next spring with a championship banner and one of Nevada’s most imposing young players.