South Jersey Softball Recap

by Marc Narducci | Jun 17, 2026

While no teams from the seven-county South Jersey area won softball state championships, many of them came up with impressive performances to win sectional titles. And two teams, St Joseph Hammonton and Kingsway, earned state title berths. Here is a look at the sectional champs from South Jersey and how their seasons concluded.

Group 1

Pennsville had one of the truly impressive runs in winning the South Jersey Group 1 championship. Seeded fifth, Pennsville earned a trip to the sectional final by beating defending champion and No. 1 seeded Audubon, 3-1 as junior Graillyn Weber held the hard-hitting Green Wave to just three hits. Pennsville then beat fellow Tri-County Conference foe Woodstown, 10-0 in the championship game. The season ended with a 7-3 loss to Bound Brook in the state Group 1 semifinal. Pennsville (18-8) also ran the table in winning the Tri-County Conference Classic Division with a 10-0 mark.

Group 2

This section was won by a team outside the seven-county South Jersey area, as No. 2 seeded Barnegat beat two-time defending state champion and No. 1 seed Gloucester, 2-1 in the sectional final. Barnegat (24-3) would eventually lose 8-1 to Ramsey in the state final.

Group 3

After winning its first sectional title in 37 years, Ocean City had to face state power Steinert in the state Group 3 semifinal. The Red Raiders allowed three runs in the first inning enroute to a 4-1 loss to the Steinert. The winning Spartans would then go on to capture their fourth straight state title. As for Ocean City, the top-seeded Red Raiders earned the South Jersey Group 3 title with a 4-2 win over No. 3 seeded Clearview. Ocean City (23-7) finished second in the Cape Atlantic League American Division behind eventual state finalist St. Joseph Hammonton.

Group 4

After top seeded Kingsway beat No. 2 Cherokee, 3-1 in eight innings during the South Jersey Group 4 title game, the Dragons then advanced to the state final with a 3-2 state semifinal win over Marlboro in eight innings. Senior Reese Whitzell was the star of the game, scoring the winning run in the eighth inning on a stolen base of home. She went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Freshman pitcher Sydney Schiavone allowed five hits over eight innings while striking out 11 to earn the win. Her development as the team’s ace was a big reason for Kingsway’s success. Schiavone went 16-3 with a 2.62 ERA. She was also a major offensive threat, batting .358 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. Schiavone hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in the sectional final win over Cherokee. After the state semifinal win over Marlboro, the season came to an abrupt halt when Kingsway fell to Morris Knolls, 14-0, in the state Group 4 final. Despite that loss, Kingsway (21-6) also won the Tri-County Royal Division with an 8-0 mark

Non-Public A

The South Jersey and state title was won by a team outside the seven-county area, powerhouse St. John Vianney, which beat Donovan Catholic, 11-1 in the sectional final and Mount St. Dominic, 10-0 in the state championship to finish 30-0.

Non-Public B

St. Joseph didn’t allow a run in three South Jersey Non-Public B victories, including an 18-0 SJ Non-Public B title win over Holy Spirit. The Wildcats then met their match in the state final, losing 10-5 to DePaul. Still, it was a great year for the St. Joseph (25-4), which won the Cape Atlantic American Conference title and also the Cape Atlantic League tournament championship, beating Hammonton, 13-10 in the final. St. Joseph finished 25-4 and lost just two games to teams from South Jersey. Standout centerfielder Alaina Dorsey ended her career with 157 hits, 115 stolen bases and a .471 batting average.

Kingsway pitcher Sydney Schiavone / Marc Narducci

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Author: Marc Narducci

South Jersey Softball Recap

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