The Emmaus High School softball team is coming off one of it’s best regular seasons in the last decade. This spring the team looks to have another good season, but this time follow it with postseason success.

The Hornets finished 18-5 overall and 14-2 mark in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference in 2025.

They earned the top seed in the EPC playoffs and won their quarterfinal game over but fell in the semifinals.

In districts, Emmaus was the third seed and was again upset by a lower seed, losing to sixth-seeded Northampton in the quarterfinal round.

A quintet of talented seniors graduated following the end of last season, which includes Sadie Haefeli, Sophia Tranguch, Avery Defanti, Avery Shank and Amanda King.

The top returning players entering this season include seniors Abby Derr, Taylor Hauver and Brianna Gitski, along with juniors Mari Eiswerth, Sydney Bennett, Morgan Schwab, Julia Defanti and Caylie Granitz. Some key newcomers looking to contribute are junior Julia Murphy Peterson, sophomores Haleigh Gigliotti, Marissa Gigliotti, Autumn Tarbox and Kandis Barthol, along with freshman Calise Eiswerth.

“Our overall team strength is team speed and pitching depth,” Giering said. “We have some athletes that can run well. Inside the circle, we have a few talented and experienced arms that we can throw and rely upon to help us win a lot of games. On the other end, our defense is an area that we need to continue to practice and work on to improve every day.”

Just like the last three seasons, Emmaus should be a top contender to win both conference and district gold. A mixture of talent and experience will help in that regard, according to Giering.

“I expect our team to be right in the mix in the EPC,” said Giering. “Some of our younger players got a lot of playing time last year and will fill in nicely to help us get to where we want to be.”

The 2026 regular season begins with a conference game at Nazareth Thursday. The home opener is set for t Friday when the Hornets host Blue Mountain in a nonconference game at Williams Street Park.