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Tangney eclipses 200 Ks as Hughson softball caps undefeated TVL campaign
Hughson softball
The Hughson High softball team celebrates after beating Ripon by a 2-1 score last week to remain undefeated against conference opponents and clinch the Trans-Valley League title for the first time since 2015 with four games to play. The Huskies finished the regular season 12-0 in the TVL this week (Photo contributed).

Prior to the first game of each season, Hughson High varsity softball head coach Chase Moorehead meets with Athletic Director Justice Futch and Principal Loren Lighthall to discuss his team’s potential. While Moorehead, in his fifth year at the helm, is always optimistic, he knew this year’s squad had the potential to do special things.

“I told them, ‘We're the team to beat this year. I believe it,’” Moorehead said. “I say it every year, but this year when I said it, there was a lot more confidence behind it. When we had our first workout, you could see that it was different. Just being around the girls, it felt different.”

The 2025 Huskies achieved a 15-9-1 overall record and finished runner-up in the Trans-Valley League at 7-3. After being eliminated in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs, the program only lost three players to graduation. The chemistry and added motivation between the eight returners and four newcomers has been channeled into a historic season.

Hughson clinched its first TVL championship since 2015 last week with a 2-1 win over Ripon. This week, the Huskies defeated Hilmar (5-0) on Monday and Sonora (7-0) on Tuesday to cap off a 12-0 campaign against conference opponents. They finished the regular season with an 18-3 overall record.

“It was my goal when I got hired here five years ago to win league, but I never put the word ‘undefeated’ before it,” Moorehead said. “It feels really good.”

The Huskies are as dynamic of a team as they come, with an electric lineup and perhaps even more daunting pitching. Taking the mound and dominating nearly every game has been one Kylie Tangney, a junior who finds herself near the top of the section’s strikeout leaderboard.

Tangney’s 200th strikeout of the season came in the first inning against Hilmar, painting the top of the zone to catch Haygen Stivers looking. By game’s end, Tangney had punched out 13 over seven shutout innings — her 14th outing of 10 or more strikeouts.

Monday’s performance brought her season strikeout total to 211 — third-most in the Sac-Joaquin Section — and dropped her ERA to 1.02 in 95.2 innings over 16 starts. Her record improved to 14-1. She did not pitch in Tuesday’s win against Sonora.

“Breaking 200 was definitely a goal,” Tangney said. “I’ve been building towards this. My freshman year, I came just short of 100. Last year, I finally broke 100 and almost made it to 200. This year, I was really aiming for 200. Next year, I’ll be going for 300. I know I can do it. Especially as I get older, I want to only get better.

“I work really hard for this. I'm glad that Chase gives me the opportunity to go out there and pitch almost every game. I take a lot of pride in pitching as much as I do and doing whatever I can to help my team, whether it’s starting pitching or even hitting.”

Tangney is one of four Hughson players that will enter the postseason batting .400.

Presley Wells, one of only two seniors on this year’s team, leads the way with a .483 batting average. Right behind is sophomore Peyton Moring, hitting .472. Then there’s Tangney and sophomore Emma Carne with matching marks of .426.

Carne has been the only other Husky to take the mound this season. In her seventh appearance, she struck out 10 as she shut out Sonora on Tuesday to drop her ERA to 2.06. The 7-0 victory marked the team’s sixth shutout win of the season.

Hughson, entering Tuesday as the top-ranked team in Division V by MaxPreps, will await postseason brackets to be released by the Sac-Joaquin Section on Friday afternoon. The Huskies are expected to remain at or near the top of the rankings, which means multiple home games throughout the postseason if they were to advance.

“The community here in Hughson is so passionate and stands behind the school and its sports,” Moorehead said. “You can notice there are a lot more people that have been coming to our games than in previous years, and that also bleeds into the dugout and bleeds into these girls on the field. They love having these fans out here. The softball program hasn't been at the top in a long time, so to come back after all those years and have this school and this community support us has been very enjoyable for everyone.”