Although the season ended with a loss last week in the sectional semifinals, there’s plenty to look forward to with the Waterloo High School softball squad. 

The Bulldogs finished their season with a record of 22-5 and both Mississiippi Valley Conference and regional titles in 2025 after placing fourth in the state for Class 2A a year ago.

And considering head coach Matt Mason’s squad only loses two graduating seniors while returning the top pitcher and top four hitters, Waterloo seems primed for another deep postseason run in 2026.

Samantha Juelfs, a senior-to-be, led the Bulldogs in hitting this season with a .506 batting average. That was good for seventh in the entire St. Louis area. She also had a .532 on base percentage, seven home runs, 40 RBIs (fourth in the St. Louis area) and 31 runs. 

Her .843 slugging percentage also ranked fourth in the area.

“Very proud of this team and can’t wait for next year,” Juelfs posted on Twitter following last Tuesday’s season-ending loss.

Another key returning member next year will be senior-to-be Aidan Dintelman. In addition to hitting .398 with six homers and 27 RBIs, Dintelman was among the top pitchers in the St. Louis area this spring. 

Dintelman went 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA in 143-plus innings this season. Her .864 winning percentage ranked second in the region behind only Columbia’s Emily Webb. She also ranked second in wins, complete games and innings pitched. 

Dintelman’s 1.66 ERA ranked fourth in the St. Louis area, and she also had the fourth best strikeout-to-walk ratio at 7.56.

Ava Brown, a junior-to-be, hit .402 with 32 RBIs and 27 runs this season and will look for even better offensive totals in 2026.

The same goes for senior-to-be Megan Armbrecht (.396, 17 RBIs) and junior-to-be Grayce Mayer (.356, 22 runs).

The two departing seniors who were important members of last year’s fourth place state team are Riley McDermott and Kate Lindhorst. McDermott hit .321 this season while Lindhorst hit .364.