Photo illustration by Travis Rosenau Taylor Berkner watches a double of hers during her final varsity softball game played at Prairie View Park in Sleepy Eye on May 19. Berkner was unanimously named the 2026 All-Journal Softball Player of the Year on Thursday.

SLEEPY EYE — When a player spends the amount of time in the pitching circle that Taylor Berkner did over her four-year varsity softball career, they’re naturally going to be judged first and foremost for how they pitch.

But when the bat delivers just as much — if not more than the arm — it’s unfair to view that player as just a pitcher.

Berkner saw time in the circle as a freshman and split time during her sophomore season before becoming the team’s full-time pitcher the past two years. But in addition to that, the 2026 Sleepy Eye High School graduate could play almost anywhere on the field when needed with her fielding abilities, and her talent at the plate carried her team to victory often times more than her pitching did.

This season she pitched 141 2/3 innings and in all 24 games Sleepy Eye had, going 16-8 with 189 strikeouts with 3.06 ERA. At the plate, she neared a .600 batting average, hitting .597 with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 38 RBIs, striking out just three times all season.

Berkner’s dominant year saw her recently named the Tomahawk Division Softball Player of the Year and she was also unanimously chosen as this year’s All-Journal Softball Player of the Year as voted on by The Journal’s sports staff.

“It means so much because all of it goes to my teammates and my coaches who have helped me throughout the years,” Berkner said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without them. And then the countless support throughout from my parents, always letting me pitch in our shop, letting me go take batting practice whenever I wanted to.”

Sleepy Eye has had its share of success during Berkner’s varsity career, but it’s been in a strong Section 2A full of contenders and state champions. The last five years have seen four Class A state champions come from Section 2A, with Nicollet winning the state title in 2022, New Ulm Cathedral winning it in 2024 and United South Central repeating as state champions the last two years.

But Section 2A, made up mostly of Tomahawk-Valley Conference teams, is where Berkner loved being due to the constant competition.

“I loved playing in Section 2A, genuinely,” Berkner said. “I always go out there and try my best. I tell myself, ‘Even if I make a mistake. Move on. There’s still game left to play,’ and I think I wouldn’t rather be in any other section just because I get to look forward to playing these competitors, teams who are always trying their best, which honestly makes me put my best foot forward. So I just put my best out there for the team.”

While Sleepy Eye wasn’t able to get past the sluggers of Section 2A in the playoffs during Berkner’s time with the team, many memorable moments were had at Caswell Park in North Mankato, the home to Section 2 playoff games since it opened in 1987.

“I would honestly say every time we play at Caswell [is memorable] because in one of our games this past year at this at our section tournament, we played JWP,” Berkner said. “We were down by four in the bottom of the seventh inning and we managed to come all the way back and win, which, honestly, it kind of shocked me that it happened, but I’m so grateful that it did. And, honestly, just every time I’m out there, pitching with my friends and just stepping in the batter’s box — those are all great memories, no matter what happens.”

For her career, Berkner pitched 416 2/3 innings with a 45-21 record and 566 strikeouts. At the plate, she had 160 hits, 131 RBIs, 17 homers, 33 doubles, four triples and a .456 batting average.

Those career numbers come with several school records. Berkner holds the career strikeouts and wins record in the circle, and at the plate she is the school’s all-time leader in hits, batting average, extra-base hits and home runs.

Sleepy Eye softball head coach Cory Haala said Berkner has been consistent at the plate throughout her career, but it was harder and harder to strike her out as she got older.

“Her ability to fight off pitches and put the ball in play, not overswing in certain situations, and obviously she could get good power, too,” he said. “A lot of RBIs, but again, just being a difficult out. Sometimes the biggest thing, and Taylor knows as well as I do, and she’ll admit to it that she’s really hard on herself. That’s every sport.

“Always asking questions about, ‘OK, what am I doing wrong here?’ And a lot of times I didn’t have a whole lot to tell her because there wasn’t a whole lot that she was doing wrong, especially when it came to hitting.”

Haala said while Berkner was a good pitcher for the team and has many school records in the circle, her hitting was phenomenal and a joy for him to see, especially when it helped the team amass a total of 28 home runs this past spring.

That kind of offense made things easier for Berkner in the circle and allowed her a little more breathing room.

“It’s so fun,” Berkner said of the team’s offensive success. “I genuinely am so happy for all my friends with successes and just the cheering. We had a teammate, Jaelynn Schauman, she hit three home runs in one game this year, and the excitement never goes down. It’s the same attitude towards every home run. It’s just so fun because it just brings up the energy all around between the fans and the teammates and I just love it when it happens because we all get to support our friends.”

With her offensive abilities established early on in her career, Berkner’s had to put in extra work over the years to develop her pitching and be reliable for her team. While Berkner admitted to walking more players than she would have liked to, she was still proud of herself in the circle and appreciated everyone who helped her improve her pitching throughout her career.

That extra time spent in the circle also led to more confidence and pitches for Berkner during her senior year.

“It’s been a long way coming, but this year, I would definitely say I’m most proud of how much I’ve been able to move the ball,” she said. “Because this year I’ve really gotten to enhance my pitches and how many pitches I have. And I love using my curveball, and I like throwing changeups now, and I’d say that’s what got me the most success, especially in those more challenging games where a fastball isn’t going to. I can’t just rely on my fastball.”

But like any good player, even their best area can be improved, and Berkner was no exception when stepping into the batter’s box this year.

“When I was younger, I was so stressed about finding the perfect pitch for me to hit,” she said. “But as I’ve grown, I’ve realized I always like jumping on the first good one I find and just going up there with the mentality knowing that I’m going to make contact as best as I can — just not worry about anything else in the game or who’s all on base. I just want to go up there and make contact with the best ability I can.”

Berkner’s competitive softball career came to a close with Sleepy Eye as she will not be pitching in college. She will now put her time into her studies at Iowa State in the fall where she plans to study Kinesiology with a pre-physical therapy focus.

Even while she won’t be taking the circle or batter’s box next spring, Berkner has many memories and lessons she will carry with her going forward thanks to her time spent with teammates and coaches.

“It’s really hard to put into words how much Sleepy Eye softball has meant to me these past years, but it has allowed me to find my true connections and enhance my relationships, whether that be through coaches or through teammates,” Berkner said. “And it’s not only brought me relationships, but it’s taught me a lot of skills. … I will always cherish what softball has brought me. It’s taught me some very good work ethic and to always try my best and just make friends with everybody because you’re all there going for the same goal, and you always want the same thing.”