The Rifle Bears varsity softball team capped its standout season with a long list of league honors after the Class 4A Western Slope League All-Conference roster was released last week. 

Rifle finished 19-4 overall and a perfect 4-0 in league play, falling just one win shy of the 20-7 program record set by the 2019-20 team. Despite an early exit in the CHSAA Class 4A Round of 32, the Bears did not go unnoticed.

Nine Rifle players were named to the All-Conference rosters, including two of the league’s top honors. Senior Brynn Axelson was selected Player of the Year, and head coach Troy Phillips earned Coach of the Year.

“It’s cool to see that many girls are recognized for their work, but you always want more than what you get,” Phillips said. “There are always some kids you’re like ‘Man, I think they could have been first team just as easily as some of the others.'”

Senior Rylan Petree joined Axelson on the first-team roster, alongside junior teammates Ella Jackson, and Katherine Santana, sophomore Tyhler Decrow, and freshman Gia Keithley. Rifle juniors Aaliyah Mangnall and Emma Aragon were named to the second-team roster while senior Olivia Gordon was an honorable mention. 

“It’s a real honor,” Axelson said. “I’m so happy to be able to share this achievement with my teammates because we’ve all worked so hard throughout the season and I think it’s really well deserved.”

“The honors are huge for the program and extra validation for all the work that the girls had put in this year,” Phillips said. 

Axelson finished her senior season ranked top-three in the league in nearly every major offensive category, including batting average (.513), home runs (2), RBIs (29), runs scored (39), on-base percentage (.594) and stolen bases (26).

“I tried to stay very relaxed in the box and have as much fun as possible throughout my senior season,” Axelson said. “I was very confident in my ability and my get on base mentality that I’ve always had helped me keep having fun. I really enjoyed my time with my teammates and I’m really happy with the way my stats turned out. I think it was a great way to end my high school career.”

Keithley anchored the pitching staff, finishing the season ranked first in WSL in earned run average (2.99), strikeouts (101) and wins (13). The Bears won 13 straight games at one point this fall, a streak stretching more than a month. Their playoff run ended in a high-scoring thriller against Roosevelt, one of just three teams to beat Rifle in the regular season. The two teams combined for 32 runs in the first three innings. Roosevelt held a 19-18 lead entering the seventh and added six more to win 25-18.

“I’m very proud of the girls and what they accomplished this season,” Phillips said. “They showed some real resilience and perseverance in that final game. There were points (in the final game) when we were down 11-2 or 18-11, but it was 19-18 going into that final inning. I think there were a few mistakes that had gotten away from us in the top of the seventh or else we could have been playing last week.”

As he prepares to graduate another senior class, Phillips said their legacy on the program will endure.

“We set a motto for our program several years ago with three main pillars of work ethic, perseverance and team,” he said. “Attitude and work ethic are two things that will make anyone successful in life, and so we push that as a big part of our culture. We want our players to understand the importance of working hard every single day, and how getting a little bit better each day over a long period of time turns into becoming a lot better. You see that in softball and in life in general.”