The road to an unprecedented fourth consecutive state tournament appearance for St. Edmond softball begins here Wednesday at Rogers Park.

The third-ranked (Class 1A) Gaels will host AGWSR in a Region 3 quarterfinal beginning at 7 p.m. after the Cougars knocked off GMG Monday night, 4-2.

For St. Edmond (22-9 overall), they made school history last summer when they punched a third straight trip to the elite eight, placing fourth overall.

Senior Faith Shirbroun leads the way for the Gaels, as the Keiser University recruit is hitting .609 with 46 runs scored, 43 RBI, 18 doubles, eight homers, six triples and 29 steals. She holds virtually every career SEHS hitting record.

Freshman Ella Vandi has found a home at the leadoff spot in the lineup, hitting .416 with 44 steals, 38 runs, 24 RBI, 10 doubles and five triples. Rihanna Myers, also a freshman, is batting .362 with five homers, 27 stolen bases and 27 RBI, as sophomore Jade Rock and junior Sophia Schlienz each have batting averages over .330 and 21 steals each.

Sophomore Toryn Helle has 17 wins inside the circle, striking out 96 batters with a 3.51 earned run average. She is batting .410 with 34 RBI and 14 extra-base hits.

During the season, St. Edmond placed third in the North Central Conference and earned wins over No. 8 (1A) Newell-Fonda, 10th-ranked (1A) Remsen St. Mary’s, No. 15 (2A) Pocahontas Area, ninth-rated (5A) Pleasant Valley and No. 14 (3A) Clear Lake. They also played seven other teams currently in the rankings.

The Cougars (5-23) scored two runs in the seventh to rally past GMG on the road. Freshman Kaesyn Slifer has over 100 strikeouts to lead AGWSR, as sophomore Lila Holmgaard is hitting .386 with 21 runs scored.

Senior Cali Buseman is batting over 300 with seven doubles, 13 RBI and 12 steals on the season.

The last time the Gaels and Cougars played was in 2022, with St. Edmond winning 8-1. Prior to that, AGWSR earned 2-1 and 9-0 victories. All three games between the two have taken place in the postseason.

With a win over AGWSR, St. Edmond would host either Collins-Maxwell (16-5) or North Mahaska (18-6) on Friday night in a regional semifinal. The bottom side of the bracket features Martensdale-St. Marys vs. BCLUW and Ankeny Christian vs. North Tama.