Weddington softball sweeps Conley to complete undefeated season, win 7A state title

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Undefeated. Undeterred. Undeniable.

Two years after falling in the state championship series, the Weddington Warriors have made history.

Weddington swept D.H. Conley by winning 5-0 in game two to clinch the 7A softball state championship. It’s their first ever state championship after finishing as state runner-ups in 2024 and regional runner-ups last season.

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UNCW commit Kendall Howard continued her excellent form in the circle recording three straight outs to keep the Warriors off the board.

Joella Thomas also followed up on her excellent performance in game one working around an early error to keep the game scoreless after one.

Conley got its first hit of game two thanks to a Brooke Rose single to center in the bottom of the second. The freshman then stole second and third to give the Vikings a chance to strike first.

• View Photos: D.H. Conley vs. Weddington, Game 2 (May 28, 2026). HSOT Insiders can download championship photos for free. Here's how.

However, Thomas, a Lenoir-Rhyne commit, got out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts.

Back-to-back singles by Reece Lindsay and Maddie Diaz made it runners on the corners with no one out in the top of the third. A sacrifice bunt by Grayson Bopp brought in Lindsay to open the scoring.

An RBI sacrifice fly by Samantha Shipley doubled the Warriors lead. Lilly White, who had the walk-off hit to win game one, forced an error by the Vikings infield that led to another run making it 3-0.

Lena Zurface was inches away from a solo home run for the Vikings in the bottom of the third. Instead, the ball bounced off the top of the center field fence and back in play for a double.

Then, Thomas continued to keep Conley off the board with another strikeout to close the frame. Lindsay, the UNC Charlotte commit, started the fourth inning with a double to center field.

Diaz had a chance to add to the Warriors advantage but lined out to Vikings shortstop Ava Gaddis at shortstop who also picked off Lindsay for a double play to end the threat.

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Another single by Rose along with a Weddington error gave the eastern regional champions some life in the bottom of the fourth inning. Despite that, Thomas stayed tough generating a force out at second to keep Conley at bay.

A two-out rally in the top of the seventh gave the Warriors all the insurance they needed to seal the sweep. An RBI double by Callie Hill followed by a run scoring single from Samantha Shipley added to their lead.

From there, it all came down to their arm that carried Weddington through this season especially in the playoffs. Thomas sealed her MVP performance with a scoreless bottom half to set off their celebrations.

Weddington finishes its season 27-0 overall with four of their final six wins coming via shutout. Conley fell in the state championship series for the second consecutive year and finished 25-4 overall.

Box Score

MVP: Joella Thomas (Weddington pitcher, shutouts in both games against Conley)

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