Before the 2024-25 preseason got underway inside an auxiliary gymnasium at Bingham High School, the Miners softball team was in the school foyer taking care of a little business. 

Signed to schools this fall were four players—all seniors. 

Brecka Larson, who went 21-7 with a 2.68 earned run average last year on the mound for Bingham and has a career 25-8 record with a 2.46 ERA, signed with the Salt Lake Community College Bruins in November. Her 240 strikeouts already stand as a school record. 

If Larson fans more than 268 batters in her senior season at Bingham, it would rank her among the top 10 in state history, and more than 334 would put her ahead of Miner legend Tori Almond. 

Larson is just as dangerous at the plate. Last year alone she hit .395 in 94 plate appearances, with six home runs and 24 RBI as a junior. Over two years at Bingham, Larson has hit .356 with 7 homers and 39 RBI. 

Larson will join teammate Brooklynn Fogg, who played in the outfield for the Miners, at SLCC. 

As a junior, Fogg was a demon on the base paths with 10 steals and hit .310 in 103 plate appearances. All told, Fogg has stolen 27 bases over two years on Bingham’s varsity in 57 games and has fielded 91% of each ball hit in her direction. 

Shyann Banasky has been a three-year starter for the Miners. The senior signed to play at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. 

Not only did Banasky nearly lead Bingham in batting average with a .402 in 108 appearances at the plate, she was also tops in on-base percentage at .537. In addition, Banasky has improved her batting average by at least .20 year over year and improved it threefold as a junior. She’s also averaged three stolen bases per year and has had an 85% fielding rate.  

Rian Howland has also been a three-year starter for the Miners and signed to play at Snow College. The Bingham senior batted a team-leading .480 last season with 47 hits and 39 RBI. She also hit five home runs and seven doubles and was second on the team in on-base percentage. 

Howland is also one of Bingham’s best and most versatile fielders. She had a 98% fielding rate as a junior and has even been known to step on the rubber as a pitcher. 

With all four players set to return for Bingham this spring, they’ll look to lead the Miners back to the state championship that they won two years ago and wrap up their time at Bingham with their second state title in three years. Last year, the Miners finished just shy as the state runner-up, falling to Riverton in the championship series after winning the first game from their rivals by two games to one.  

You’d have to think, however, that this group led by the pitching of Larson, the baserunning of Fogg and the versatility of Banasky and Howland, in addition to several other key contributors, give Bingham more than a puncher’s chance at winning its second state title in three years and handing Mikki Jackson her ninth championship trophy as head coach of the Miners.