Rice Softball Pitcher Throws No-Hitter, Reaches First Final

A team that struggled to win five games a season just pitched their way into the championship for the first time in school history.

Alayna Havreluk, a senior pitcher for Rice High School in South Burlington, Vermont, threw her second no-hitter of the season on June 9, 2026. Her dominant performance powered the Green Knights to a 14-0 victory over U-32, securing their spot in the Division II championship game.

The win marks a stunning turnaround for a program that spent years at the bottom of their division. Rice softball had posted multiple seasons with fewer than five wins, making playoff appearances seem impossible.

Everything changed when the current senior class arrived. This four-member group helped transform the team's culture and expectations over five years.

Their impact shows in the numbers. Rice reached the Division II semifinals three years in a row from 2024 to 2026, something the program had never accomplished before.

Havreluk wasn't satisfied with just making the semifinals again. In her final high school season, she delivered when it mattered most, shutting down U-32 completely while her teammates scored 14 runs.

The Green Knights finished their regular season with an impressive 16-1 record as the third seed in their division. That success came from a team that once struggled to find any wins at all.

Why This Inspires

This story proves that struggling programs can turn things around with the right group of committed players. Four seniors stuck with a team that had every reason to give up, and they rewrote their school's history.

Young athletes watching Rice's journey now see proof that persistence pays off. One determined senior class transformed a cellar-dwelling program into championship contenders, showing that today's struggles can become tomorrow's success stories.

Now Rice softball gets to play for a title they once couldn't have imagined reaching.