Talia Tretton rewrites Douglas record book – next stop: Big Ten softball

It would be difficult to find a more successful athlete in the school’s history than Talia Tretton of Douglas High.

There are all sorts of Tiger alumni who have accomplished notable feats, but if you narrow your focus to just their time in high school, Tretton is probably at the top of the list (or at least very close to it).

The outgoing senior capped her record-setting career with her second Gatorade State Softball Player of the Year award, becoming the state’s first player to win the award twice in a row since 2007-08.

She is the only two-time winner in Douglas history, regardless of sport.

She helped the Tigers to three consecutive state championships and won the 2023 state championship – the program’s first since 1992.

Tretton’s career ended with her third consecutive Class 5A North Player of the Year award after striking out 373 batters.

She also had a batting average of .493 at the high school level.

Next season, Tretton will compete at the University of Iowa against some of the best women’s softball players in the country.

In her final week of high school, the outstanding athlete was finally able to reflect on her time in the Tiger uniform.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

It was bittersweet to end her career with a second-place finish at the 2024 state softball tournament in Las Vegas.

Of course, the competitive Hawkeye’s future was solely focused on winning another state title.

In the weeks since the loss, Tretton has been able to step back and determine exactly what she could accomplish on the field.

“We’ve only won the state championship once, but we’ve been there three times – a lot of teams can’t even say they made it to the state championship,” Tretton said. “… I’m super proud of what we’ve accomplished here.”

Her name will be all over the NIAA record book, both for her work in the circle and at the plate.

Tretton finished her high school career with 853 total strikeouts, the seventh most in NIAA history.

What makes this accomplishment even more amazing is that she split the workload as a sophomore and third-year student, and her freshman season was shortened due to the pandemic (18 games total).

Of course, her fondest memory is winning the Class 5A state title in 2023.

“Even though it was last year, I’ve never had a better feeling. It was so surreal to win with all of my super-closest friends,” Tretton said.

She is a loyal member of the community and has spent much time coaching and teaching softball and basketball.

“I think it’s important that the kids can look up to high school students. We’re much older than them and it’s nice that they have such role models,” Tretton said. “I really enjoy doing that.”

LASTING LEGACY

There is no need to speculate about her future honors, such as induction into the school’s Hall of Fame or even the NIAA Hall of Fame, which will be anything but certain as time goes on.

Anything else would be an oversight.

Her immediate focus is on how to prepare herself for greater success at the next level.

“I think my freshman year I just want to go out there and try to work as hard as I can. I want to get as much playing time as I can and then we’ll see what happens after that,” Tretton said.

She speaks openly about her role models, pointing to local players Kali Sargent and Dena Pitts as well as some of the country’s top softball talents, such as Jennie Finch.

Her long-standing love of college softball will serve as her guide as she enters one of the country’s premier conferences.

“I want to be where they are (nationally),” Tretton said. “Around here, I always looked up to Kali and Dena because I pitched with them every week.”

She saw what it takes to be successful while competing on a Texas travel team against some of the best players in the country.

“I try everything I can to be better than everyone else in the country. There is always someone better than you, but I strive to be better than them,” she said.

Tretton has plenty of time to make her mark in a new state.

The love of softball in Iowa rivals that of any other place in the country.

Even as a new chapter begins, Tretton’s lasting legacy at Douglas High School will live on long into the future.

TRETTONS CAREER STATISTICS, RECORDS

• 1.61 ERA over 508 career innings

• 853 career strikeouts: 7^th of all time for NIAA

• 32 wins in 2024 – 2 wins^and of all time in a single season

• 373 strikeouts in 2024 – 3^rd of all time in a single season

• 17 shutouts in 2024 – 4^th of all time in a single season

• 31 shutouts in career – 4:0^th any times

• 33 consecutive shutout innings in 2024 – 6-0^th any times

• 34 home runs in his career – tied with 14^th any times

• 14 home runs in 2023 – tied with 7^th for a single season

• Career batting average of .493, on-base percentage of .561, slugging percentage of .905, OPS of 1.467

• 41 double

• 155 RBI in 120 career games played

• Helped Douglas to a 27-game winning streak from 2023-2024 – 4-0^th any times