Kankakee’s Kaleah Jackson has been a force in the Kays lineup throughout her varsity career, but has brought things to another level for her senior season.

After posting an 1.192 OPS as a sophomore and an 1.174 OPS as a junior, she upped that mark to 1.666 through the first 14 games of 2026.

Jackson kept swinging a hot bat on Thursday, helping lead the Kays (11-4, 11-3 Southland Athletic Conference) to an 11-0, three-inning win over Thornridge, finishing off a conference sweep after taking a doubleheader Wednesday by a combined score of 35-1.

“Every game, I come in and try to savor every moment, so it feels really good,” Jackson said. “I’m just really looking forward to ending the season strong. I really hope we come out strong for regionals so we can keep this season a little longer.”

Leadoff hitter Tay’La Tooles had already singled and scored on a wild pitch before the cleanup hitter Jackson got to the plate Thursday, where she promptly made it a 3-0 game by driving in both LaMaryah Smith and Adleigh Cunningham with a double.

Lillian Landis followed that up with an inside-the-park home run to center. Sherlyn Morales, Amielya Taylor and Madison Covington all scored on errors to make it an 8-0 game.

Smith, who hit an inside-the-park home run in each game of a doubleheader against Thornridge on Wednesday, notched another after circling the bases on a ball deep to center that also scored Tooles, making it 10-0.

Smith is in her third year of softball, second season at the varsity level and first season as the team’s starting shortstop. She said she feels like she’s improved every year and has been happy to add some home runs to her resume.

“I’ve been feeling good,” she said. “I just love hitting the ball and running the bases. Yesterday was the first [home run] for me, so I was really excited.

“...I feel like I’ve gotten way better. When I first started, I just tried something new and I really liked it, so I stuck with it.”

Cunningham, who had six strikeouts and retired all nine batters she faced to picked up the win, singled after Smith’s homer and came into score on another RBI hit from Jackson that capped the scoring for the day.

Morales was hit by a pitch in the second but was erased when Taylor lined into a double play. Covington then ripped a two-out triple down the line but was stranded on third.

Covington, Landis and Jackson are the lone seniors for the Kays this season, with all three putting up career years.

Covington hit just .171 over the previous two season, but is sixth on the team with a .326 average this year. Landis, the team’s new starting catcher, leads the Kays with a career-high .587 average while Jackson’s 12 doubles and 33 RBIs are both career bests.

“[Jackson] has helped me with some of the players that are new to varsity, but are new to softball in general,” head coach LaDesha Nelson said. “Not only is she making sure she’s in the right position, but she’s making sure everyone else is. She’s like my coach on the field.

“...Last year, [Landis] played shortstop for me, so she’s had to take on and learn a new position. Honestly I could put here anywhere on the field and be confident. And [Covington] went from not really hitting the ball at all to hitting the ball and gaining confidence, seeing she has the capability to be a great batter.”

Nelson said she has also seen the team’s newcomers, including five freshmen, all grow and improve as the season has gone on.

With four regular season games ahead, and the Class 3A Dunlap Regional coming up on May 20, she is excited to see what else they can accomplish.

“It makes my heart feel really mushy, because I see all of these girls that are new to softball, first-time players that didn’t really expect softball to be their sport,” she said. “It’s very cool to see as a coach that all of the things we’ve poured into them, not just them but the whole team, come to fruition.”