Last month, Bear River finished two wins shy of back-to-back state softball titles, which would’ve repeated the feat for the first time in 14 years, with two losses against top seed Desert Hills in a rematch of 2025’s 4A state finals. Wilson pitched the first of those two losses, and two earned runs on six hits saw the Thunder claim a one-game advantage on the No. 2 Bears in the final start of her prep career.

The team returned 120 miles home with a runner-up trophy, and three seniors — Wilson, Allie Aoki and Cora Miller — traded their uniforms for graduation robes. Wilson’s time as a Bear is done, but, ahead of her debut at Salt Lake Community College next year, she’s got plenty of fans rooting for her college dreams.

“You go walking around town, and this random lady I’ve never met will come up to me and be like, ‘You had an amazing season, and I loved watching you,'” Wilson said. “It just makes my heart melt, and I love that I have that community supporting me.”

Wilson is the 2026 Standard-Examiner All-Area Softball Player of the Year.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

Long before pitching 400-plus innings of high school ball, Wilson was the smallest member of Bear River coach Jordan Theurer’s under-8 travel squad.

“She was a scrawny little bean,” Theurer said. “She was so little, but her attitude never changed.

“I feel like every year she gets a little bit more competitive, but that’s because she’s understanding the game at such a deeper level every time she’s out there. Honestly, SLCC is very lucky to get her because of that mindset she brings to the staff.”

Much of Wilson’s signature emotion, and why she’d become Bear River’s go-to ace with a single-season record of 30 wins and 290 strikeouts during last year’s 4A state title run, is rooted in those childhood softball days when folks told her to temper her expectations.

“Growing up, I was so small, and I was told I had to keep a realistic mindset,” Wilson said. “I honestly didn’t think I’d get to pitch in high school, and so it’s great to get that opportunity and take it.”

Jared Lloyd, Standard-Examiner

As a sophomore, Wilson actually steered toward the outfield instead of the mound.

“She’d gone up to our pitching coach and said, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to take outfield reps, I think outfield’s going to be my main spot,’ and we looked at her and said, ‘No, it’s not, you’re going to be a pitcher,'” Theurer said.

Wilson appeared in 18 games as a sophomore and played a major role in Bear River’s 2024 postseason run. She nearly led the Bears into the state finals that spring as a 16-year-old arm quickly building her personality around the mound.

Theurer tapped Wilson with the start in the season finale of her junior season, which saw her deliver a 3-2 win over none other than Desert Hills in Game 3 of the 4A state finals. Wilson appeared in all 34 games that spring.

“She didn’t have a chance to breathe,” Theurer said.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

Bear River isn’t short on memorable pitchers these days, with Wilson being the latest in a line of powerful aces dominating at the 4A level. As a senior, Wilson and Ridgeline transfer Brielle Gardiner were one of the deadliest combos in the state with a combined 2.38 ERA and 200-plus total strikeouts.

Wilson’s 2.38 ERA finished fourth in 4A and 12th in Utah.

“It’s a testament to her hard work and what she’s willing to put on the line for her team to succeed,” Theurer said.

Losing her fiery attitude, too, will be irreplaceable for the Bears.

“It feeds into the rest of the team,” Theurer said. “When she’s on, the team is right there with her, and that’s a big thing to have the pressure on of having to control how the team feels and where the team goes. She always just took it graciously; she knew what we needed from her, and the moment never got too big for her.”

The college stage awaits Wilson in just a few short months, but unlike her first season of prep ball, she’ll carry with her a handful of life lessons, Wilson said. Tallest among them is who she chooses to fight for every day.

“The people you surround yourself with are really important in how you want to live your life,” Wilson said. “We always try to fight for each other rather than try to steal the spotlight. I look at every single girl that I’ve ever played with, and I don’t think there’s one that hasn’t impacted me.”

Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.