Sunday, June 23, 2013
Denton Record-Chronicle
Denton Record-Chronicle
All-Area Softball Team 2013 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
FIRST TEAM
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Pitcher : Chrisa Head, Lake Dallas, So. The physically imposing sophomore was one of the more intimidating pitchers in the area and it showed with her 1.59 ERA and 158 strikeouts for the youthful Lady Falcons. She was equally effective at the plate, sporting a .367 batting average. She led the Lady Falcons in both home runs (four) and RBIs (30) and should be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.
Pilot Point, P/SS, Senior Notable: The Class 2A state champions lost just two games in 2013 and played to one tie in a preseason tournament. Cagle was in the circle for none of those games, as she had the rare accomplishment of finishing a season with an unblemished pitching record — 28-0. The defending AllArea MVP made it an easy choice once again in 2013 after leading the Lady Cats to the state championship — the first in program history and the first non-football state championship in school history. In her team’s nine playoff games, Cagle allowed just five runs as the Northwestern State signee finished the year with a miniscule 0.72 ERA, a staggering 259 strikeouts and just 29 walks. As dominant as she was in the circle, Cagle was just as scary for opposing teams in the batter’s box. In the final season of her career as a four-year starter, Cagle posted an area-leading .617 batting average and .649 on-base percentage. She hit eight triples, five homers and had 39 RBIs.
Pitcher : Suzette Palmer, Guyer, Sr. Palmer has been in the circle for Guyer for the past three seasons after seeing limited action as a freshman. Despite battling a hand injury throughout the season, Palmer was still a nuisance to opposing hitters, compiling a 1.88 ERA with 101 strikeouts and posted an 18-6 record. Palmer also flashed some offense, hitting .352 with four triples, two homers and 29 RBIs. Pitcher : Rachel Rainwater, Liber ty Chr., Jr. While effective at the plate, her potency was maximized when she was pitching for Liberty. The junior went 11-6 with a staggering 0.92 ERA. She struck out 160 batters and issued 20 walks on her way to a TAPPS first-team all-state selection. She threw a no-hitter against Dallas Bishop Dunne in a 7-1 victory. She hit .463 on the season, hit a home run and drove in 13 runs. Catcher : Macey Bauman, Lake Dallas, So. As one of a core unit of now-experienced young players, the Lake Dallas catcher will be a lot to handle for opponents down the road. In 2013, the sophomore hit a team-leading .452, scoring 25 runs and driving in 28. She had nine doubles, three triples and stole five bases. She was also rock-solid behind the plate, posting a .992 fielding percentage.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Preslee Gallaway ¯ Pilot Point, SS/P, Sophomore Notable: After Skylar Cagle, Gallaway has some big shoes to fill in the coming years for the Class 2A state champion. But if anyone can do it, it just might be the standout sophomore, who earned District 12-2A’s Offensive Player of the Year honors while being a solid “1a” in Pilot Point’s proverbial 1-2 punch. Gallaway, who served as the Lady Cats’ No. 2 pitcher and shortstop, posted a 12-2 record with a 2.55 ERA and 126 strikeouts in the circle but there was no denying the fact that Gallaway did the most damage with a bat in her hand. After a breakout freshman season, Gallaway hit .457 with a .530 on-base percentage and a .780 slugging percentage. She led the area with eight home runs and drove in 52 runs.
Catcher : Carley Rains, Ryan, Sr. Rains was one of three Ryan players to bat over .400 for the season. The senior catcher hit .416 on the season and tied Megan Durante for the most home runs on the team (six). Rains also hit seven doubles, scored 15 runs and had 20 RBIs. Her power provided Ryan with an offensive threat that allowed the Lady Raiders to pick up steam toward the end of the season.
Infielder : Logan Even, Aubrey, Sr. In the heart of Aubrey’s lineup, Even provided the Lady Chaparrals with an offensive spark all year. The shortstop hit .490 with seven doubles, two triples and 30 RBIs. Even finished the season with a .940 fielding percentage and earned a nod on the District 10-3A first team. She signed to play for Providence and is the first Aubrey softball player to sign with a Division I program. Infielder : Anna Payne, Liber ty Chr., Sr. Payne helped lead Liberty Christian offensively throughout the season. The shortstop hit .463 and had an .870 slugging percentage. At the plate, Payne provided Liberty with timely hits throughout the season. She racked up 15 RBIs, six triples and a home run in her final year with the Warriors. She earned TAPPS District 1-5A first-team honors. Infielder : Shayne Star key, Guyer, So. New to the area after playing for Justin Northwest as a freshman, Starkey flashed some serious leather at first base while also serving as the No. 2 pitcher and posting a 6-1 record with a 1.64 ERA in the circle. Voted District 5-4A’s Offensive Player of the Year, she hit .449 with a .505 on-base percentage to go with five triples, a homer and 24 RBIs.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR ¯
Infielder : Blair O’Brien, Arg yle, Sr. O’Brien capped her tremendous dual-sport career with a strong year on the diamond. The senior shortstop batted .423 on the season and had a slugging percentage of .718. O’Brien hit three home runs, 10 doubles and tallied 28 RBIs. Perhaps most impressively, she never recorded a strikeout as a senior. She finished the season with a .960 fielding percentage.
Kaley Reding
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aubrey, P, Senior
Nicole Nordie ¯
Catcher : Rosa Rodriguez, Kr um, Jr. Rodriguez’s defensive duties as Krum’s starting catcher didn’t dampen her abilities at the plate. Instead, Rodriguez led a young squad and paced the Lady Cats at the plate by batting .566 on the year. She had an on-base percentage of .641 and scored 31 runs. She also knocked out one home run, had nine RBIs and racked up 18 stolen bases in Krum’s first year in Class 3A.
Notable: In her time at Aubrey, Reding has been consistently effective in the circle for the Lady Chaparrals. Reding dazzled in her senior year and compiled a 25-8 record, a 1.82 ERA and 287 strikeouts in 176 2/3 innings pitched. At the plate, she hit .404 with six doubles and 27 RBIs on the season. Reding was one of four Lady Chaps to be chosen to the District 10-3A first-team. Reding headed a group of seniors that led the Lady Chaps to the Class 3A Region II quarterfinals.
SECOND TEAM P — Natasha Kissell, Denton, So. P — Kelly Mardones, Sanger, So. P — Jessica Orozco, Ponder, Jr. C — Maddie Green, Denton, Fr. IF — Erica Bjorndal, Sanger, Sr. IF — Megan Durante, Ryan, Jr. IF — Jessica Juarez, Denton, Jr. IF — Hannah Prather, Ponder, Jr. IF — Mikayla Stogsdill, Sanger, Sr. IF — Amadi Taylor, Lake Dallas, So. IF — Nikki Brogdon, Aubrey, Sr. OF — Ashley Landry, Krum, Fr. UTIL — Allison Strittmatter, Pilot Point, Jr.
NEWCOMER PLAYER OF THE YEAR Maddie Quintanar Ryan, OF, Freshman Notable: Bright spots were few and far between for Ryan this season, but Quintanar’s play was certainly noteworthy. As a freshman, Quintanar soared for the Lady Raiders. She batted .455, scored 34 runs and drove home 16 runs in a season where Ryan struggled in one of the state’s toughest 5A districts. The team that clinched the district’s fourth and final playoff berth, Lewisville, went on to win the 5A state title as a fourth-seed from the district. Quintanar’s potential growth over the next three years is a solid source of optimism for Ryan.
Team selected by Denton Record-Chronicle staff in consultation with area coaches. COACH OF THE YEAR James Ramsey
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Pilot Point Notable: From the outset of the season, Ramsey was given the task of commandeering the top-ranked team in Class 2A. The preseason rankings were justified when Ramsey and the Lady Cats won the 2A state title by beating Kingsville Santa Gertrudis Academy. Throughout the playoffs, Ramsey shuffled the lineup to maximize the amount of runs needed to carry Pilot Point’s superb pitching rotation, led by area MVP Skylar Cagle. In their first year back down in Class 2A, the Lady Cats were able to push past the fourth round of the playoffs, the stumbling block that eliminated Pilot Point from the postseason in the 2012 3A Region II semifinals. Pilot Point finished the season with a record of 40-2-1.
Outfielder : Kennedy Been, Guyer, Sr. One of four three-year starters for Guyer’s softball program, Been became one of the area’s most feared sluggers over the past two seasons. The Arkansas Tech signee posted a .434 batting average with a .500 on-base percentage. She hit nine doubles, six triples, four home runs and drove in 35 runs while scoring 32 times. She was also an effective outfielder with tons of range.
Photos are by Denton Record-Chronicle photographer David Minton, along with DRC file photos and courtesy photos.
Sanger, OF/P/C, Senior
Notable: Nordie’s career comes to a close after starting at Sanger for four years and helping the Lady Indians reach the 3A Region II semifinals. Nordie finished her final year at Sanger with a batting average of .595 and an on-base percentage of .613. The four-year starter tallied five home runs and drove in 61 runs to lead Sanger’s offense through the season. In the circle, Nordie was 5-2 with an ERA of 1.90. After her stellar year, the Sanger standout earned an all-state selection and the District 9-3A MVP award.
Infielder : Morgan Tur koly, Sanger, So. Turkoly was one of Sanger’s two all-state selections and one of the team’s integral players involved in its run to the Class 3A Region II semifinals. She hit .538 on the season with one home run and 15 RBIs, while scoring 47 times and swiping 31 bases. The shortstop was named the District 9-3A Offensive Player of the Year and could become the anchor of Sanger’s offense.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Megan Washam ¯
Outfielder : Kaitlyn Thomas, Guyer, Sr. A prototypical leadoff hitter, Thomas’ blazing speed basically meant any contact she made was going to result in a single. The four-year varsity player and University of the Incarnate Word signee, who roamed center field for Guyer, hit .500 with a .560 on-base percentage and scored a team-high 41 runs with 15 stolen bases to help pace the offense.
Skylar Cagle
Guyer, C, Senior
Notable: Of Guyer’s core of standout seniors, Washam is the only one who was a true four-year starter and played three different positions throughout her career, including the outfield as a freshman on Guyer’s state-semifinal team. But her natural defensive position has long been catcher, and she showed it over the past two seasons. Washam had just one error behind the plate for the Lady Wildcats, as Guyer fell to eventual statesemifinalist Aledo in the second round of the playoffs. She hit .453 and led the team in homers (six) and RBIs (41).
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