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SPORTS
from 6.17.21
Oak Mountain’s Shaver Plans to Play Basketball for North Carolina Page 26.
Thursday, June 17, 2021 ❖ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Nerves of STEELE
Lucas Steele
Indians Springs’ Nabors Selected Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year Page 26.
Big-Game Performances Earn Hoover Catcher Baseball Player of the Year Honor
By RuBin E. GRant
Lucas Steele enjoys playing in big games. In fact, the bigger the stakes, the better he plays.
So, it’s not a surprise that as Hoover made its remarkable run in the Class 7A state baseball playoffs, Steele, a junior catcher, was the driving force.
“He likes big moments,” Hoover baseball coach Adam Moseley said. “He was struggling a little before area play, but late in area play he turned MEET THE 2021 it on. When he started to ALL-OTM BASEBALL play well, we started to TEAM ON PAGE 27 play better.”
Steele said the playoffs is when his motor kicks into overdrive.
“It’s the adrenaline because all the games matter,” Steele said. “I have always performed better in bigger games.”
Steele finished the season with a .310 batting average, 21 extra-base hits, including 10 doubles and eight home runs in 43 games played, and 32 runs batted in. He had a .497 on-base percentage and 1.152 OPS while leading Hoover to 27-22 record and a runner-up finish in Class 7A.
For his performance, Steele was selected the 2021 OTM Baseball Player of the Year in voting
See STEELE, page 27
Diamond DANDY
Annabelle Widra
Widra Caps Outstanding Spain Park Career With Another Player of the Year Award
By RuBin E. GRant
Annabelle Widra and Spain Park softball have been synonymous for the past six years, ever since she joined the Jaguars as a seventh grader.
The seemingly forever journey ended last month when Widra graduated, but what a journey it was as she became the most highly recognized player in the history of the Spain Park program.
Widra capped off her brilliant career this spring by posting a 20-5 record with two saves, a 1.20 ERA and 239 strikeouts in the pitching circle. She tossed three perfect games and had three no-hitters and 11 shutouts. Opponents batted .139 against her as she allowed only 21 earned runs, 63 hits and 12 walks in 123 innings. She finished with 1,183 career strikeouts.
Playing shortstop and second base when not pitching, Widra hit a careerhigh 15 home runs while batting .490. She led the team with 47 runs batted in and had 32 stolen bases in 35 attempts.
For her performance, Widra was voted the 2021 OTM Softball Player of the Year in balloting by Over the Mountain coaches.
It’s the third time Widra has received the honor. She was the 2018 OTM Player of the Year as a freshman and shared the 2019 honor with former Spain Park teammate Maddie Majors as a sophomore. No All-OTM team or player of the year was selected in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She also has been selected to the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State Team every year since she was in eighth grade, except when no team was selected in 2020. She was chosen the ASWA 2021 Class 7A Player of the Year.
“It’s always nice to be recognized for all the hard work I’ve put in,” Widra said. “I challenged myself to be better from the mental side of the game this season and I just took the season to enjoy it. I had a blast with everything. I told some of my younger teammates I would do anything to
