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ALL-AREA SOFTBALL TEAM
player of the year TAYLOR STRICKLAND
All-Area First Team
Morgan Blourne
First Team continued ALEXA LUNA
Martin County junior outfielder Stats: .366 batting average, 3 triples, 19 runs scored, 12 RBIs
TAYLOR MARTIN
Lincoln Park junior shortstop Stats: .431 batting average, 5 home runs, 15 RBIs, 12 stolen bases
Taylor Boykin
ANDREA SEMPSROTT
Master’s Academy senior pitcher Stats: 10-8, 2.47 ERA, 158 strikeouts, .421 batting average Maddie Brister
Sara Burgos
Kasey Cox
Autumn Green
Coach of the Year
ROGER MATHEWS
Crystal Grimaldo
Carissa LiCata
Ali Little
Alexa Luna
Taylor Martin
Andrea Sempsrott
MORGAN BLOURNE
South Fork sophomore pitcher/shortstop Stats: 8-3, 1.06 ERA, 120 strikeouts, .353 batting average Poll: Blourne topped the TCPalm.com all-area readers poll with 33 percent of the votes.
TAYLOR BOYKIN
Lincoln Park sophomore outfielder Stats: .369 batting average, 1 home run, 11 RBIs, 11 stolen bases
MADDIE BRISTER
Vero Beach junior catcher/ shortstop Stats: .395 batting average, 7 doubles, 1 home run, 8 RBIs
SARA BURGOS
Treasure Coast junior outfielder Stats: .422 batting average, 2 home runs, 13 RBIs, 21 runs scored
KASEY COX
Jensen Beach senior shortstop Stats: .325 batting average, 25 runs scored, 11 doubles, 21 RBIs
AUTUMN GREEN
Vero Beach senior pitcher Stats: 9-6, 0.83 ERA, 99 strikeouts, 8 RBIs
CRYSTAL GRIMALDO
Fort Pierce Central freshman shortstop/ pitcher Stats: .422 batting average, 26 runs scored, 7 steals, 8 RBIs
CARISSA LICATA
Okeechobee senior outfielder Stats: .392 batting average, .533 on-base percentage, 22 stolen bases
ALI LITTLE
South Fork sophomore outfielder Stats: .397 batting average, 20 runs scored, 7 doubles, 18 RBIs
ALEX SLITZ/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Lincoln Park Academy’s Taylor Strickland is the 2014 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Softball Player of the Year. To see more photos, go to TCPalm.com.
Bringing the heat
Lincoln Park Academy’s Strickland shuts them down By Jon Santucci jon.santucci@scripps.com 772-692-8932
Taylor Strickland isn’t satisfied. Not by the fact that she has been one of the top pitchers on the Treasure Coast since leading Lincoln Park Academy’s softball team to a district title as an eighth-grader. The junior isn’t content, even though she helped Lincoln Park finally top LaBelle in the Region 3-4A playoffs this season and reach the regional championship game for the first time since 2005. She still wants to be better. “Taylor puts in hard work yearround,” Lincoln Park Academy coach Roger Mathews said. “She plays softball 12 months out of the year, she puts in a lot of time on her own and that’s what makes her a great softball player. “She has a great personality, too. She’s a caring person — she wants to improve and she wants those around her to improve. She’s trying to be a leader on and off the field. Those attributes are hard to come by.” It will be hard for Strickland to be much more dominant than she was this season. Strickland led the area with 18 wins, posted a 1.02 ERA and had 139 strikeouts. During the regular season, Strickland averaged better than a strikeout per inning and a had an ERA under 1.00. She also threw a no-hitter against Martin County on Feb. 27 and struck out a season-high 17 against Clewiston on March 20. Even in the season-ending loss to Mulberry in the Region 3-4A championship, Strickland threw a two-hitter and struck out 10.
Player of the Year
TAYLOR STRICKLAND
Lincoln Park junior pitcher Stats: Strickland went 18-3 with a 1.02 ERA and 139 strikeouts. Strickland averaged more than a strikeout per inning during the regular season, pitched a no-hitter against Martin County and struck out a season-high 17 against Clewiston. Strickland also batted .323 with 12 RBIs. Coach Roger Mathews: “Taylor is an outstanding pitcher, player and leader. Taylor has averaged 17 wins the past three seasons, and she has one year left. She pitches well under pressure and has what it takes to get us to the next level.”
For her efforts, Strickland is the 2014 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Softball Player of the Year. It is the second consecutive season that a Lincoln Park player won the award — former Greyhounds and current Florida A&M catcher Miesha McBride was named the Player of the Year in 2013. “I think our season went really well,” Strickland said. “We came together as a team and that took a lot of pressure off me. The team backed me up a lot — there was a really strong defense behind me. There was a lot more motivation this year, and we definitely improved. “My attitude changed a lot this year. I used to get really down on myself and I kind of, in a sense, gave up more emotionally if something went wrong. This year, I stayed strong. I
was able to keep my calm and try to work through it.” Mathews credits much of Strickland’s success to her ability to communicate well with catcher Meghan Callahan, as well as Strickland’s willingness to accept coaching. Strickland has worked with pitching coach Jenny Gladding, a former Martin County High School star and 2014 University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, as well as Joanne Ferrari, who was Gladding’s pitching coach. “I’ve learned a ton from Jenny,” Strickland said. “She relates to me really well. She has taught me so much. She throws a lot harder than me, obviously, but she’s been there. She’s been helping me master my pitches — especially my curveball and my rise ball. She’s taught me how to make them jump or move, and she’s worked a lot with my spin. My pitches didn’t move as much until she taught me how to.” The result this season was Strickland lowering her ERA and walks from 2013. In the past, good teams used to force Strickland to throw strikes and make them beat her. That was tougher to do this season. “She is a perfectionist,” Mathews said. “You would see her talking to herself on the mound, but pitchers are unique people. They get into a little zone and they talk to themselves. When they start answering their own questions, that’s when you have to worry. But she is so smart that she knows her faults. When something happens, I don’t have to explain it to her. She knows exactly why a pitch doesn’t do what she wants it to do, and she knows how to fix it.”
Lincoln Park, 11th year This season: Lincoln Park went 21-3, won the District 12-4A championship and reached the Region 3-4A championship game. The Greyhounds had been upset by LaBelle in the regional quarterfinals the previous two seasons, but they pounded LaBelle 10-0 in five innings in the regional quarterfinal before going on the road to beat Bishop Verot 5-4 in eight innings in the regional semifinal. Lincoln Park lost to Mulberry 4-2 in the regional final — the Greyhounds’ first since 2005. Quotable: “This season was beyond expectations. Being a young team — no seniors — I was worried about leadership not being there, but the kids took it upon themselves. They jelled together from day one and it was great to watch them throughout the season. We had great comebacks against Satellite Beach in the opener and Vero at the end of the season.”
Honorable Mention AQUARIA BAINES Vero Beach junior shortstop KARA BOURNE Fort Pierce Westwood senior catcher/pitcher MEGHAN CALLAHAN Lincoln Park sophomore catcher LINDSIE COLLINS Vero Beach junior catcher/ first baseman SKYE COLLINS Vero Beach freshman outfielder CLARA FOWLER Master’s Academy junior shortstop KAYLI GEBHARDT South Fork junior catcher ALLIE GIRARD St. Lucie West Centennial junior catcher SAMANTHA ISHAM South Fork junior second baseman TORI JOHNSON Fort Pierce Central junior shortstop/pitcher ASHLEY LANGEL Lincoln Park sophomore third baseman CHRISTIANIA MARASA Jensen Beach junior first baseman MARGARET MARTZOLF Fort Pierce Central senior third baseman VALERIE MUNLEY Port St. Lucie senior third baseman DAPHNE PAYTON Jensen Beach sophomore catcher SARAH RIDER St. Lucie West Centennial senior outfielder DANYELLE SHEFFIELD Okeechobee senior pitcher MICHAELA SIHLER Treasure Coast senior infielder