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ALL-AREA SOFTBALL TEAM
all-area softball player of the year miesha mcbride
All-Area First Team
First Team continued AUTUMN GREEN
Vero Beach sophomore pitcher/shortstop Stats: .415 batting average, 22 RBIs, 12-7, 1.13 ERA
ALEX HARTLEY Jaryaca Baker
Lincoln Park senior outfielder Stats: .411 batting average, 14 RBIs, 30 runs scored
Maddie Brister
TORI JOHNSON
Fort Pierce Central sophomore pitcher Stats: .521 batting average, 15 steals, 7-11, 89 Ks
HOLLY JONES Tyler Chnupa
Jensen Beach senior pitcher Stats: 238 batting average, 13 RBIs, 11-9, 2.34 ERA
Sarah Davis
CAROLINE KLAFFER
St. Lucie West Centennial junior designated hitter Statistics: .432 batting average, 12 doubles, 26 RBIs Brooke Dean
ALI LITTLE
Meredith Flynn
South Fork freshman outfielder Stats: .417 batting average, 24 RBIs, 32 runs scored
TAYLOR MARTIN
Lincoln Park sophomore shortstop Stats: .447 batting average, 9 home runs, 30 RBIs Autumn Green
Alex Hartley
COURTNEY NOONAN
Martin County junior pitcher Stats: .408 batting average, 26 RBIs, 10-6, 2.45 ERA
TAYLOR STRICKLAND
Tori Johnson
Lincoln Park sophomore pitcher Stats: .477 batting average, 24 RBIs, 19-5, 2.02 ERA
Holly Jones
Honorable Mention
Caroline Klaffer
Ali Little ALEX BOERNER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Lincoln Park Academy’s Miesha McBride is the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers 2013 All-Area Softball Player of the Year after batting .500 with 32 RBIs as the Greyhounds finished 19-5.
Taylor Martin
Making things happen
Courtney Noonan
LPA’s Miesha McBride was at her best with runners on base By Jon Santucci Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers
Taylor Strickland
JARYACA BAKER
Okeechobee senior pitcher/outfielder Stats: .432 batting average, 6 home runs, 23 RBIs
MADDIE BRISTER
Vero Beach sophomore catcher/shortstop Stats: .360 batting average, 8 doubles, 15 RBIs
TYLER CHNUPA
John Carroll sophomore catcher Stats: .517 batting average, 4 home runs, 39 RBIs
SARAH DAVIS
Okeechobee senior first baseman Stats: .377 batting average, 4 home runs, 20 RBIs
BROOKE DEAN
Vero Beach senior utility player Stats: .349 batting average, 26 home runs, 21 RBIs
MEREDITH FLYNN
St. Lucie West Centennial senior first baseman Stats: .302 batting average, 8 home runs, 26 RBIs
FORT PIERCE — When Lincoln Park Academy catcher Miesha McBride came to bat with runners on base, good things usually happened. “When there were runners on, I was about 90 percent sure that she was going to do something positive,” Lincoln Park coach Roger Mathews said. “She very seldom strikes out and at least she puts the ball in play and makes something happen. She can do that with a base hit or fly ball and she also started to go to the opposite field this year. She’s been strictly a pull hitter before this year.” McBride had an uncanny ability to drive in runs this season — leading Lincoln Park with 32 RBIs to go along with a .500 batting average and .560 on-base percentage. In the District 12-4A championship win over St. Andrew’s, McBride had a career high six RBIs. McBride, a senior who signed with Florida A&M, is the Scripps Treasure Coast All-Area Softball Player of the Year. She was a first-team allarea selection last year. “The main thing going through my head whenever any runner is on base is to get the runner in,” McBride said. “I’m in the fourth spot to clean the bases. I figure in a normal game I’m going to get three at-bats, so I want to take advantage and make the best three at-bats each game. No matter how many runners are on base, it’s my responsibility to drive them in.” McBride has played varsity softball since seventh grade and Mathews said opposing coaches have been asking for at least two years if she was a senior yet because they were tired of facing her.
Player of the Year
Coach of the Year
MIESHA MCBRIDE
HOLLY WOOD
Lincoln Park senior catcher Statistics: McBride led Lincoln Park with a .500 batting average and 32 RBIs, was tied for the team lead with eight doubles and was second on the team with four home runs. She also scored 17 runs and stole four bases. McBride had a career-best six RBIs against St. Andrew’s in the District 12-4A championship game. Lincoln Park coach Roger Mathews: “She is very deserving. She’s been a great pleasure to coach and watch behind the plate. She’s going to be missed and that’s a hard position to fill. There have been a lot of coaches who have said, ‘It’s nice to hear this is Miesha’s senior year.’ Coaches are anxious to get rid of her.”
Vero Beach, sixth year This season: Wood guided Vero Beach to a 17-9 record and the District 6-8A championship. It was the second consecutive district title for Vero Beach, which lost to OrlandoEast River 2-1 in nine innings in the Region 2-8A quarterfinals. Quotable: “I think the girls performed day in, day out, gave their heart and soul every day, every game. We put a tougher schedule ahead of them and even though we lost our first regional game, that was our best performance since I’ve been coach.”
While McBride has been a consistent performer, she took her game to another level this year by being more disciplined at the plate and increasing her power, thanks to work with assistant coach Paul Langel. Before the season started, McBride said she looked at her stats from 2012 and was determined to double them. She accomplished the feat in home runs and RBIs. Last season, McBride batted. 388 with one home run and had 13 RBIs. This year, McBride hit four home runs and added eight doubles. The scouting report on McBride used to be to get her to chase high fastballs or low off-speed pitches, but she became much more selective at the plate this season. She said much of her improvement
was because her coaches and teammates were willing to throw her a high volume of pitches during practice — just to help her get a better feel for the strike zone. “I’m a power hitter and pitchers used to try to throw me things to jam me,” McBride said. “I became more disciplined by watching pitches all the way in so I could see if it’s going to be a ball or a strike, instead of getting anxious. I just tried to stay focused. If the ball was even close, I did whatever I could do to put it in play. The main thing was not let a strike go by. “I came in with the mentality of wanting to leave my mark for whoever comes in the four spot after me and I think I did that.”
TORRI BETHEL Sebastian River senior first baseman/outfielder NATALIA BELLINGER Martin County freshman infielder NICOLE BOLTON Sebastian River senior third baseman KARA BOURNE Fort Pierce Westwood junior pitcher KAITLYN BROWN Martin County junior first baseman/pitcher SARA BURGOS Treasure Coast sophomore center fielder DANIELLE DEAN Vero Beach senior infielder CLARA FOWLER Master’s sophomore catcher KAYLI GEBHARDT South Fork sophomore catcher ALLIE GIRARD St. Lucie West Centennial sophomore catcher KATIE KOBOLD South Fork senior pitcher HOLLY KRUPA Jensen Beach freshman shortstop ASHLEY LANGEL Lincoln Park freshman infielder CARISSA LICATA Okeechobee junior outfielder CHRISTINA MARASA Jensen Beach sophomore first baseman MARGARET MARTZOLF Fort Pierce Central junior shortstop VALARIE MUTH Sebastian River sophomore pitcher LIZZY RAHAL John Carroll senior pitcher/ third baseman SIERRA RAMIREZ John Carroll junior pitcher/ third baseman ANDI SEMPSROTT Master’s junior pitcher MICHAELA SIHLER Treasure Coast junior pitcher/ utility player DANYELLE SHEFFIELD Okeechobee junior pitcher/ outfielder EMILY WILKINSON Port St. Lucie senior pitcher/ shortstop ANGIE KEENAN Jensen Beach senior infielder
All-Area Schedule Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
June 11
June 12
Girls Tennis
Boys Tennis
Girls Track
Boys Track
Softball
Baseball
Girls Lacrosse
Boys Lacrosse
Flag Football