The outrageous numbers that South Effingham catcher Danni Lynn produces at the plate speak for themselves, but they can't measure the senior captain's importance to a stellar Mustang softball team.
Lynn, who was the All-Greater Savannah Softball Player of the Year last season when the Mustangs reached the Class 5A state finals, entered the Class 6A State playoffs on Wednesday, Oct. 14, hitting .526 with nine doubles, a triple, 33 RBIs and a team season record of 14 homers ― beating the mark she set last year of 12.
Last season, she set a season record with a .545 batting average and also set program marks with 18 doubles and 52 RBIs for the Mustangs.
Those stats drew the interest of college recruiters and Lynn announced her commitment to play at Maryland over the summer.
But Lynn's not the type of player, or person, who lets her accolades go to her head. The success of the team is her biggest focus and the Mustangs (26-2) have been playing at an elite level. The squad entered the state playoffs as the No. 1 seed in Class 6A and swept Greenbrier by scores of 13-0 and 11-0 on Oct. 14 to advance to the second round and extend their win streak to a school-record 21 games.
"Danni's a really good leader and does a really great job with our pitching staff," South Effingham Coach Adam Newland said after the sweep of Greenbrier. "That's where we see a lot of her leadership because she's working with a lot of young players and she does a great job with them. She has high expectations for them, but understands how to work with the kids and get the best out of them."
Lynn made her college choice early and said it was an easy one as when she visited Maryland, she didn't have the urge to get back home ― Maryland felt like home.
She said the Mustangs run to the Class 5A state finals last year, where they lost to Creekview, has been a motivating factor for the senior-laden squad this season.
"I knew I had to keep doing the same things, you can never slack off if you want to get better as a player," Lynn said. "And as a team, I think we came together. We've got a big group of seniors and have played together for so long, we know each other so well and are all great friends ― we play for each other."
The Mustangs are stacked with a talented roster that also features seniors Justine Nevels and Alyssa Martin, who have both committed to play at UNC-Wilmington.
Nevels is a first baseman who is also one of the top high jumpers in the state. She had a 2-run homer in the first win over Greenbrier Wednesday and entered the playoffs hitting .371 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs.
Martin plays third base and entered the playoffs batting at a .431 clip with five homers and 25 RBIs.
The pitching staff is also deep. Jackson entered the playoffs with a 6-1 record and a 2.50 ERA. Junior Kelsee Collins is 8-0 with a 2.01 ERA. Freshman Kendall Ward has emerged as one of the top young players in the state. She earned the win in the second game against Greenbrier, and also hit a 3-run homer. She is 8-0 on the year and entered the playoffs with a 1.58 ERA.
"We have a really strong bond with our team and we want to get back to the finals and win state this year," Lynn said. "But we need to remain focused on the game in front of us and take it one game at a time to get there."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: South Effingham's Danni Lynn a leader on softball squad looking to win it all