One would be hard-pressed to find an area with more Class 2A softball talent than this neck of the woods.
That talent was well-represented on the postseason honor rolls, with 13 local honorees in District 2A-9 and 12 more in District 2A-8 when awards were announced earlier this week.
DISTRICT 2A-9
Eight Vanoss representatives and five from Coalgate received District 2A-9 honors.
Vanoss sophomore Reece Corley was named the District 2A-9 Pitcher of the Year after winning 21 games in the circle for the Lady Wolves. She struck out 171 batters and walked just 48 in 144.2 innings.
Coalgate senior Olivia Nelson earned Offensive Player of the Year honors. She hit .440 while blasting seven home runs, seven triples and seven doubles. She finished with 39 RBIs and scored 24 runs.
Vanoss head coach Tolbert Corley was named the district Co-Coach of the Year alongside Hartshorne’s Michael Martin.
Vanoss freshman Kerrigan Wootten was selected as the Newcomer of the Year after a strong debut season both in the circle and at the plate.
Wootten pitched her way to a 10-4 record with 57 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 67 innings. She also hit .382 with two home runs, four triples, 12 doubles and 40 RBIs while scoring 28 runs.
Vanoss junior Macy Parks was named the district Catcher of the Year. She hit .330 with two triples, 13 doubles, 32 RBIs and 37 runs scored.
Vanoss sophomore Paisley Collins earned First Baseman of the Year honors after hitting .355 with a team-high 42 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
Vanoss sophomore Kelbi Williams was selected as the Second Baseman of the Year after hitting .415 with a home run, eight triples, 11 doubles and 23 RBIs. She scored a team-high 55 runs as the Lady Wolves’ leadoff hitter.
Coalgate junior Natalie Delozier was named the Third Baseman of the Year. She hit .390, scored 22 runs and stole eight bases.
Vanoss senior Riley King and Coalgate senior Jolie House were named all-district outfielders.
King hit .358 with 19 RBIs and 22 runs scored while leading the Lady Wolves with 13 stolen bases.
House hit .368 with six RBIs and 25 runs scored.
Vanoss sophomore Kinley Delozier earned all-district Utility honors after hitting .347 with three triples, six doubles, 20 RBIs and 32 runs scored.
Coalgate senior Rebecca Dailey and junior Adrian Childers were also Utility selections.
Dailey hit .359 with a home run, 15 RBIs and 19 runs scored. Childers batted .354 with 19 RBIs and 13 runs scored while leading Coalgate with 10 stolen bases.
Vanoss finished the season at 31-13 and advanced to the state tournament for the first time in school history. The Lady Wolves were eliminated by eventual champion Dale 5-4 in a tense semifinal showdown.
Hartshorne claimed two of the district’s other top awards. Saraya Bills was named Player of the Year, while Pyper Vinson earned Defensive Player of the Year honors.
DISTRICT 2A-8
Two Latta players were recipients of top District 2A-8 postseason awards.
Senior Rylee Jones was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year alongside Harper Lanham of Dibble, while freshman Calaya Oliphant shared Newcomer of the Year honors with Dibble’s Danni Dover.
Jones hit .484 with three home runs, seven triples and six doubles. She scored a team-high 47 runs from the top of the Latta batting order and was a perfect 25-for-25 in stolen base attempts.
Oliphant hit .316 during her first varsity campaign with three doubles, 29 RBIs and 19 runs scored. She also stole 12 bases.
Latta junior Alaina McDonald was named an all-district pitcher after recording 10 wins and striking out 101 batters in 116 innings.
Latta was represented by sophomores Kailyn Miller and Bostyn Thompson.
Miller hit .367 with four triples, six doubles, 29 RBIs and 29 runs scored. Thompson hit .338 with a home run and 17 RBIs.
Stratford senior second baseman Callie Sandlin was the other all-district infielder. She hit a team-high .408 with two triples, 10 doubles, 14 RBIs and 24 runs scored. She also stole eight bases.
Latta sophomore speedster Jenna Freeze and junior Addison Cowans joined Stratford junior Addison Owens in claiming three of the district’s four outfield spots.
Freeze hit .443 with two triples, 19 RBIs and 30 runs scored. She also led the Lady Panthers with 28 stolen bases.
Cowans hit .272 with three triples and 21 runs scored while successfully stealing 16 bases in 17 attempts.
Owens hit .359 with a triple, 12 RBIs and 26 runs scored for the Lady Bulldogs.
Latta sophomores Carlee Reed and Kaidence Phelps were named all-district Utility players along with Stratford junior Gemma Carotenuti.
Dibble collected four more of the district’s top awards. Emma McGinley was named Player of the Year, Reese Mitchell earned Pitcher of the Year, Lylli Gentry took home Defensive Player of the Year and Tommy Hafford was named Coach of the Year.