Photo courtesy of Average Joe’s Sports Talk
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Eight area high school softball pla-yers were recently selected to the Ala-bama Sports Writers Association All-State teams.
The lone first-teamer was Glencoe junior first baseman Abi Bunt, who made the Class 3A first team at the utility position. In 42 games, she finished with a .490 batting average, a .534 on-base percentage and a 1.077 slugging percentage with 51 hits (including 13 home runs, 16 doubles and three triples), 58 runs scored and 44 RBI while striking out only twice. Bunt helped the Lady Yellow Jackets to 24 wins and finish one game shy of a berth in the Class 3A state tournament.
Making the second team were Sardis senior first baseman Jayda Lacks in Class 5A, Glencoe junior second baseman Aubrey Maxwell and Glencoe senior first baseman Hailey Hanners (in the designated hitter category) in Class 3A and West End seventh grade pitcher Peyton Hall in Class 2A.
In 41 games, Lacks had .353 batting average, .409 on-base percentage, .655 slugging percentage and 41 hits with 10 doubles and seven home runs. In 44 games, Maxwell produced a .449 batting average, .471 on-base percen-tage, .606 slugging percentage, 51 hits with nine doubles and three home runs, 39 RBI and 26 runs scored. In 44 games, Hanners ended up with a .408 batting average, .476 on-base percentage, .792 slugging percentage, 51 hits with 16 doubles and 10 home runs, 61 RBI, 35 runs scored and nine steals. In 67 innings, Hall (pictured above) went 8-1-1 with 59 strikeouts, four shutouts, one no-hitter, a 1.99 ERA and an 0.88 WHIP.
Earning honorable recognition were Southside senior catcher Maddie Griffith in Class 5A, Hokes Bluff junior shortstop Abby Payne (in the designated hitter category) in Class 3A and West End junior third baseman Josie Bunch (in the utility category) in Class 2A.
In 46 games, Griffith had a .428 batting average, .467 on-base percentage, 59 hits, 28 RBI, 26 runs scored and 22 steals. In 48 games, Payne finished with a .482 batting average, .644 on-base percentage, .884 slugging percentage, 54 hits with 15 doubles, six triples and six home runs, 58 RBI and 54 runs scored. In 34 games, Bunch posted a .396 batting average and .487 on-base percentage along with 38 hits with eight doubles and seven home runs, 33 RBI and 28 runs scored.