By Chris McCarthr/Editor
Alaina Hampton received some unexpected but good news following her initial season with the Coosa Christian softball team.
The junior catcher recently was one of 18 players across the state named to the North roster for the 2016 All-Star softball game in a doubleheader beginning at 6 p.m. on July 19 at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.
“They only pick so many players for the roster, so it feels really good,” said Hampton, who transferred in from Glencoe High School prior to the 2015-16 school year. “It def-initely was a surprise.”
Hampton said the biggest adjustment moving from 3A to 1A softball was the speed of the pitching.
“It’s a little slower, so it took time to get used to. But I knew a lot of the girls on the [Coosa Christian softball] team because I played against them.”
Although the Lady Conquerors went 20-14 and won the area regular season title, Coosa was not eligible for the 2016 postseason because the program did not compete in 2015. The Lady Conquerors were ranked as high as fifth in the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 1A state softball poll during the season.
“We knew that we were only going to have a certain amount of games this season, so we were mainly focused on setting a good foundation for next season,” said Hampton. “We have a lot of girls coming back so I think we’ll definitely do well next year.”
In 36 games this season, Hampton hit .421 while producing 49 runs, 41 RBI, 40 hits, 10 home runs, 10 doubles, three triples and 23 steals while striking out only eight times. She also had an on-base percentage of .513 and a slugging percentage of .905.
In her sophomore season with Glencoe in 2015, Hampton helped the Lady Yellow Jackets win the Class 3A, Area 11 Tournament title and finish third in the regional tournament. She batted .561 with 69 hits, 37 RBI and 52 runs.
“This is such an amazing accomplishment for Alaina,” said Coosa Christian head softball coach Amy Shaw. “She puts in so much work, both on the field and in the classroom. She very self-motivated and has a great head on her shoulders. She caught just about every game for us and was great defensively. Offensively, her numbers show her speed and power, and she’s done a tremendous job in clutch situations. Needless to say, she’s brought a lot to our program.”