Jun. 11—This was a big year for local softball teams.
Eleven teams in The Decatur Daily’s coverage area advanced to the regional tournament, with seven of those making it all the way to state. It ended in one state championship. Lawrence County brought home the school’s first-ever blue map in softball.
All that success led to some high honors for local players, with 20 named to the Alabama Sportswriters Association All-State softball team.
Among those were Austin’s Arden Breedlove, who was named Class 7A hitter of the year and Lawrence County’s McKinley McCaghren, who was named Class 5A player of the year.
Lawrence County’s Josh Graham was named Class 5A coach of the year.
The full list of local players that were selected:
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Class 7A
Austin
Arden Breedlove was named a first-team designated hitter after batting .589 with 98 RBIs, 89 runs scored and 27 home runs. She also had 32 stolen bases and walked 71 times.
Charlie Barnes was a second-team outfielder with a .403 average, 66 RBIs, 49 runs scored and 28 stolen bases.
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Class 6A
Athens
Linsley Gillman was named a first-team outfielder after hitting .503 with 74 stolen bases, 73 runs scored and 49 RBIs.
Abby Lopez was a second-team infielder after batting .455 with 63 RBIs, 43 runs scored and seven home runs; while Caitlyn Tedford was a second-team outfielder with a .401 average, 67 runs scored, 66 stolen bases and 50 RBIs.
Lexie Thornton was an honorable-mention designated hitter.
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Hartselle
RC Wolf and Katie Norgard were first-team choices at outfield and designated hitter respectively. Wolf finished the year hitting .478 with 64 runs scored, 61 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and 13 home runs. Norgard batted .447 with 72 RBIs, 67 runs scored and 22 home runs.
Abigail Kubica was a second-team piccher, while Hatsumi Peterson was a second-team catcher. Kubica had a 16-2 record with three saves as well as a 2.20 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 104 strikeouts. Peterson hit .415 with 54 RBIs and 11 home runs
Amelia Fox was an honorable-mention infielder.
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Class 5A
Ardmore
Payton Pennington was named a first-team outfielder after hitting .433 with 62 runs scored, 45 stolen bases and 33 RBIs.
Fallon Broadway was a second-team infielder with a .422 average, 51 RBIs and 36 runs scored.
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East Limestone
Kailey Matthews was a second-team outfielder after hitting .423 with 39 runs scored and 37 RBIs.
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Lawrence County
McKinley McCaghren (P), Ava Templeton (OF) and Bella Cross (UTIL) were all first-team selections. McCaghren posted a 27-2 record with four saves, a 1.84 ERA and 185 strikeouts, Templeton hit .444 with 68 runs scored, 30 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. Cross batted .393 with 66 RBIs and 10 home runs, while also having a 12-5 pitching record with five saves, a 2.25 ERA and 109 strikeouts.
Alivia Templeton was a second-team outfielder after hitting .398 with 62 runs scored, 43 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.
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Priceville
Elizabeth Murphy was named an honorable-mention pitcher.
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Class 4A
West Limestone
Katie Lyn Kyle and Aubrey Bethune were first-team choices at pitcher and designated hitter respectively. Kyle had a 22-3 record with a 1.10 ERA and 246 strikeouts, while Bethune batted .455 with 48 RBIs.
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West Morgan
Chasity Rikard was named a first-team pitcher after posting an 8-3 record with a 2.20 ERA and 263 strikeouts.
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Class 2A
Falkville
Karsyn Echols was named an honorable-mention pitcher, while Lily Slayton was an honorable-mention infielder.
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Lindsay Lane
Charleigh Reding was an honorable-mention selection at pitcher.
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Class 1A
Athens Bible
Hadley Robinson was named a second-team infielder after batting .444 with 44 RBIs and 40 runs scored.
Destiny Burns was selected as an honorable-mention pitcher.
— caleb.suggs@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
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