With the softball season officially over for all of Dillon County’s teams, the final stats are in.
Dillon’s Lady Wildcats were the first local softball team to finish the season, falling in the District VIII finals to Silver Bluff. But before that, Dillon had an outstanding season, finishing with a 20-8 overall record.
The spotlight was on the younger players this season as six of Dillon’s players were freshmen or younger. Eighth-grader Shaquailla German turned a lot of heads this season both at bat and on the mound for Dillon. German pitched 75 innings this season and faced 321 batters, striking out 117 with an earned run average of 1.03. She went 11-3 on the mound, pitching three shut outs and allowing only 40 hits and 27 runs all season. She walked 40.
At bat, German has been equally impressive, getting 34 hits out of 77 at bats for a .442 average. She hit a team best five home runs and scored 26 runs this season with a team-high 34 RBI.
Sophomore Darby Hamer pitched 46 innings for Dillon this season, facing 214 batters and striking out 49. She allowed 33 hits but only 14 walks in nine games pitched for an ERA of 1.52. At bat, Hamer had 30 hits and scored 22 runs with 16 RBI. Hamer had one home run and eight doubles with one stolen base this season.
Freshman Taylor Price was Dillon’s third pitcher, appearing in six games and 25 innings, facing 118 batters for 22 hits with an ERA of 1.40. She struck out 36 and walked only seven. At bat, Price had 27 hits, 18 runs scored, and 20 RBI.
Freshman Tara Grimsley led the Lady Cats with a team high of 40 hits. Her batting average was .494. She scored 33 runs, hit two triples, 12 doubles, and one home run with 27 RBI and seven stolen bases.
Freshman Shayna Covington lead the Lady Wildcats in both runs scored and bases stolen. She got 35 hits – including one triple – for a .427 average with 39 runs scored and 13 RBI with 23 bases stolen.
Freshman Rebecca Callahan was also impressive this season, with 23 runs scored and 33 hits, including two triples, six doubles, and a home run. She finished the season with 28 RBI and three stolen bases.
In the senior class, Latoya Manning had 16 stolen bases and one run this season; Brittany Gilchrist had two hits three runs, one RBI, and 14 stolen bases; Lindsay Powers had 11 hits, 10 runs, six RBI, and two stolen bases; and Chelsey Wallace had 19 hits, 11 runs, and 14 RBI with one stolen base.
Juniors Katie Church had 16 hits and 10 runs with seven RBI and one stolen base; Dallas Rowell had 13 hits and 18 runs with two home runs and 17 RBI; Lillie Celmer had one hit, three runs, and two RBI; and Brandie Buckner had one run.
The squad also included one seventh-grader, Da’Kerhia Samuel, who went 4-for-7 for the season with two doubles and two runs scored and four RBI.
Latta’s Lady Vikings went all the way to the Lower State Championship this year, where they were eliminated by county rival Lake View. Latta wrapped the season with a 21-9-1 record.
Latta had some strong pitching from Morgan Mason and Anna Rogers this season. Mason finished the season with 76 innings pitched, walking only 13 with only 13 earned runs, striking out 58. Her ERA was 1.197 with a 10-2 record on the mound. At bat, she got seven hits, four RBI, and four runs.
Rogers pitched 68 and two-thirds innings and struck out 64 batters this season. She finished with a 9-4 record with 27 earned runs, 29 walks, and an ERA of 2.753. Rogers also got five hits for the Vikings, with four RBI and two runs scored.
At bat, Raven Baxley got the most hits for the Lady Vikings at 37. Baxley hit seven doubles, three triples, and one home run this season with a batting average of .398. She had 23 RBI and scored a team-high 34 runs.
Charise Braddy was another top hitter with 36 hits and three home runs – the most homers of any Lady Viking this season. She also had three doubles and two triples with 15 RBI and 32 runs scored.
Dallas Sweat had 34 hits this season including one home run, a triple, and eight doubles. Her batting average was .400 with 28 RBI and 31 runs scored.
Allison Moody got 31 hits this season with a batting average of .326. She hit one home run and got a team high nine doubles. Moody had 11 RBI and scored 27 runs.
Chelsea Welty earned 33 hits, including four triples and five doubles, for 22 RBI and 26 runs scored. Anna Benton Love got 22 hits for Latta, with two doubles and a home run this season. Love finished with 21 RBI and 11 runs scored. Paige Lovett finished with 20 hits, nine RBI and 17 runs scored.
The other Lady Vikings performed also performed well. Andrea Gilbert had 14 hits, a triple, six RBI, and seven runs scored; Mikenzi Caniglia got seven hits, two RBI, and six runs; Taylor Cox had five hits, five runs, and two RBI; Sarah Lane had two hits, two RBI, and three runs scored; Dori Webster had three hits, an RBI, and three runs scored; and Brittany Burrell scored three runs with two RBI.
Lake View’s Lady Wild Gators had a very successful season, falling just short of another state title. Lake View finished the season with a 29-5 overall record and their fourth Class A Lower State Championship.
The more experienced seniors certainly did a lot of the heavy lifting this season, senior pitcher Avonlea Cooke pitching 174 innings and picking up 27 wins on the mound. Cooke had an impressive ERA of 1.08 and struck out 241 players this season. She also scored 28 runs for the Lady Gators with 32 RBI.
Senior Chessie Miller was a powerhouse at bat for Lake View. Miller had a whopping 12 home runs this season with 46 hits and a batting average of .425. Miller had 30 RBI and scored 60 runs for Lake View this season, the second most runs in a season in state history. Her career total is 206 runs and 156 RBI.
Morgan Wethington was another lead hitter for Lake View, getting 41 hits with 27 RBI and scoring 36 runs for Lake View. Her average at the plate was .383.
Senior Sierra Sports was another leader at the plate, bringing in 27 RBI, while fellow senior Brittany Floyd earned 25 RBI with 25 runs scored.
Sophomore Kayla Sanderson also impressed this season, getting 41 hits and 32 RBI and a .398 average. She scored 24 runs for Lake View.
Sophomore Chelsea Spivey also performed well, scoring 23 runs and 28 RBI, while freshman Morgan Herlong brought in 22 RBI.
While the 2011 season may be over, clearly we have a lot to look forward to next season with so many talented players returning. Congratulations to all our local teams and best of luck to all our senior players!
