County softball leads 3-AAAA
Even after the prep softball season ends, Greenbrier and Lakeside high school players continue to dominate Region 3-AAAA.
The Lady Wolfpack and Lady Panthers combined to land nine players on the 16-member all-Region 3-AAAA team, which was announced last week.
Greenbrier swept the top honors, as Garrett Black was named Coach of the Year, Kristan Glover was Pitcher of the Year and Erica Johnson was Player of the Year.
Glover burst on the scene as a freshmen this fall and became the first recipient of the region's pitching award.
"It helped me a lot to have great defensive players behind me," she said. "That always makes it easier to pitch."
The Player of the Year selection capped a comeback for Johnson. She shredded her knee before her sophomore season and did not return to action until her junior year.
As a senior, Johnson was a leader for the Lady Pack on offense and defense.
"She worked real hard to get back where she is today," Black said of his senior shortstop.
"She has what I like to call win-stinct; she knows how to win, she expects to win and she's contagious. Whenever you get somebody like that on your team it just makes everybody else that much better."
The postseason selections were based on votes from Region 3-AAAA coaches.
Lakeside's Ashlee Pate and Colleen Markyna made the all-region team for the second straight season, while Jamie Lake and Amanda McGraw joined their teammates as first-team selections.
Greenbrier's all-region players were Johnson, Glover, Christina Large, Eve Motlow and Nikki Smith. Motlow, Large and Smith were all-region last year.
"It's an honor to be chosen for this team; it just shows how dedicated we are to softball and how we excelled this season," Smith said.
Players making the second team were Greenbrier's Fallon Downs, Ashley LaFontaine, Kiley Moranski, Amy Rigdon and Heather Beale and Lakeside's Kristen Lee.
Greenbrier's Jessica Carter and Katie Sutherland were honorable mentions, as was Lakeside's Laura Freeman.
The postseason accolades were no surprise, considering Greenbrier and Lakeside fielded the premiere fastpitch squads in Region 3-AAAA. In 2001, the Lady Wolfpack won its sixth straight region title, while the Lady Panthers were runners-up.
Black kept his perfect record intact by winning his sixth Coach of the Year selection in six seasons with the Lady Wolfpack.
By the numbers
Greenbrier all-Region 3-AAAA team members:
Kristan Glover (freshman pitcher): 20-6 record, 152 innings pitched, 172 strikeouts, 3 no-hitters, 1 perfect game; .312 batting average.
Eve Motlow (senior first baseman): .318 batting average, team-leading 25 RBI, team-leading 10 doubles; three-year starter.
Christina Large (senior second baseman): .372 batting average, 17 RBI, .973 fielding percentage; three-year starter.
Erica Johnson (senior shortstop): .308 batting average, team-leading 12 stolen bases, team-leading 35 runs scored; three-year starter.
Nikki Smith (junior third baseman): .357 batting average, 22 runs scored, 22 RBI; three-year starter.
Lakeside all-Region 3-AAAA team members:
Ashlee Pate (junior pitcher): 173 innings pitched, 152 strikeouts; .357 batting average with five doubles.
Colleen Markyna (junior catcher): .349 batting average, 10 doubles; defensive standout and a strong arm.
Amanda McGraw (senior pitcher/outfielder): .338 batting average, 21 stolen bases, 21 runs scored.
Jamie Lake (sophomore second baseman): .307 batting average, 23 runs scored, 4 triples.