Archer County News' Diamond Dozen part one
After a tremendous year on baseball and softball diamond for all three Archer County schools, I felt these athletes deserved a little extra recognition. With that said, I’m debuting the Archer County News Diamond Dozen. Every one of these athletes and their teammates deserve much more recognition and praise than I can give them. We had a great season with all three schools making the playoffs in both baseball and softball and I can’t wait to see what next year brings. Without further ado, here’s the Archer County News ‘Diamond Dozen’ softball team. The baseball ‘Diamond Dozen’ squad releases in the June 17 edition.
MVP – Addison Lindemann / Soph./ Holliday / Pitcher
Lindemann posted a 33-3 record to go along with a 1.24 ERA and 320 strikeouts over 202.2 innings in the circle. Offensively, she swung a big bat for the Lady Eagles, batting cleanup for the state semifinalist. She hit .508 with a pair of homers and 49 RBI and led Holliday to its first state tournament appearance.
Offensive Player of the Year – Maddie Lopez / Junior / Archer City / Catcher
Lopez picked up District 9-2A MVP honors after a scorching hot junior campaign. The Lady Cats’ backstop hit .532 while slugging at a blistering 1.021 clip. She blasted a county-high eight home runs to go along with 47 RBI and 42 runs scored.
Defensive Player of the Year – Taylor Gillit / Senior / Holliday / Catcher
Gillit was the heart and soul of the Lady Eagles. A four-year varsity starter, she saved her best for last, hitting .393 with 43 RBI and 41 runs scored out of the twohole. Her numbers behind the plate were even more impressive. Out of 236 innings played, Gillit caught 227 frames while throwing out nine would-be base stealers all year.
Emma Gray / Fresh./ Archer City /Third Base
Gray made a big splash for the Lady Cats as a freshman. She hit .479 with three homers, 35 RBI and 46 runs scored. Even more impressive, the freshman only struck out five times on the season and collected more doubles (19) than singles (18). She looks to be a force in the Archer City lineup for years to come.
Bree Kirk / Soph. / Windthorst / Second Base
Kirk was an on-base machine for the Trojanettes, logging a county-high 73 hits for a blistering .619 average while scoring 62 runs on the year. A speedster once she got aboard, Kirk stole 30 bags while only being caught twice.
Camryn Latham / Junior / Windthorst / Shortstop
Latham and Kirk served as a terrific 1-2 punch in the Trojanettes lineup. Latham hit at a .567 clip with 20 doubles, nine triples and a pair of homers along with 41 RBI and 52 runs scored. More of a power hitter than Kirk, Latham still managed to steal 25 bags. Defensively, she played a silky-smooth short, boasting a .944 fielding percentage.
Sydney Linn / Soph. / Holliday / Left Field
After missing the majority of last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Linn announced her presence with authority in 2021. The Lady Eagles left fielder hit .556 with exactly half of her 70 hits going for extra bases, including 15 doubles, 13 triples and seven dingers. A threat on the basepaths, Linn was third on the team with 25 steals. She drove in a county-high 60 RBI while scoring 61 runs and struck out just nine times compared to 22 walks.
Mallory Maxwell / Junior / Archer City / Centerfield
Maxwell just has softball in her genes. The speedy centerfielder helped the Lady Cats to a shared district championship. The junior hit at a .491 clip, collecting more extra base hits (27) than singles (26). She clubbed 19 doubles, five triples and three homers while driving in 39 and scoring a team-high 55 runs with 28 steals from the leadoff spot.
Payton Murray / Junior / Holliday / Right Field
Few across the state can match the passion and joy that Murray plays with. The Lady Eagles’ right fielder recorded five outfield assists while hitting .458 with nine doubles, eight triples, three homers and 38 RBI. Murray sent the Lady Eagles into the postseason as the No. 1 seed in District 7-3A with a frozen rope throw from right to cut down the potential tying run in Holliday’s seeding game against Jacksboro.
Evelyn Perkins / Junior / Holliday / Centerfield
Perkins was a dangerous at-bat for opposing pitchers and defenses. The speed threat at the top of the Lady Eagles’ lineup hit .554 with 57 runs and 19 RBI. Once she was on-base, she was virtually a lock to end up on third after two pitches, stealing 46 bags and only being caught twice, boasting a .958 stolen base percentage.
Kaitlynn Weatherread Senior / Holliday / First Base
Weatherread was as hot as any hitter in the country once postseason play rolled around. The senior hit .486 with seven extra base hits and was second on the team with 16 RBI in the playoffs. On the year as a whole, she slugged at a .402 clip with seven triples to go along with 36 RBI and 28 runs scored
Bree Zellers / Senior / Holliday / Shortstop
Much like how everything she touches turns to gold, Zellers excelled on the softball diamond in her final campaign. The Lady Eagles’ shortstop hit .368 with 29 RBI and 44 runs scored while stealing 20 bags. She leaves as one of the all-time greats to ever don the red and white in Holliday.
