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All-Region: Seven Lumpkin County varsity softball players named First Team or Honorable Mention
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| All-Region Lady Indians: Front row from left: infielder Laura Webber, catcher Morgan Chapman, outfielder Ashley Thompson. Back row: pitcher Jade Grindle, outfielder Kelsie Smith, pitcher Kate Waters, outfielder Emily Gaddis. (Staff photo/JOHN BYNUM) |
By John Bynum
Seven members of the Lumpkin County varsity softball team were named to the All-Region Team for 7-AAA this week.
Four players were named First Team All-Region, including Laura Webber, Ashley Thompson, Morgan Chapman, and Emily Gaddis. In addition, Chapman and Gaddis were given Honorable Mention for the All-State AAA team.
Three other Lady Indians were given Honorable Mention for the All-Region Team for 7-AAA, including Jade Grindle, Kate Waters, and Kelsie Smith.
Lumpkin County, which had seven players named to the team, tied with Creekview as the school with the highest number of players named All-Region this year.
Head coach Lori Hall said the coaching staff is proud of all seven girls who were named this week. “It is great that their individual accomplishments have been recognized. They are all very deserving of the awards.”
Senior infielder Laura Webber is a major asset to the team, thanks to her reliability in the infield. She hit .190 this season with a .263 slugging percentage and a .224 on-base percentage. Webber was proud that she achieved her goal of improving her hitting throughout the season. Her real weapon, though, is her ability to fire the ball to first for put-outs from her third-base position.
Senior outfielder Ashley Thompson is a serious threat at the plate as well as in the field. She hit .340 this season with a .396 slugging and .369 on-base percentage. Thompson remembered back to her senior night performance when she got a hit in every at-bat in the final home game of the year.
Senior catcher Morgan Chapman has been lighting up opposing pitchers for years as a Lady Indian. She batted .345 this season with a slugging percentage of .412 and an on-base percentage of .371 to remain one of the team's most dangerous offensive weapons. Behind the plate, Chapman threw out 6 of 7 base runners trying to steal. She said that she often thought of a particularly special scripture during a tough stretch this season that reminded her that whatever she did, to work at it with all her heart.
Another Lady Indian that never fails to play with a lot of heart is senior outfielder Emily Gaddis. She is well-known for her left-handed slap-bunting technique that earns her a base hit almost half the time. Gaddis batted .439 this season with a .533 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .471 as the usual lead-off batter. In this all-important role on the team, she made it her goal to lead off as many games as possible by getting on base.
Senior pitcher Jade Grindle was rock-solid this season with an excellent 2.071 ERA and an 8-5 record. She made it a goal this season to not walk more than one batter in any inning. She has a knack for contributing offensively as well. She batted .190 with a .207 slugging percentage and an excellent .400 on-base percentage.
Senior pitcher Kate Waters brings a balanced attack to the Lady Indians lineup. She had a 2.061 ERA and an 8-4 record this season. A part-time first baseman, Waters contributed at the plate with a .278 batting average along with a .361 slugging percentage and .322 on-base percentage. She shared Grindle's goal of not allowing more than one walk in any inning, a goal that she said they both were able to meet.
Junior outfielder Kelsie Smith anchored the defense in centerfield, while batting .285 on the season. She had a .447 slugging perecnage and a .350 on-base percentage. She said her best memory from this season was when she hit a homerun in the State Sectionals against Oconee to give Lumpkin an early 2-0 lead.
All seven members of the team that were present agreed that they were pleased with having gone to the State Sectional Tournament for a third straight year.Also satisfying this season was beating North Hall in the North Fall Classic Tournament and beating their rival White County during the regular season.
Coach Hall always sets a goal at the beginning of the season of reaching the State Sectional Tournament. She reminds the players to play their game, specifically to play against themselves in every inning. Hall considers scoring first in a game to be an important part of success.
She said that the up-and-coming players have a lot of big shoes to fill, referring to a senior class of six players, all of whom have been standouts in their careers. “Our younger players must play to the best of their ability,” said the coach, who still makes it her business to take the team to the State Sectionals once again next year.
“We would really like to be in the top eight teams in the state,” says the coach. As a player who has been there, Hall said, “It's an amazing feeling, and I want our girls to experience that same feeling as well.”
Hall is always quick to point out the importance of keeping the team first. The coach recalls a favorite scripture that says that without each part, the entire body cannot function. This leads her to encourage each individual member of the team to expect to perform well, one play at a time.
One day at a time is more like it during the off-season. For now, the cold months will have the team waiting for the day when they get to renew the intensity and give fans a glimpse of the 2009 Lady Indians.
Four players were named First Team All-Region, including Laura Webber, Ashley Thompson, Morgan Chapman, and Emily Gaddis. In addition, Chapman and Gaddis were given Honorable Mention for the All-State AAA team.
Three other Lady Indians were given Honorable Mention for the All-Region Team for 7-AAA, including Jade Grindle, Kate Waters, and Kelsie Smith.
Lumpkin County, which had seven players named to the team, tied with Creekview as the school with the highest number of players named All-Region this year.
Head coach Lori Hall said the coaching staff is proud of all seven girls who were named this week. “It is great that their individual accomplishments have been recognized. They are all very deserving of the awards.”
Senior infielder Laura Webber is a major asset to the team, thanks to her reliability in the infield. She hit .190 this season with a .263 slugging percentage and a .224 on-base percentage. Webber was proud that she achieved her goal of improving her hitting throughout the season. Her real weapon, though, is her ability to fire the ball to first for put-outs from her third-base position.
Senior outfielder Ashley Thompson is a serious threat at the plate as well as in the field. She hit .340 this season with a .396 slugging and .369 on-base percentage. Thompson remembered back to her senior night performance when she got a hit in every at-bat in the final home game of the year.
Senior catcher Morgan Chapman has been lighting up opposing pitchers for years as a Lady Indian. She batted .345 this season with a slugging percentage of .412 and an on-base percentage of .371 to remain one of the team's most dangerous offensive weapons. Behind the plate, Chapman threw out 6 of 7 base runners trying to steal. She said that she often thought of a particularly special scripture during a tough stretch this season that reminded her that whatever she did, to work at it with all her heart.
Another Lady Indian that never fails to play with a lot of heart is senior outfielder Emily Gaddis. She is well-known for her left-handed slap-bunting technique that earns her a base hit almost half the time. Gaddis batted .439 this season with a .533 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .471 as the usual lead-off batter. In this all-important role on the team, she made it her goal to lead off as many games as possible by getting on base.
Senior pitcher Jade Grindle was rock-solid this season with an excellent 2.071 ERA and an 8-5 record. She made it a goal this season to not walk more than one batter in any inning. She has a knack for contributing offensively as well. She batted .190 with a .207 slugging percentage and an excellent .400 on-base percentage.
Senior pitcher Kate Waters brings a balanced attack to the Lady Indians lineup. She had a 2.061 ERA and an 8-4 record this season. A part-time first baseman, Waters contributed at the plate with a .278 batting average along with a .361 slugging percentage and .322 on-base percentage. She shared Grindle's goal of not allowing more than one walk in any inning, a goal that she said they both were able to meet.
Junior outfielder Kelsie Smith anchored the defense in centerfield, while batting .285 on the season. She had a .447 slugging perecnage and a .350 on-base percentage. She said her best memory from this season was when she hit a homerun in the State Sectionals against Oconee to give Lumpkin an early 2-0 lead.
All seven members of the team that were present agreed that they were pleased with having gone to the State Sectional Tournament for a third straight year.Also satisfying this season was beating North Hall in the North Fall Classic Tournament and beating their rival White County during the regular season.
Coach Hall always sets a goal at the beginning of the season of reaching the State Sectional Tournament. She reminds the players to play their game, specifically to play against themselves in every inning. Hall considers scoring first in a game to be an important part of success.
She said that the up-and-coming players have a lot of big shoes to fill, referring to a senior class of six players, all of whom have been standouts in their careers. “Our younger players must play to the best of their ability,” said the coach, who still makes it her business to take the team to the State Sectionals once again next year.
“We would really like to be in the top eight teams in the state,” says the coach. As a player who has been there, Hall said, “It's an amazing feeling, and I want our girls to experience that same feeling as well.”
Hall is always quick to point out the importance of keeping the team first. The coach recalls a favorite scripture that says that without each part, the entire body cannot function. This leads her to encourage each individual member of the team to expect to perform well, one play at a time.
One day at a time is more like it during the off-season. For now, the cold months will have the team waiting for the day when they get to renew the intensity and give fans a glimpse of the 2009 Lady Indians.
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| All-region accolades: Ashley Brown named First-team All-region |
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For example, if Mr. Fill-in-the-Blank says something you don't agree with, don't tell the world that Mr. Fill-in-the-Blank is a no good dirty scoundrel who cuts off people in traffic and has owed you $20 since 1997. The Nugget asks you to please just stick to the issues at hand. That way we'll keep the debate lively, without getting personal. And remember, above all else, keep it civil and directed at the topic that's being discussed. We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
