Eight Lady Cats named to all-district softball team

The records continue to fall for the Celina softball team.

Following a season that saw the Lady Cats set or tie nearly every significant mark in program history, another was added to the list when the 2008 All-District 9-3A teams were unveiled following Wakeland’s loss to Texarkana Liberty-Eylau in the regional semifinals Friday.

Eight Lady Cats garnered recognition, up one from last season, which at the time was a school record.

Junior Joey Cronin was named the Most Valuable Player, and rightly so. Cronin hit for a gaudy .519 average on the year, scored 42 runs, tallied 55 hits, cranked 41 RBIs, ripped four triples and belted seven home runs. She safely reached base 58 percent of the time and recorded a .877 slugging percentage, a common measure of a power hitter’s dominance taken by dividing total bases by at-bats. If that weren’t enough, Cronin assisted on 66 outs in the field, another program record.

Junior Brittanie Knowles and sophomore Jasmine San Miguel join Cronin on the superlative slate. San Miguel, who was third on the squad with a .415 average and second with 38 RBIs, won Catcher of the Year. She registered 13 doubles, three home runs and a total of 74 bases.

Knowles snagged Co-Offensive Player of the Year with Wakeland sophomore Kelci Garza after leading Celina in runs (44), hits (56) and at-bats (128). She was second with a .436 average and five stolen bases.

All three players return for at least one more season.

“It is very exciting to know we’ve got good young kids returning and coming in,” head coach Billy Coleman said. “They all played at a very high level.”

Five other players garnered recognition, leaving just one starter off the list. Freshman pitcher Kassidy Holmes and sophomore Hannah Myers made the first team, freshman Kylee Hurt and junior Shelby Black were named to the second unit, and sophomore Lauren Guest grabbed honorable mention.

Holmes, who replaced Georgia standout Sarah McCloud in the circle, helped the Lady Cats go 24-12-1 overall and 11-3 in district play to win a share of the 9-3A title and get to the regional tournament for the third consecutive season. Holmes won 21 games, seven back of McCloud’s 2007 record, and amassed a 2.22 ERA in the process with 77 strikeouts in 145 innings.

Black saw the mound in limited duty when Holmes went out with an injury and never lost a game. She went 3-0 with a 0.35 ERA in 20 innings, yielding just one earned run while striking out 11 hitters. At the plate, she logged 17 RBIs in 23 hits, 20 runs and a .277 average.

Myers was just below that with a .266 average, nine runs batted in and 17 hits.

Hurt came on strong in district play, netting a .298 average, 12 runs and 15 RBIs in her first season with the team.

Coleman said the great thing about all eight players that made the list is that they are hungry for more.

“They want to go further,” he said. “They are not satisfied by any means. [Getting recognized] speaks to their hard work and what they can accomplish. They want more of it.”

Lovejoy, which failed to make the playoffs, had the most overall selections with 11, though five were honorable mention nods. Celina received the most superlative awards, followed by Wakeland and Lovejoy. The Lady Wolverines advanced deeper in the playoffs than any 9-3A squad, but were tied for fifth with five players on the all-district teams. Sophomore Alexis Cantu won Pitcher of the Year, while Chris Southard took top honors for the coaches.

2008 All-District 9-3A softball

Most Valuable Player - Joey Cronin, Celina

Pitcher of the Year - Alexis Cantu, Wakeland

Catcher of the Year - Jasmine San Miguel, Celina

Defensive Player of the Year - Jordan Strickland, Princeton

Offensive Players of the Year - Brittanie Knowles, Celina; Kelci Garza, Wakeland

Newcomer of the Year - Beth Johnson, Lovejoy

Freshman of the Year - Melissa Schreck, Lovejoy

Utility Player of the Year - Jourdan Esquenazi, Prosper

Coach of the Year - Chris Southard, Wakeland

First team

Brooke Cline, Wakeland

Jules Graney, Wakeland

Britnie Weddle, Princeton

Janine Godwin, Princeton

Kassidy Holmes, Celina

Hannah Myers, Celina

Jordan Stafford, Lovejoy

Cara Brazeal, Lovejoy

Megan Hardy, Prosper

Claire Toney, Prosper

Lissa Pappas, Prosper

Rikki Reedy, Bonham

Jessica Blain, Bonham

Second team

Elizabeth Moore, Liberty

Erin McLeod, Liberty

Kaelan Warren, Liberty

Jaime Ohm, Wakeland

Shelby Ballenger, Princeton

Kylee Hurt, Celina

Shelby Black, Celina

Jessica Green, Lovejoy

Catherine Gilbeau, Lovejoy

Kristen Fox, Bonham

Laura Frye, Prosper

Megan Villa, Prosper

Brooke McKee, Van Alstyne

Kayla Duren, Van Alstyne

Honorable mention

Emily Moore, Prosper

Stephanie Kelley, Lovejoy

Kelsey Johnson, Lovejoy

Rebecca Bratcher, Lovejoy

Shannon Solomon, Lovejoy

Chelsea Vereen, Lovejoy

Lauren Guest, Celina

Melinda Mason, Bonham

Ashley Verner, Bonham

Ashley Sanders, Bonham

Lauren Estep, Van Alstyne

Chandler Henson, Van Alstyne

Bailey Offill, Van Alstyne

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