By Rick Teverbaugh
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. —
The explosion has finally subsided at Highland High School, but the reverberations will still be felt for a long time.
Scots center fielder Katie Lee has been named The Herald Bulletin softball Player of the Year for the 2010 season.
“The hardest thing about dealing with her is not knowing what she is going to do,” said Highland coach Doug Holder. “She is dynamite in a small package. She might bunt or slap or she might hit it to the fence. She is very difficult to defend.”
Lee hit .545 on the season with 11 doubles, six triples and 35 RBIs. Her .750 slugging percentage led the team for the second straight season. She walked 14 times against just two strikeouts and stole nine bases without getting caught even once. She helped the Scots win their first Madison County title.
“I think I performed pretty well,” said Lee. “I think I stepped up. We had three seniors and we had a lot of attachment to the program. Playing this last year of the school meant a lot to us.”
Both her and teammate catcher Jarah Ice were named Second Team All-State. Ice was also named to the All-HB First Team. Lee will play softball for the Anderson University Ravens next season. “I think it’s great that we will get a chance to see her play for four more years,” said Holder.
Lee wasn’t just a hitter. As a mainstay defensively in the outfield, she made many plays that robbed opponents of hits and runs. “She can cover the outfield from left field to right,” said Holder.
She also pitched in five games for a total of 22.3 innings. Her earned run average was 0.94. She struck out 20 and walked seven.
“We had a stretch of two weeks where we played 10 games and one where we played eight games in nine days,” said Holder. “She helped us out by doing some of our pitching.”
“I didn’t have to pitch too much this season so I was able to stay pretty healthy,” said Lee.
Lee and Ice will cap their prep seasons by playing in the Indiana All-Star Games this Saturday at Ben Davis.
