ANDERSON — In a year with so many good players and teams in this area, making the selections for The All-Herald Bulletin Softball Team was most difficult.
That’s the hard part. The easy part is knowing that the players picked were certainly deserving of the honor.
Pendleton Heights’ second baseman Ashley Warrum is the Player of the Year, and Highland’s Lauren Williamson is the Pitcher of the Year.
The selections were done by The Herald Bulletin with feedback provided by the area coaches. The schools to have players considered for the team were: Highland, Anderson, Pendleton Heights, Lapel, Frankton, Alexandria, Liberty Christian, Elwood, Daleville, Madison-Grant and Shenandoah.
Three area teams — Lapel, Shenandoah and Madison-Grant — were sectional champions. The Argylls won the 2A state championship.
Williamson capped a consistently productive four-year career for the Scots with a season that saw her post a 10-4 record including a win over the state champion Argylls. She had a 1.23 ERA with 107 strikeouts and only 18 walks in 86 innings pitched.
As a hitter she held her own as well, posting a .448 batting average with two home runs, 29 runs batted in and just five strikeouts in over 70 plate appearances.
“This year was a lot of fun to pitch because the defense had my back all season,” said Williamson. “I didn’t have to worry about striking everybody out. This year I think we had something like 11 errors all season. The defense was impeccable.”
“I was surprised but not surprised,” said Highland coach Doug Holder of the selection. “Lauren has been a pitcher’s pitcher. She has used her intelligence to know what to throw.”
Despite playing a lot of softball for a big part of her life, it hasn’t gotten old. “People told me after high school I’d be burned out,” she said. “But that’s not the case. I don’t know what that would feel like.”
Warrum was very upbeat upon hearing of her selection as player of the year.
“I’m really happy,” she said. “It’s such an honor because there are so many good players in this area. This is awesome to be on this team. My sister (Maja) was on this team, so it’s nice to be able to follow in her footsteps.”
Warrum posted a .528 batting average with one home run and 15 runs batted in. She scored 40 times batting at the top of the Arabians lineup. She stole 10 bases and struck out just twice in over 100 official at-bats.
There were eight hitters and two pitchers named to each of three teams as well as four more players named Honorable Mention to make a total of 34 honored players.
Pendleton Heights had five and Highland had six players named to the three teams, Lapel had four, while Madison-Grant and Frankton had three players apiece.
The Madison County coaches also had their own separate voting for an All Madison County Team.
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
Richard Sitler
-
Richard Sitler
Discussion
Star Power: Warrum, Williamson take top All-THB Softball honors
- Local Sports
-
-
Bearcats upend AHS
Often basketball is a simple game, and it was certainly true for the Anderson boys basketball team here Thursday night. “We had too many turnovers — that’s the game,” said AHS coach Joe Nadaline after the Indians lost to Muncie Central 54-46 for their eighth straight defeat.
-
Bulldogs topple Raiders, win 9th in a row
The Bulldogs keep on rolling. Lapel (16-3) led from start to finish as it beat visiting Shenandoah 69-47 Thursday night to push its winning streak to nine games.
-
PHHS shoots down Fishers
It can be easy to take Kellen Dunham for granted. But the Pendleton Heights senior reminded everyone why he is a Mr. Basketball candidate with a furious fourth quarter Thursday night against Fishers. Dunham scored 15 of his game-high 32 points in the final eight minutes, connected on all 10 of his free-throw attempts during the period and drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key early in the frame that sent the fifth-ranked Arabians on their way to a 53-42 victory.
-
Frankton subdues Liberty
Youth was on display Thursday night in Frankton as the host Eagles squared off against the Liberty Christian Lions boys basketball team. Neither team had a senior start the game, and Frankton proved to be the more seasoned team in a 68-59 win.
-
Indians fall to Bearcats 54-46
Photos from Anderson as the Indians hosted the Muncie Central Bearcats.
-
Five for fighting
Like other coaches, Alexandria wrestling coach Jack Grimaldi sometimes has to worry about how to motivate his charges as they head into their matches. That shouldn’t be an issue for him with his five Tigers heading into Saturday’s individual semistate at New Castle.
-
Red-hot Lapel limiting miscues
Like any basketball coach, Jimmie Howell knows how important it is for a team to be playing its best basketball as the state tournament draws near.
But what’s going on in Lapel might be redefining that theory.
With a 60-42 win on the road over Class 3A No. 6 Guerin Catholic on Saturday, the Bulldogs pushed their winning streak to eight games. Over the 32-minute course of the game against the Golden Eagles, Lapel committed a microscopic four turnovers. -
PH moves on
On the roster of every successful team is a player or two who will do the unpleasant work. The ones who actually find satisfaction in this pursuit are worth their weight in wins to any coach. Pendleton Heights sophomore Kiawna Cottrell was just that player Tuesday as the Arabians advanced to the second round of sectional play with a 55-45 victory over Greenfield-Central.
-
Indians slay Spartans
The last time these two girls basketball teams met on Jan. 17, Anderson defeated Connersville 83-74 in overtime. Lady Tribe coach Chad Cook knew the Spartans would come out with a chip on their shoulder ready for revenge in Tuesday’s opening round of the Class 4A sectional.
-
Eagles eke by Raiders
Back in November, the Frankton girls basketball team handled Shenandoah by 29 points. Tuesday’s sectional opener at Shenandoah wasn’t as easy, but the end result was the same as Frankton moved on with a 44-43 win over the host Shenandoah Raiders.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
