All-Area softball team named

By Staff
Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
If a lot of the names on this year's All-Area softball team look familiar, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Several of the choices for this year were also members of last year's team as juniors and sophomores. The two most successful high schools this season – Hartselle and Danville – were both senior-laden programs and as a result the Lady Hawks and Lady Tigers make a considerable showing on this year's team.
Here is the 2007 Hartselle Enquirer All-Area softball team.
Coach of the Year – Holly Little, Danville
Runner-up – Shane Alexander, Hartselle
Little's Lady Hawks have quietly become a small-school dynasty, after reaching the state tournament for the third time in the past four years. Danville opened its trip to Montgomery with a win before falling in its next two games, finishing in a tie for fifth place in Class 3A.
The Lady Hawks also appear to have a bright future, losing just four seniors from this year's team. Little and the Danville coaching staff brought 23 players to Montgomery, hoping to give five eighth-graders and six ninth-graders a taste of state tournament action to whet their appetites for future seasons.
Hartselle's Alexander helped lead the Lady Tigers to a school-record 53 wins, though his team fell short of its ultimate goal of making a return trip to Montgomery for the state tournament.
Player of the Year – Kayla Orr, Hartselle
Runner-up – Bethany Evans, Danville
Hartselle senior Orr, who will continue her softball career at Division-I UAB, was an offensive sparkplug all season long for the Lady Tigers. In addition to hitting a school-record 17 home runs, Orr tied for the team lead with 80 hits, including 16 doubles and four triples. She led the Lady Tigers with 64 RBIs (the next closest teammate had 36 RBIs) and scored 51 runs. Her .440 batting average led the team and Orr also was a force defensively at shortstop.
As one of four seniors on Danville's team this season, Evans was a leader for the Lady Hawks. As the team's catcher, she led Danville with 50 hits and had a team-high .673 on-base percentage.
Pitcher of the Year – Breanna Segars, Hartselle
Runner-up – Kristen Thompson, Danville
Hartselle's Segars ended her senior season by stamping her name all over the school's record books. Despite dealing with an injury in the middle of the season that kept her off the mound for several weeks, she won a school-record 25 wins and also finished as Hartselle's career wins leader and strikeout leader.
This season, she finished with a record of 25-3 (including 16 shutouts), a 0.83 ERA and 153 strikeouts.
Thompson, just a sophomore, was a force on the pitching mound all season long for the Lady Hawks. The highlight of her season might have been a 14-strikeout, one-hit win over Brewer on April 18. Fellow starting pitcher junior Brittany Atkins and Thompson both have the opportunity to return next season and provide the Lady Hawks with a strong pitching nucleus.
First team
Joining Segars and Thompson are Hartselle's Mary Curtis and Priceville's Meaghan Bond.
Curtis, a fellow senior, also dealt with injuries through most of 2007 but battled through the pain to put up some solid numbers as Hartselle's No. 2 starter. She finished the year with a record of 18-6 and a 2.56 ERA, in addition to 105 strikeouts. Priceville freshman Bond pitched beyond her years, giving the Lady Bulldogs a workhorse at the top of their rotation.
With Evans penciled in as the utility player, Brewer's McKinsey Stump takes the catcher position this season. The junior Stump, who also played some at first base for the Lady Patriots, had a .321 batting average and scored 10 runs for Brewer. She also collected 20 RBIs, three home runs and six doubles.
Joining Orr on the infield are Brewer's Meghan Hormel, Danville's Mallory George and Hartselle's Whitley Collins.
Hormel led the Lady Patriots with a .326 batting average and scored 20 runs for Brewer. She finished her junior season with 16 RBIs, eight doubles and one home run.
The junior George proved a flexible defensive player for Danville, splitting time at first and second base. She also provided the Lady Hawks with a strong bat, hitting 46 hits including a team-high 17 doubles. She had a .341 batting average and led the team with 44 RBIs.
Collins, one of seven seniors on the Lady Tigers, led Hartselle with 17 doubles and hit .350 for the season. She scored 39 runs and collected 32 RBIs, reaching base at a .500 clip. In addition to a strong offensive game, Collins was also a defensive standout at second base, finishing the season with a .993 fielding percentage.
The outfield features Hartselle's Catie Keel and Kristy Pevahouse and Danville's Nicole Linderman.
Keel and Pevahouse were also named to the outfield on the 2006 All-Area team. Keel, a senior, had 53 hits and 25 RBIs for the Lady Tigers, hitting .335 for the season. She scored 35 runs and stole 12 bases.
Pevahouse, a junior, proved to be a pest to opponents as the Lady Tigers' leadoff batter. She scored a team-high 62 runs and tied for the team lead with 20 stolen bases, without being caught once. Pevahouse batted .377, with 11 doubles, eight triples and five home runs. She was recently named as a selection to the North All-Star team in July's Alabama All-Star Sports Week in Huntsville.
Just a sophomore, Linderman was a defensive leader as Danville's centerfielder.