LUMBERTON — The following are the 2016 selections for the All-County softball team. They were selected from among the six county high school teams.
Those listed with a “+” were 2014 All-County selections and those with a “*” were 2015 All-County selections.
Coach of the Year
Mackie Register, Lumberton: Register came into the season with a solid core of seniors, but also a mix of new faces. The result: 16 wins for the Pirates (best in the county), including an appearance in the second round of the state playoffs and a fourth-place finish in the SEC.
Register’s take: “Anytime you get an award like that I don’t look at it as an individual award. It’s a reflection on my seniors who got us to this point and my assistant coaches have done an awesome job. I felt like we had the talent and we started getting rolling to make the run at the end of the year. It was kind of an odd mix with a lot of seniors and freshman, but to get our program where it is today the seniors kind of got us to here. Now it’s like passing the torch to our freshman.”
Players of the Year
Madison Canady, Lumberton, INF, Fr.: Canady wasted little time making her presence known on the softball field, finishing her rookie campaign with an SEC-best .512 batting average, with 41 hits in 80 at-bats. She also logged 38 RBIs, 23 runs scored, nine stolen bases and three homers. Her .737 slugging percentage was also the best in the conference.
Canady’s take: “As a freshman I wasn’t expected to do so well. I thought there were going to be little bumps here in there, but I actually did pretty good. I think some people might have underestimated me, but once they saw how much power (I had) and my fielding, they learned to expect it.”
Register’s take: “Anytime you can drive in runs, you are on base and scoring runs with the power she hits with. It wasn’t like she had games where she was 5-for-5, but she was consistent the whole year. Madison was consistent and it didn’t matter who we were playing.”
*Angelica Locklear, Red Springs, C, Sr.: The 2015 Player of the Year maintained that standard of excellence in her final season with the Red Devils, batting at a clip of .481 with 43 RBIs, 28 runs scored and eight home runs. She finished her senior campaign with a .909 slugging percentage.
Locklear’s take: “It means a lot even though I didn’t do as good as last year because of my knee (injury), but it shows what hard work can accomplish. I wish I could’ve won it all four years but I was still adjusting to the high school game the first two years. I feel like I was hitting better, making better contact and was a better leader this year.”
Red Springs coach Robert Dove’s take: “She had that knee injury but she still had an outstanding year. It (playing with injury) shows a lot of character that she wanted to play, and it affected her this year but she still played through it. She did a great job for us and she’s gotten better (over the four years) with her defensive and offensive abilities.”
Most Improved Player
Danielle Gray, St. Pauls, P/UTIL, So.: Gray rebounded from a pedestrian rookie campaign to become St. Pauls’ most reliable player in the batter’s box and in the pitcher’s circle. She batted .184 as a freshman, but bumped it up to .382 this season and finished with a team-best 13 RBIs and three home runs. She also had a team-high nine wins and 54 strikeouts as the top pitcher for the Bulldogs.
Gray’s take: “The biggest changes for me was batting. I was able to get more hits and quality at-bats. Pitching I got more strikeouts and was able to stay out there longer without calling for relief. Seeing the results is very beneficial because hopefully I want to play college ball and seeing the results of your hard work is a really good feeling.”
St. Pauls coach Phillip Tyler’s take: “She’s one of them players that you wish you had nine of them out there. She’s very dedicated, she’s always there and she hates to let the team down. Even though she is just a sophomore, now going to be a junior, she has been a good leader for us this year. She started playing travel ball and that has helped her out this year when you get used to playing against people every weekend.”
Freshman of the Year
Morgan Britt, Lumberton, P, Fr.: In her rookie season, Britt led the SEC with 110 strikeouts en route to earning 10 wins in the pitcher’s circle. She finished the year with a 2.72 ERA and 11 complete games. At the plate, Britt was just as impressive, batting .394 with 22 runs scored, 11 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .507.
Britt’s take: “It felt good because I wasn’t going to be (the starter just) because I was a freshman. I worked hard to get to where I am now. I adjusted (to high school) pretty good, it was very easy.”
Register’s take: “She actually got better and better as the year went along too. There is a learning curve for some freshmen when they play a lot of travel ball and get into that Southeastern Conference. I saw Morgan grow as a pitcher throughout the year and get better and better. Where she’s at right now, knowing that I’ve got three more years with her in the circle, that’s special.
Pitchers
JaiLeana Deese, Purnell Swett, Fr.: As one of the premier players in the county, Deese led the Rams at the plate with a team-best .457 average, 18 runs and 32 hits. She also finished the year as the top pitcher for Swett with eight wins and a 3.00 ERA with 37 strikeouts.
*Harmony Oxendine, South Robeson, Jr.: Oxendine made an immediate impact for her new squad as the team’s leader in wins in the pitcher’s circle and a reliable hitter. She won 10 games, finishing with a 2.75 ERA and 88 strikeouts. She batted .395.
Position players
*Summer Prevatte, Lumberton, INF, Sr.: As Lumberton’s leadoff hitter and shortstop, Prevatte was key to Lumberton’s success throughout the season. She batted .297 with 25 runs scored and finished with an SEC-best 26 stolen bases.
*Kailey Prevatte, Lumberton, P, Sr.: As one of the most versatile players for the Pirates, Prevatte finished her prep career with a .368 average, 19 runs, 19 RBIs and a pair of homers in her final season. She also had nine stolen bases and four wins in the pitcher’s circle.
*Kelsey Locklear, Red Springs, INF, Jr.: Locklear batted .299 and led the conference with 35 runs scored as one of the top hitters for the Red Devils.
*Halei Chavis, South Robeson, INF, Jr.: Arguably the Mustangs’ top all-around player, Chavis finished her junior season as a reliable fielder and was consistent at the plate with a .450 average and a pair of homers. She also had 14 stolen bases.
*Destiny Strickland, South Robeson, INF/P, So.: Strickland followed her impressive freshman season with another stellar year at the plate, batting .480 with a pair of home runs and 10 stolen bases.
Aquilla Rozier, St. Pauls, OF/UTIL, Sr.: Rozier proved to be a versatile player for the Bulldogs in her final prep season, batting .308 with 23 runs scored and a team-best 12 steals.
Randi Bulard, Lumberton, C, Sr.: As the team’s primary catcher, Bullard capped her career with an impressive senior season, batting .328 with 19 runs scored, 19 RBIs and four stolen bases.
Kenna O’Quinn, St. Pauls, P/INF, Jr.: With a .412 batting average, O’Quinn was the second-leading hitter for the Bulldogs this season. She had 14 hits and eight RBIs.
Destiny Locklear, Purnell Swett, OF, Jr.: Locklear batted .337 (second-best on the team) with 12 runs scored and a .452 slugging percentage for the Rams.
LeeAnn Nobles, Lumberton, INF/P, So.: Nobles led the Pirates with a team-best eight doubles, finishing the season with a .368 batting average, 28 hits and 19 RBIs.
Magan Barton, Purnell Swett, INF/OF, So.: Barton finished the season with a .358 batting average and 13 RBIs as one of the top hitters for the Rams.
Kaylee McMillian, Fairmont, P/INF, So.: McMillian led the team with a .392 average, 14 RBIs, three homers and a .725 slugging percentage.
Kaitlyn Hunt, Purnell Swett, C/OF, So.: With a team-best 16 RBIs, Hunt finished the year with a .368 average, 11 runs scored and a .513 slugging percentage.
Meagan Butler, St. Pauls, C/UTIL, So.: Butler led the team with a .489 batting average. She also plated 11 runs, scored 17 and logged eight stolen bases.
MacKenzie Johnson, Fairmont, INF, Fr.: Johnson tallied a team-best 17 runs scored in her rookie season, batting at a clip of .302. She also led the conference with 22 stolen bases.
Individual awards and team selections were made by Rodd Baxley and Jonathan Bym. Tony Chavis contributed to the softball selections.
