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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

Two local softball standouts have earned a coveted spot in one of the state’s biggest events each year.

Thompson’s Chalea Clemmons and Spain Park’s Katie Flannery both earned a spot in the North-South All-Star game as members of the North All-Star team.

Both will be part of an 18-person team looking to take down the South All-Star team in the annual event, which will take place in Montgomery as part of All-Star Week July 18-22.

Clemmons will represent the North team as one of seven pitchers, while Flannery will do so as one of six shortstops and eight total infielders.

Both players are fresh off appearances in the state tournament, while Clemmons was crucial in helping Thompson claim this year’s Class 7A State Championship.

During the state tournament alone, Clemmons pitched a combined 17 innings and allowed just seven hits and one run.

In addition to that, she totaled 24 strikeouts and picked up the championship win against two-time defending state champion Hewitt-Trussville.

In the championship game, she allowed two hits in a complete-game shutout and struck out four. Outside of that game, she struck out 14 in six innings of work in the second game of the tournament for the Warriors.

On the season as a whole, Clemmons held a 1.33 ERA and went 16-1 with two saves. She also finished the season with 142 strikeouts to finish with the second most strikeouts per seven innings in the county.

But she was also more for Thompson this season, putting together a batting average of .492 at the plate in 118 at bats. She finished the season with 58 hits, including a county-high 22 doubles, while she totaled four home runs and one triple with 53 RBIs.

As for Flannery, she was one of the strongest bats and infielders in the state during her junior season.

She put together an impressive .451 batting average to lead the Jaguars thanks to 65 hits, which was one of the top marks in the county.

She drove home 50 runs and scored 49 runs. Flannery also had one of the highest home run marks thanks to 10 bombs on the season, while she finished with 11 doubles and three triples and scored 49 runs.

The North All-Stars sweep last summer’s North-South softball competition winning 11-8 in eight innings in the opener and 6-1 in the nightcap. The North leads the series 27-23-3 heading into the 2022 competition. The series was first played in 1997.