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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

Several of the county’s top athletes were recognized among the state’s best on Sunday morning, June 5, when the 2022 All-State softball team was released by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

The ASWA All-State team honors the best players from across the state by classification each year, and this year’s team featured 19 local players from Shelby County as well as one Coach of the Year winner.

The list included six players from the county named to the first and second team in their respective classification, while an additional seven were named as honorable mention players in their classification.

The Class 7A State Champion Thompson Warriors had the most representation of any local team with six players making the 7A All-State team and head coach Kevin Todd earning recognition as the classification’s Coach of the Year.

Spain Park had four players earn a spot, while Helena had three, Calera had two, Shelby County had two, Montevallo had one and Vincent had one.

First team players for their respective classification included Thompson’s Chalea Clemmons and Dailynn Motes, Spain Park’s Maggie Daniel and Katie Flannery, Helena’s Cam Bailey and Shelby County’s Kensley Wesley.

This year’s Hitter of the Year in Shelby County, Motes did exactly what you want a hitter to do—get on base. She led the county with 72 hits in the leadoff spot most of the season, while holding the sixth-best batting average in the county at .503. She led the county in runs scored at 55 and also stolen bases with 35.

Clemmons was also important to the Warriors for both her pitching and hitting. She finished with a 16-1 record this season and held a 1.33 ERA in 100 innings pitched, while she struck out 142 batters, had 11 shutouts and posted two no hitters. In addition to that, she bated .492 at the plate with 58 hits and 53 RBIs. Clemmons totaled 22 doubles, which led the county, and had four home runs and a triple with 25 runs scored.

Daniel was a clutch hitter for Spain Park this season thanks to 53 RBIs, which finished in a tie for third in the county. She also totaled 50 hits, including a county-high 14 home runs. She also finished second in the county with 16 doubles, while she scored 32 runs and held a batting average of .373.

Flannery led Spain Park with a batting average of .451 this season and had 65 hits, which was fourth in the county this season. She finished with 11 doubles, 10 home runs and three triples, while she drove home 50 runs, which was fifth in the county this season. She also scored 49 runs and drew 27 walks.

This year’s Pitcher of the Year in the county, Bailey led the county with 257 strikeouts and went 22-5 in the circle with a 1.01 ERA in 152 2/3 innings pitched. In addition to that, she had a .346 batting average at the plate with six home runs, 12 doubles and 39 RBIs. She totaled 46 hits at the plate.

Wesley had the third best batting average this season in the county at .570, Wesley totaled 55 RBIs to tie for the county lead and had 49 hits. She finished the year with 10 doubles and 10 home runs, which were among the best in the county as well.

Second team players on this year’s All-State team included Thompson’s Eleanor DeBlock and Ella Pate, Spain Park’s Ella Reed, Calera’s Keara Hall, Shelby County’s Paci Clark and Helena’s Presley Lively.

DeBlock went 20-4 on the season with a 1.56 ERA. She struck out 125 batters, allowed 84 hits and posted nine shutouts with two no-hitters.

Pate tied for the county lead with 55 RBIs this season and totaled 58 hits with 10 doubles, nine home runs and three triples en route to a .453 batting average.

With 208 strikeouts, Reed finished second in the county this season, while she posted a record of 20-11 and an ERA of 1.97.

Hall led Calera with a .496 batting average this season and totaled 68 hits, which tied for second in the county, while totaling 15 triples, 10 doubles and six home runs.

Clark continued to be one of the county’s top power hitters this season, finishing with 11 home runs. That total was second in the county, while she also totaled 12 doubles and 44 total hits.

Lively finished the season with 68 hits, which tied for second in the county, while she scored 52 runs, which was third in the county. She also finished second in the county in steals with 30, while she totaled seven triples, five doubles and one home run with 17 RBIs as the leadoff hitter for Helena.

Honorable mention players included Thompson’s Laney Williams and Olivia TIndell, Spain Park’s Emma Hawkins, Helena’s Bella Holliday, Calera’s Jordan Douglas, Montevallo’s Alli Tryon and Vincent’s Lela Beck.

Williams and Tindell were big at the plate for the Warriors with Williams batting .476 and Tindell batting .512, while Hawkins was crucial for the Jags this season with 52 hits and a .391 average.

Holliday was another key for the Huskies with a batting average of .371 and 46 hits, while Douglas helped Calera reach the state tournament with a .487 average and 58 hits.

Tryon was the leader for the Bulldogs as a senior with a .478 average, while Beck finished the season with the county’s highest batting average at .583 behind 35 total hits.