Fort Plain-Oppenheim-Ephratah/St. Johnsville’s Michaela Stockwell was the lone area selection to the recently announced New York State Sportswriters softball all-state team.
Stockwell, a junior, was named to the fourth team in Class C.
Lake George had Tyler Bergman (first team) and Becca Jaeger (third team) earn all-state honors, while Greenwich’s Courtney Fraher (second team) and Lily McCauliffe (fifth team) also were named all-state.
Other Section II players named to the all-state team in Class C were Chatham’s Jenna Skype (first team), Chatham’s Brooke-Lyn Doyle (second team), Maple Hill’s Alysa Houghtaling (third team) and Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons’ Jailene Santiago (fifth team).
Elmira Height’s Bella Willsey was named Class C Player of the Year for the second straight year, while Elmira Heights’ Liz Warren was named Coach of the Year.
Willsey ended her career with seven straight shutouts, covering 48 innings. Her five-inning no-hitter in the state semifinals against St. Lawrence included 14 strikeouts and she threw a four-hitter in a 10-0 win against Warsaw in the title game.
In Class AA, Shenendehowa had Emily Carroll (first team) and Sophia Caputo (third team) earn all-state honors.
Also named to the Class AA all-state team were Colonie’s Miaysia Kelly (second team), Saratoga Springs’ Madison Chandler (fifth team), Shaker’s Sam Hardwick (sixth team) and Columbia’s Jess Patterson (eighth team).
Corning’s Laura Bennett was named Class AA Player of the Year for the second straight year, while Corning’s Mike Johnston was named Coach of the Year.
Bennett led Corning to its first state title in the sport, which came in a 4-3, 11-inning victory over Cicero-North Syracuse. She allowed 20 runs over the Hawks’ final 13 games.
Ballston Spa’s Lauren Kersch and Williamsville East’s Summer Clark shared Player of the Year honors in Class A, while Ballston Spa’s Amanda Fifield and Williamsville East’s Chris Durr were named co-Coaches of the Year.
Kersch threw 190 pitches and struck out 18 batters in a 2-1 win over Sayville in 20 innings in the Class A state semifinals. She threw 84 more pitches in a 3-0 loss to Williamsville East in the final later in the day.
Clark went 15-0 with a 0.40 ERA and 141 strikeouts, holding opposing batters to a .167 average, for the state champions. She threw a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts to bear Walter Panas in the state semifinals and a two-hitter with nine strikeouts against Ballston Spa.
Kersch also was named first-team all-state for the Scotties, along with Angeline Stile. Ballston Spa also had Ana Gold (second team) earn all-state honors.
South Glens Falls had Leah Vanderwarker (first team), Kasen Lemay (third team), Hannah Breen (third team),
Other Section II players earning all-state honors in Class A included Averill Park’s Marissa Nagel (fourth team), Mohonasen’s Maddi Muller (fourth team), Scotia-Glenville’s Kelly Mayette (sixth team) and Troy’s Maddie Rifenberick (seventh team).
In Class B, Ichabod Crane had Bella Milazzo (first team), Gabbie Cox (first team) and Brittany Futia (second team) named to the all-state team.
Schuylerville’s Teagan Andrews (second team), Tamarac’s Maggie Kelley (third team), Glens Falls’ Stephanie Meehan (fourth team), Schalmont’s Erin Mahar (fifth team), Greenvulle’s Meloda Kappel (fifth team) also earned all-state honors in Class B.
Ardsley’s Lauren Rende was named Class B Player of the Year for the second straight year, while Ardsley’s Noreen Degnan was named Coach of the Year. Rende batted .588 with 12 home runs, 63 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases. She also picked off 16 runners to wrap up a career in which she homered 40 times and hit .623.
Whitehall’s Madison Gould and Fort Ann’s Kayla Bailey were named first-team all-state in Class D.
Fort Ann’s Sarah Paige (second team) and Heatly’s Jordan Reis (third team) also earned Class D all-state honors.
Deposit’s Makenzie Stiles was named Class D Player of the Year, while Deposit’s Dan Briggs was named Coach of the Year. It was the fifth straight time that Stiles was named Class D Player of the Year. Stiles also was named Gatorade’s New York player of the year.
Stiles threw a one-hitter and struck out 16 in the state Class D championship game against Alfred-Almond. She was She went 106-11 with 1,507 strikeouts, 27 no-hitters and 16 perfect games in helping the Lumberjacks to four New York State Public High School Athletic Association titles in five seasons.
2019 New York State Sportswriters Association
Softball All-Stars
Section II Selections
Class AA
Player of the Year: Laura Bennett (Corning)
Coach of the Year: Mike Johnston (Corning)
First Team
Emily Carroll (Shenendehowa)
Second Team
Miaysia Kelly (Colonie)
Third Team
Sophia Caputo (Shenendehowa)
Fifth Team
Madison Chandler (Saratoga Springs)
Sixth Team
Sam Hardwick (Shaker)
Eighth Team
Jess Patterson (Columbia)
Class A
Co-Players of the Year: Summer Clark (Williamsville East), Lauren Kersch (Ballston Spa)
Co-Coaches of the Year: Chris Durr (Williamsville East), Amanda Fifield (Ballston Spa)
First Team
Lauren Kersch (Ballston Spa), Angeline Stile (Ballston Spa), Leah Vanderwarker (South Glens Falls)
Second Team
Ana Gold (Ballston Spa)
Third Team
Kasen Lemay (South Glens Falls), Hannah Breen (South Glens Falls)
Fourth Team
Marissa Nagel (Averill Park), Maddi Muller (Mohonasen)
Sixth Team
Kelly Mayette (Scotia-Glenville)
Seventh Team
Maddie Rifenberick (Troy)
Class B
Player of the Year: Lauren Rende (Ardsley)
Coach of the Year: Noreen Degnan (Ardsley)
First Team
Bella Milazzo (Ichabod Crane), Gabbie Cox (Ichabod Crane)
Second Team
Teagan Andrews (Schuylerville), Brittany Futia (Ichabod Crane)
Third Team
Maggie Kelley (Tamarac)
Fourth Team
Stephanie Meehan (Glens Falls)
Fifth Team
Erin Mahar (Schalmont), Meloda Kappel (Greenville)
Class C
Player of the Year: Bella Willsey (Elmira Heights)
Coach of the Year: Liz Warren (Elmira Heights)
First Team
Tyler Bergman (Lake George), Jenna Skype (Chatham)
Second Team
Courtney Fraher (Greenwich), Brooke-Lyn Doyle (Chatham)
Third Team
Becca Jaeger (Lake George), Alysa Houghtaling (Maple Hill)
Fourth Team
Michaela Stockwell (Fort Plain/Oppenheim-Ephratah/St. Johnsville)
Fifth Team
Lily McCauliffe (Greenwich), Jailene Santiago (Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons)
Class D
Player of the Year: Makenzie Stiles (Deposit)
Coach of the Year: Dan Briggs (Deposit)
First Team
Madison Gould (Whitehall), Kayla Bailey (Fort Ann)
Second Team
Sarah Paige (Fort Ann)
Third Team
Jordan Reis (Heatly)
