Latham, Edmonds split Player of the Year; Echols named top coach

May 23, 2015May 22, 2015 Jeremy D. Smith AHSAA, AISA, Alabama, Demopolis, demopolis high school, prep sports, West Alabama Watchman All-County Softball Team

No player had a better season than Demopolis catcher Abbey Latham. And nobody is more indispensable than Marengo Academy pitcher Andrea Edmonds. As such, The West Alabama Watchman has Co-Players of the Year for the first time.

Latham stroked a robust .564 this season with 10 homers, 38 RBIs, 30 runs scored and a perfect 14-for-14 on stolen bases. Add to that the fact that she homered in five straight games, struck out only three times all year (once swinging) and threw out a vast majority of the base runners who tried her and the Ole Miss signee did everything that could be asked of anyone as a sophomore.

As impressive as Latham was this season, Edmonds matched that level of dominance in the circle. Her 12-6-1 record belies the UWA signee’s microscopic 0.59 ERA. She surrendered only 11 earned runs in 129 innings of work and struck out 126 batters along the way. She also recorded the fourth highest batting average in the county, swinging it at a cool .354 clip while leading her team with 20 RBIs to go along with two homers.

And Coach of the Year honors go to Tony Echols, the man guiding the rise of a young and hungry Sweet Water Bulldog team that won two games in the South Regional and recorded 20 victories on the season. The best part for Sweet Water folks is that they aren’t losing much going into next season. Look out Class 2A.

The West Alabama Watchman All-County Softball Team is as follows:

C – Abbey Latham, Demopolis

1B – Emily Black, Sweet Water

2B – Lara Little, Sweet Water

3B – Courtney Smith, Demopolis

SS – Sara Irvin, Sweet Water

OF – Peyton Singley, Sweet Water

OF – Taylor Smith, Demopolis

OF – Jessica Adams, Demopolis

P – Andrea Edmonds, Marengo Academy

P – Hanna Malone, Demopolis

DH – Natalie Tatum, Demopolis