West Alabama Watchman All-County Softball Team
C – Reesa Holifield, Sr. – Marengo Academy – A three-year starter for the Lady Longhorns, Holifield did not disappoint her senior year. She finished with a .373 batting average and tied for the county lead with three homers, two of which came in the form of playoff grand slams. Holifield tallied 27 RBIs on the year and controlled opposing running games with her throwing ability.
1B – Zoe Lewis, Sr. – Demopolis – Lewis did not log a lot of innings at first base, but she put in enough to make our list at the spot. Lewis was the calming influence for the Lady Tigers this season and she consistently proved capable at the plate. She finished second on the team with a .347 average and 18 RBIs.
2B – Chandler Stenz, Jr. – Marengo Academy – Stenz capped her breakout junior campaign by winning state tournament MVP honors. But the Lady Longhorn second baseman didn’t do anything in the season’s final weekend that she failed to do all season long. She capped her junior season with a .578 batting average and a .733 slugging percentage. Both of those marks are tops in the county. Her 35 stolen bases were also top in the county as were her 12 doubles. And those 22 RBIs aren’t too shabby for a leadoff hitter.
SS – Katie Tucker, Sr. – Marengo Academy – Tucker added to her own legend this season by stringing together another standout season and doing it this time on a bum knee. Tucker hit .447 with a .713 slugging percentage. She tied for the county lead with three home runs and 12 doubles while driving in 35 runs, by far the highest such mark in the county.
3B – Brooke Smyly, Jr. – Marengo Academy – Smyly had significant shoes to fill at third base this season for the Lady Longhorns and proved more than capable of meeting the challenge. She hit an impressive .372 with 25 RBIs and 12 steals while scoring 25 times for AISA, Class A state champions.
OF – Victoria Washburn, Sr. – Demopolis – The Lady Tiger leadoff batter, Washburn was a slap hitter from the left side and a pesky hitter from the right side. She compiled a .333 batting average but led the team with 22 runs scored.
OF – Taylor Barley, Sr. – Marengo Academy – She may be the nine hole batter, but MA head coach Danny Stenz considered Barley a second leadoff batter this season. The slap-hitting right fielder proved to be just that kind of talent as she hit .367 with 17 stolen bases and 25 runs scored for MA this season.
OF – Andrea Landrum, Jr. – Sweet Water – Landrum had the highest batting average in the county among outfielders with a .375 mark and a robust .536 on-base percentage to help lead the Lady Bulldogs to the Class 1A South Regional Tournament.
OF – Jade Montgomery, So. – Demopolis – Probably the most improved player in the county, Montgomery went from junior varsity as a freshman to starting right fielder as a sophomore. Montgomery struggled in spots, but finished with 17 RBIs while batting in the eighth spot, second highest on the team in an offense that was anemic at times.
DH – Alexis Jones, Sr. – Demopolis – Possibly the most underrated player in the county, Jones was nothing less than the spark plug for the Lady Tigers this season. She led the team with a .349 batting average and tied for the team lead with 19 RBIs. Jones also hit a pair of homers on the season. But what is most interesting about Jones is that she hit in the heart of the Lady Tiger order but truly possesses the skill set of a leadoff batter.
DH – Sydney Colyar, Sr. – Demopolis – A boom or bust bat, Colyar finished with 19 RBIs to tie for the team lead for DHS while also finishing in a tie for the most homers in the county with three. One of those was of the inside-the-park variety.
UTIL – Grace Lewis, Fr. – Sweet Water – The youngest player on our list, Lewis made plenty of noise her freshman year, finishing with 22 RBIs while batting .341 for Sweet Water. That RBI total was good enough for second on the team. But the best part about Lewis is that she likely has not begun to show just how good she could turn out to be.
UTIL – Shelby Thompson, Jr. – Sweet Water – Thompson’s batting average was not as high as she would have liked, but the Lady Bulldog second baseman finished with the second highest RBI total in the county with 30. She also finished with an impressive .457 on-base percentage.
P – Andrea Edmonds, So. – Marengo Academy – Edmonds was nothing short of dazzling during her sophomore season as she pitched to a 23-2 mark with a 1.52 ERA. Edmonds worked 147 and a third innings and struck out 208 batters on the year.
P – Danielle Tatum, Sr. – Demopolis – One of only two pitchers with the numbers to be considered on this list, Tatum struck out 122 batters over 105 innings while working her way to a 3.25 ERA for the Lady Tigers this season.
