MaxPreps 2016 Small Schools Softball All-American Team

Video: One-handed softball star Kim Basile
See the story of a player from New York overcoming the odds

Small Schools Player of the Year: Nicky Dawson, Parkview Baptist (Baton Rouge, La.), Senior

Despite battling achilles and hamstring injuries late in the season, Dawson was as awesome as advertised and led her team to the state D-3 semifinals.

The LSU signee batted .658, slugged 1.072 and got on base 75 percent of the time. She had 15 doubles, eight triples, five homers, drove in 35 and scored 75 runs. She walked 35 times.

Dawson also stole 58 bases and set national records for career triples (49), runs scored (291) and had 324 stolen bases.



Named the State Softball Player of the Year, Dawson is also the LHSAA D-2 60-meter sprint champ.

Previous MaxPreps Small Schools Player of the Year:
2015: Samantha Show, East Bernard (Texas)
2014: Katie Brignac, Curtis (River Ridge, La.)
2013: Ashley Thompson, Connell (Wash.)
2012: Taylor Fuller, Chiefland (Fla.)
2011: Shelby Holley, Pisgah (Ala.)

Small Schools Team of the Year: Bald Knob (Ark.)

The Bulldogs were the most dominant team in Arkansas, outscoring their opponents 320-24 and recording 23 shutouts en route to their third-straight 3A state title.

Led by all-American Autumn Humes, Bald Knob finished the season ranked No. 8 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings and No. 9 in the MaxPreps National Softball Computer Rankings, both presented by the Army National Guard.

Humes, who was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year, was joined on the 3A all-state squad by senior catcher Christiana Camp. Bald Knob, which will be led by Hanna and Janna Smith and Madi Pierce, will enter the 2017 season with a 60-game winning streak.

Small Schools Coach of the Year: Rick Magruder, Wheeling Central Catholic (W. Va.)

There were some close calls in a 33-0 season that culminated with a 2A state title: a 1-0 regular-season victory against Steubenville, a 2-1 nod against River in the OVAC 2-A championship game and a 3-2 verdict against Man in the state 2A semifinals.



The Maroon Knights' nucleus featured four seniors, one junior, five sophomores and a freshman. It proved a perfect combination.

Sophomores Riley Bennington and Marissa Garlitz were named first team all-state pitchers with Bennington being named the captain. She had an ERA of 0.50, striking out 157 batters in 98 innings and finished 17-0. The sophomore also batted .433 with 42 hits, 30 RBIs, 12 doubles, six triples and two home runs.

Garlitz had an ERA of 0.81 with 107 strikeouts in 89 innings and a 15-0 record. She batted .448 with 39 hits, seven doubles and three home runs. Teammate Allie Cook was also named all-state. The senior catcher hit .392 with 21 runs batted in and 27 runs scored.

Previous MaxPreps Small Schools Coaches of the Year:
2015: Don Silva, Mount Hope (Bristol, R.I.)
2014: Brian Potter, Chase County (Cottonwood Falls, Kan.)
2013: Mark Workman, Silver Lake (Kan.)
2012: Jerry Godfrey, Curtis (River Ridge, La.)
2011: Melissa Hansen, Danbury (Texas)

First Team

P - Grace Baalman, Calhoun (Hardin, Ill.), Junior
Baalman struck out 39 batters in a 17-inning 2A state semifinal game and pitched Calhoun to its second-straight state title. She finished the season with a nation-leading 589 strikeouts in 267 innings and compiled a 0.21 ERA to go with her 35-2 won-loss record. She concluded the season with 260 strikeouts in her final 102 innings. In addition to her 39-strikeout effort, Baalman recorded 30 and 26 in other postseason games. The Kentucky commit also hit 18 home runs and batted over .500.

P - Autumn Humes, Bald Knob (Ark.), Senior
The state's returning Gatorade Player of the Year, Humes led the Bulldogs to a 36-0 record and a second-straight Class 3A state championship. Humes was 31-0 in the circle with a 0.34 ERA, striking out 295 batters in 185 innings. She allowed 60 hits and 31 walks with 19 shutouts and three perfect games. At the plate, the four-time Class 3A first team all-state selection batted .527 with 11 home runs, 54 RBIs and a 1.036 slugging percentage.

P - CeCe Darilek, Shiner (Texas), Senior
The Mary Hardin Baylor signee pitched a perfect game in the state 2A title game and was 22-3 on the season. Darilek was named the Texas Softball Athlete of the Year for divisions 1A-4A.

P - Kayla Schwebke, Laconia (Rosendale, Wis.), Junior
En route to being named the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association D-3 Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season, Schwebke carried Laconia to another state championship and a perfect 29-0 record. She was 28-0 with 344 strikeouts and a 0.27 ERA in 176 innings. In addition, she hit .395 with a home run, seven doubles, two triples and 19 RBIs.

P - Larissa Spellman, Butler (N.J.), Senior
Spellman was 24-3 on the season with 364 strikeouts, and just 11 earned runs allowed in 175 innings (0.43 ERA). She was the NJ.com Player of the Year for the 2016 season. The Yale signee had 22 games with double-digit strikeouts and over her final 18 starts, she had 14 shutouts and did not allow an earned run. She also batted .441 with 21 RBIs, 27 runs scored and 45 hits.

P - Abby Trahan, Kaplan (La.), Senior
Trahan struck out 301 on her way to a 23-5 record and finished with a 0.73 ERA while leading the Pirates to the state title. Named the State 3A Player of the Year, Trahan has signed with Saint Francis.

P - Tristin Achenbach, Conrad (Mont.), Junior
In the state tournament, Achenbach twirled three no-hitters, including a perfect game, lifting Conrad to a state title. She had 57 strikeouts to just three walks in 24 innings of work. In leading the Cowgirls to a 25-3 record and a second-straight Class B/C state championship, Achenbach was 23-0 with a 0.19 ERA, setting state records for both single-season wins and ERA. She totaled 338 strikeouts in 151 innings, allowing just 24 hits and issuing only eight walks. Her 12 no-hitters included four perfect games. The Montana commit batted .607 at the plate with 16 doubles, 34 runs scored and 35 RBIs.



P - Lauren Stalvey, Chiefland (Fla.), Senior
The State 1A Player of the Year, Stalvey helped to lead the Indians to their third-straight 1A state title, posting a 22-1 record with a 1.20 ERA with six no-hitters and 133 strikeouts. She has signed with State College of Florida.

P - Nicole Bauer, Unionville-Sebewaing (Sebewaing, Mich.), Senior
Signed with Stanford, Bauer led her school to back-to-back D4 state titles and capped her prep career as the 2016 Saginaw News Softball Player of the Year. She struck out 231 in 179 innings and went 25-6 on the year with an ERA of 0.48. Bauer also led her team in batting with a .455 average, three home runs and 38 RBIs.

P - Allie Johnson, Peotone (Ill.), Senior
The UTEP-bound senior nearly carried the Blue Devils to the Class 2A state finals with 381 strikeouts in 186 innings and a 1.58 ERA. In the Rosemont Super-Sectional she pitched a no-hitter with 23 strikeouts.

C - Bailey Wanner, Pershing County (Lovelock, Nev.), Senior
Wanner had major numbers – 11 homers, 71 hits, 31 RBIs, 72 runs, .497 average – in leading Pershing County to the state small school softball title and 32-5 season.

C - Taylor Johnson, Beecher (Ill.), Junior
Despite being walked an average of more than once a game, the three-time all-area member and Wisconsin commit hit nine homers to bring her career total to 42. She added 13 doubles and three triples on her way to driving in 45 runs.

C - Kately Stucky, Haven (Kan.), Senior
Stucky drove in a state-record 75 teammates with a .561 average that included 17 doubles and 12 home runs. Defensively, she threw out eight baserunners.

IF - Hailey Heeringa, Valley Christian (Chandler, Ariz.), Senior
Heeringa put up huge numbers in D-4, hitting .747 with 16 home runs and 81 RBIs. She struck out only once in 109 plate appearances and had 34 extra-base hits in 27 games. She has signed with Dordt College.

IF - Ryleigh Buck, Wellington (Kan.), Senior
A member of the Team USA Women's National Team, Buck batted .634 with five home runs and 37 RBIs leading the Crusaders to the Class 4A-DI state quarterfinals. She scored 53 runs and stole 38 bases and finished the season with a .714 on-base percentage and a 1.155 slugging percentage. Defensively, the University of Central Florida signee committed just two errors in the field.

IF - Kaila Searcy, Paraclete (Lancaster, Calif.), Senior
Searcy had 11 homers, 53 RBIs and a .625 batting average to lead the Spirits to a 28-0 record and the CIF-SS D6 title. Searcy's 58 career homers rank No. 2 on the all-time state list behind Tannon Snow's record total of 60. Searcy has signed with Central Arkansas.

IF - Mikayla Rojas, Heritage Academy (Laveen, Ariz.), Junior
Rojas attends a small school, but there was nothing small about her numbers as Heritage won 16 of 18 games. She batted .891 with a .901 on-base percentage and slugged 2.671 with a 3.573 OPS. In just 18 games, her 57 base hits (30 homers, six triples and 12 doubles) drove in 110 runs. She also scored 59 times, stole 42 bases and did not strike out.

IF - Kristin Worley, Savanna (Anaheim, Calif.), Senior
Worley finished her high school career with one of the best individual seasons in CIF-SS history. She hit .769 (80 base hits), scored 73 runs and stole 67 bases for a 30-win team. Her hits, runs and stolen base numbers are all top-five individual marks in Southern Section history. She has signed with Chico State.

IF - Takiya London, Chiefland (Fla.), Junior
With 35 stolen bases and 42 runs, London was the catalyst for Chiefland's 1A state title. She batted .520 with 52 hits and 44 RBIs. The 6-3 shortstop was named 1A State Player of the Year.

IF - Haidyn Bassett, Oskaloosa (Kan.), Senior
Signed by South Dakota State, Bassett led the Bears to second place in the Class 3A state tournament when she tossed 10 shutouts and five no-hitters, striking out 149 batters in 79 innings with a 0.44 ERA. She also hit .613 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs.

IF - Hannah Skaggs, Magoffin County (Salyersville, Ky.), Senior
The Kentucky Softball Coaches Association named Skaggs the Class A Player of the Year after she helped lead the Hornets to a 25-5 record. Skaggs produced at the plate, batting .450 with 36 hits and 38 RBIs. She was 14-2 with two saves and a 0.62 ERA during her senior campaign. Skaggs registered 181 strikeouts, allowing only one home run. She has signed with the University of Pikeville.

IF - Hallie Donald, Mooreville (Miss.), Junior
Donald batted .550 with 10 home runs and 56 RBIs. She also stole 10 bases in leading the Troopers to a 32-1 record and a Class 3A state championship. In addition, Donald compiled an 18-1 record in the circle with 175 strikeouts (in 105 innings) and a 0.90 ERA.

IF - Mikaela Cox, Manti (Utah), Senior
Named the State 2A Player of the Year, Cox led Manti to a state title and a season-ending 20-game win streak. She batted .536, slugged 1.021 and drove in 45 RBIs with nine homers and 17 doubles. She stole 30 stolen bases.

OF - Kendall Beth Sides, Sumiton Christian (Ala.), Junior
The Alabama commit turned in another spectacular season with 101 base hits, 104 runs scored and 82 stolen bases as her team won 57 games and the state 2A title. Named the State 2A Player of the Year and to the All-Alabama Super Softball Team, she has scored 293 times and stolen 369 bases -- both national records. And she has one season remaining.

OF - Hannah Edwards, Catasauqua (Pa.), Senior
The Pittsburgh signee batted .680 with 51 hits, 45 runs scored and 52 steals. She struck out just two times. Edwards was The Morning Call's Player of the Year and is Pennsylvania's all-time leader in career hits (207), runs scored (158) and stolen bases (192), and the state's single-season record holder for hits (57), runs (45) and steals (57).

OF - Anne Mari Petrino, Pullman (Wash.), Senior
Petrino scored 44 runs and had 30 RBIs, accounting for 60 percent of her team's runs. The Montana signee batted .727 with 56 hits and also stole 42 bases.

OF - Anna Watson, Tuscola (Ill.), Senior
Watson batted .588 and drove in 25 runs, but baserunning is what gets her attention. She scored 74 runs and had 82 stolen bases as she was named the State 3A Player of the Year as well as the 2016 News-Gazette All-Area Softball POY. She has signed with North Dakota State.

UTIL - Noemi Farfan, Calvary Christian Academy (Chula Vista, Calif.), Sophomore
You want numbers? Farfan has them: 100 RBIs, .747 average, 43 runs, 59 hits, 44 extra-base hits (16 doubles, 16 triples, 12 homers) and 38 stolen bases. She also pitched: 18-4 record with a 2.65 ERA and 259 strikeouts in 126 innings.

UTIL - Stormee Galka, Ray (Kearny, Ariz.), Senior
Galka led her team to a small school softball title by batting .637 with 28 steals, 65 hits and 56 RBIs. In the circle she was 24-3 with a 0.85 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 114 innings. She has signed with Marysville.

UTIL - Taylor Roberts, Paraclete (Lancaster, Calif.), Senior
The CIF Southern Section Division 6 Player of the Year capped her season with a tie-breaking three-run homer in the seventh inning to win the CIF title game against Savanna. The Adams State recruit hit .532 with nine homers, 37 RBIs, 11 doubles and also had 98 strikeouts and seven walks in an undefeated season.



Second Team

P - Abby England, La Center (Wash.), Junior
The 5-1 England was named The Columbian's All-Region Player of the Year. She was a perfect 27-0 with a 0.81 ERA and 226 strikeouts in 133 innings as La Center won the state 1A title.

P - Kelly Nelson, Norton (Mass.), Sophomore
Nelson recorded 336 strikeouts in 131 innings and finished with a 0.26 ERA. She struck out double digits in every game and 10 times over 15. She pitched three no-hitters and eight one-hitters. She batted .420 with 26 RBIs for state runner-up Norton.

P – Connor Proctor, Fulton (Middleton, Mich.), Senior
Proctor surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts in May and capped her record-setting Pirates career by leading the way to the program's first conference and district titles. She went 30-6 in 216 1/3 innings pitched with 448 strikeouts and a 1.03 ERA while allowing only 134 hits. She hit .404 with 42 hits, 19 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 29 runs scored, 38 RBIs and a 1.240 OPS. She earned Division 4 first team all-state honors.

P - Jensen Howell, Holy Savior Menard (Alexandria, La.), Junior
Jensen compiled a 21-3 record with a 1.63 ERA in leading the Eagles (27-4) to the Class 2A state championship game. Howell struck out 240 batters in 154 innings and pitched 11 shutouts and three no-hitters. She also batted .384 with eight home runs, 32 RBIs, a .434 on-base percentage and a .733 slugging percentage. Committed to Ole Miss, she was Louisiana's Gatorade State POY winner.

P - Hailey Dolcini, Fortuna (Calif.), Junior
Though her stats were down a bit from her 2015 all-American season, Dolcini led Fortuna to a 21-win season with 273 strikeouts, a 0.98 ERA and 21 wins in 164 innings. She also batted .452 with 23 RBIs and 35 runs scored. She has committed to UC Riverside. P - Emily Goodin, Evansville Mater Dei (Ind.), Junior
Goodin was 21-4 with 306 strikeouts in 160 innings and led Mater Dei to the state 2A title. She also batted .383 with 18 RBIs. She pitched a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts in the 1-0 title game win over Boone Grove.

P - Abbi Gooch, Mars Hill Bible (Florence, Ala.), Senior
Gooch was named the Class 2A Pitcher of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association after she allowed only 74 hits and struck out 362 in 185 innings as the Panthers finished fourth in Class 2A. Gooch had 25 of Mars Hill Bible's 32 wins while compiling an ERA of 0.72. She has signed with Freed-Hardeman.

P - Bekah Chance, Clyde (Texas), Senior
Chance was dominant in the circle, collecting 315 strikeouts in 166 innings and finishing the season with a 1.81 ERA. She hit .439 and added 23 RBIs.

P - Danielle Nors, West (Texas), Junior
Nors was 35-5 with a 1.07 ERA and 360 strikeouts in 242 innings as West won the state 3A title. She pitched 11 shutouts.

P - Keely Rochard, Warhill (Williamsburg, Va.), Junior
Rochard was 25-1 with 304 strikeouts in 174 innings as Warhill won the state 3A title. The Virginia Tech commit finished the season with nine straight shutouts in which she allowed just 23 hits and struck out 89 batters.

P - Kamree Lay, Sumiton Christian (Ala.), Junior
Lay won 43 games and struck out 372 batters as Sumiton Christian went 57-10 and captured the state 2A title. She pitched 21 shutouts and seven no-hitters (four perfect games).

C - Becca Jewett, Bellevue Christian (Clyde Hill, Wash.), Junior
Jewett averaged three runs batted in per game, as she had 38 extra-base hits (including 16 homers and 19 doubles) in 27 games. She batted .659 with a .716 on-base percentage and 1.461 slugging percentage as the Vikings placed third in the state 1A tournament.

C - Hannah Thornhill, Heuvelton Central (N.Y.), Senior
Thornhill batted .587 with a .641 on-base percentage, nine doubles, five triples, three home runs, 32 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. She played on six straight NAC West Division and Section 10 Class D championship teams. She was named the Watertown Daily's POY for 2016.

C - Tylar Vernon, Pangburn (Ark.), Sophomore
In only 39 games, Vernon drove in 103 runs with 18 homers, 30 doubles, six triples and a .701 batting average (82 hits). She also scored 63 runs and slugged 1.512 with only one strikeout. She had a base hit in 37 games and drove in a run in 34. In her final 13 games of the season, she homered eight times and drove in 48 runs.

C - Teaghan Cowles, Columbia River (Vancouver, Wash.), Senior
Cowles hit .647 with 10 homers and 49 runs for the 14-10 Chieftains. She has signed with Stanford.

IF - Jenna Ergle, Sumiton Christian (Ala.), Junior
Ergle drove in 106 runs with her 80 base hits (26 doubles and 15 homers included). She had a slugging percentage of 1.052 and drove in two or more runs in 30 games. She also was 12-6 with a 1.92 ERA pitching as Sumiton Christian won its second-straight 2A state title. As a sophomore, Ergle had 80 base hits and drove in 103 runs. As a freshman in 2014, she drove in 127 and was named MaxPreps Freshman of the Year.

IF - Cassidy Tucker, Coleman (Mich.), Senior
Tucker's big numbers (78 hits, 62 RBIs and 84 runs scored) helped Coleman to a 40-3 season and a state 4A quarterfinal finish. She also had 22 steals to go along with her .523 batting average and 33 extra-base hits. She has signed with Alma College.

IF - Bradi Kooyman, Elliot Christian (Lodi, Calif.), Senior
Though her .662 batting average was the lowest of her four varsity seasons, Kooyman scored 44 and drove in 51 runs in just 23 games. Her on base, slugging and OPS percentages were as good as ever – .736, 1.264 and 2.001, respectively. She has signed with Missouri.

IF - Maddison Kettler, West (Texas), Senior
The future Baylor Bear hit .645 with 69 hits and 49 RBIs as West went 36-7 and won the state 3A title. Kettler was walked 29 times and finished with a .719 on-base percentage. She also stole 22 bases and committed just two errors. Kettler had a base hit in all but two games in 2016.

IF - Hazel Puempel, Malakoff (Texas), Senior
Puempel wrapped up a strong senior season with a .658 batting average and .703 on-base percentage with 29 doubles and 33 RBIs. In the circle, she was 11-1 with a 2.14 earned run average and had 90 strikeouts in 61 innings. She has signed with Texas Women's University-Denton.

IF - Bekah Roe, Pilot Rock (Ore.), Junior
Roe led Pilot Rock with a .593 batting average and a .632 on-base percentage and in 24 games hit seven home runs and drove in 51. Roe had a 1.713 OPS, scored 43 runs and stole 24 bases.

IF - Alivia Clark, Notre Dame (Elmira, N.Y.), Senior
The State Class C Player of the Year batted .554 and had a .619 on-base percentage. She led the Crusaders with 46 hits and 45 RBIs, and also scored 41 runs, had 12 doubles and six home runs. On the mound she posted an 11-4 record and picked up a save in the state final. Clark has signed with St. John Fisher College.

IF - Kylie Hill, Dayton (Ore.), Junior
Hill batted .570 with a .624 on-base percentage and 1.100 slugging percentage. She hit 13 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs, had 61 RBIs, scored 42 runs and had a .986 fielding percentage. Named Oregon's 3A POY, she also played catcher.

IF - Amanda Naylor, Manti (Utah), Senior
Naylor hit .576 with 62 RBIs, and of her 53 hits, 25 went for extra bases as Manti won the state 2A title.

OF - Zia Norris, Rolling Hills Prep (San Pedro, Calif.), Junior
Norris led Rolling Hills Prep to the CIF-SS D6 title, collecting eight hits in 15 at bats to drive in 10 runs in the final three games of the season. She finished with 11 homers, 41 RBIs and a .596 batting average. She has committed to UCLA.

OF - Savannah Tilley, South Granville (Creedmoor, N.C.), Senior
Tilley hit .573 with 47 hits, 33 runs, 23 RBIs to lead South Granville to a state 2A title and 25-1 record.

OF - Jaydee Boursaw, St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo, Calif.), Senior
Boursaw batted .593 with 13 home runs, 33 runs, 51 hits and 51 RBIs. She has signed with Yavapai Junior College.

OF – Brooklyn Dolloff, Ithaca (Mich.), Senior
Dolloff batted .611 with 10 doubles, four triples and was 45 of 45 on stolen base attempts. Additionally, she recorded 21 assists from center field. Dolloff was named Division 3 first team all-state and first team all-TVC West. She has signed with Lansing Community College.

OF - Taylei Williams, Juab (Nephi, Utah), Junior
Named Utah's Gatorade POY winner, Williams batted .641 with 12 home runs, 14 doubles, 44 runs scored, 65 RBIs and a 1.462 slugging percentage. She was 17-3 along with a 0.77 ERA, leading the Wasps (25-3) to a runner-up finish in the Class 3A state tournament. Williams struck out 223 batters in 119 innings pitched, allowing just 37 hits and issuing only 27 walks. UTIL - Mykala Tokunaga, Kamehameha Hawai'i (Kea'au, Hawaii), Senior
The Sonoma State signee was named all-BIIF and D2 Player of the Year four times. As a senior, she batted .536 and drove in 28 runs and also was 15-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 75 innings.

UTIL - Abby McMillian, Florien (La.), Senior
A Troy University signee, McMillian went 21-4 with a 1.30 ERA for the Blackcats, leading them to the Class B title for a fourth-straight year. She also batted .531 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs and was a four-time division POY.

UTIL - Sam Holcomb, Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville, Fla.), Senior
Holcomb averaged almost two strikeouts per inning in being named the State 3A Player of the Year. She was 17-1 with a 0.59 ERA, 10 shutouts, five no-hitters, two perfect games and 196 strikeouts in 106 innings. She also hit .538. She has signed with Southeastern University.

UTIL - Danielle Ray, Badin (Hamilton, Ohio), Senior
Ray was 17-1 with a 0.13 earned run average in the circle, piling up 217 strikeouts in 106 innings. She was also the Rams' top hitter (.506, eight doubles, seven triples, 35 RBIs, 17 runs), and will play at Trine University.