MaxPreps 2015 Small Schools All-American Softball Team

By Tom Mauldin Jul 14, 2015, 12:00am

Samantha Show of East Bernard is Player of the Year; Don Silva of Mt. Hope is Coach of the Year; Richmond High of Maine is Team of the Year.

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Player of the Year: Samantha Show, East Bernard (Texas), Sr.

Show, who as a sophomore was named MaxPreps Sophomore of the Year during a standout season at Pearland (Texas), stood tall in the circle and in the batter's box as she led her team to the Texas 3A state title and a 38-2 season.

Despite being walked 43 times, Show batted .688 and drove in 65 runs (with at least one in 26 different games). She had a 1.666 slugging percentage and a 2.448 OPS to go along with her .781 on-base percentage. She hit 22 home runs and scored 59 times.



But it wasn't her huge offensive numbers that grabbed the headlines. It was her 33 wins (against two losses) and her better than two strikeout-per-inning average (437 in 215 innings). She had 21 shutouts and allowed just 18 earned runs in posting a 0.59 ERA.

Opponents batted just .084 against Show and collected only 61 hits – three fewer than Show collected during the season. She was named the Texas Gatorade Softball Player of the Year in 2015 and 2013, and struck out 1,056 in 541 innings in four high school seasons. Her record was 86-7 and she drove in 185 runs and hit 41 round-trippers.

For her sterling senior season, the future Texas A&M Aggie is the MaxPreps 2015 Small Schools Softball Player of the Year.

Coach of the Year: Don Silva, Mt. Hope (Bristol, R.I.)

Silva, who served in the Navy for 28 years (including in Vietnam), guided the Huskies to a state D-III title and an unbeaten season at 16-0.

The Huskies won just three games in the previous five years and from 2009-14, the softball team's combined record was 27-79. Because of the Huskies' lack of success, realignment dropped the team down to Division III from Division II. There was concern that Mount Hope wouldn't be able to field a team for the 2015 season.



The Huskies responded under Silva's leadership and outscored their opponents by an average of 13.4 to 1.6 runs per game.

"I like challenges," Silva told ESPNBoston.com. "I've never shied away from challenges my entire life. The Navy taught me that. I knew some of the kids going into the season were great kids. I thought they should play in an environment that should be free from yelling.

"It should be an enjoyable situation. Games should be fun."

Junior Maddie Reis finished the regular season with a 13-0 record, a 0.79 ERA, 12 walks, 108 strikeouts and 34 hits allowed in 72 innings.

They also had hitting: Five players hit over .500: Carissa Rego (.605); Samantha Eddy (.588); Reis (.525), Jessica Cerce (.510) and Brianna Gendreau (.510). And Cerce stole 26 bases.

Team of the Year: Richmond (Maine)



Richmond, coached by Rock Coughlin, captured its third-consecutive Class D softball state championship and finished the season without a blemish, 18-0.

In the state title game, the Bobcats pounded out 10 hits on the way to their 52nd-straight win.

Richmond became just the second Class D team to win three titles in a row, joining Jonesport-Beals (1992-94).

Richmond has won six straight Western Maine titles and went 7-0 in winning the Class D West Softball Conference, outscoring its opponents 94-20.

Kelsie Obi was named to the State Senior All-Star West Team and Miranda Martin and Sydney Tilton were named to the West Underclass All-Star team.

MaxPreps 2015 Small Schools All-American Softball Team

First Team
Cielo Meza, St. Bonaventure
Cielo Meza, St. Bonaventure
Photo by Seth Sanchez

P - Cielo Meza, St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.), Sr.
Meza went 21-5 with a 0.57 ERA and struck out 348 batters in 158 innings. She allowed just 52 base hits and walked just 17 in being named the CIF-SS D-5 POY. She has signed with Long Beach State.



P - Taran Alvelo, Bloom-Carroll (Carroll, Ohio), Sr.
The Washington-bound Alvelo holds Ohio's career records for home runs, strikeouts and pitching victories, and she led BCHS to four state title games. As a senior, she fanned 404 batters in 186 innings and won 26 of 28 games. Opponents collected just 58 base hits off her. At bat, she hit .526 with 11 home runs and drove in 39.

P - Maci Ingram, Nashville (Ill.), Sr.
This season, she accumulated a record of 33-2 with a 0.56 ERA and led her team to a Class 2A state championship. She had 430 strikeouts and for her efforts, Ingram was the Southern Illinoisan's Softball Player of the Year. Ingram finished her prep career with a record of 108-11 and 1,422 strikeouts. She is second in Illinois High School Association history in wins and fifth in strikeouts. She has signed with McKendree University.

P - Autumn Humes, Bald Knob (Ark.), Jr.
Humes posted a 26-1 record in the circle along with a 0.41 ERA this past season, leading the Bulldogs (30-2) to the Class 3A state championship. Humes struck out 246 batters in 155 innings pitched, allowing 55 hits and 23 walks en route to 11 shutouts and three perfect games. At the plate, she batted .543 with 11 home runs, 67 RBIs and a 1.117 slugging percentage.

P - Ashley Guillette, Oxford (Conn.), Sr.
Guillette led the Wolverines to Class M state title. She had a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts in the state semifinals, then a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the state final. Guilllette allowed only five runs all season with a 25-1 record, 407 strikeouts and just 10 bases on balls. She pitched 10 no-hitters (five perfect games) and with 20 shutouts, had a 0.15 ERA. For her career, she was 92-10 with 1,503 strikeouts, 22 no-hitters, 63 shutouts and a 0.25 ERA. She is headed to Coastal Carolina.

P - Ali Burdette, Buffalo (W. Va.), Sr.
Burdette led the Bison (32-6) to the Class A state championship this past season. She posted a 25-1 record and a 0.34 ERA in the circle, along with a .674 batting average, 10 home runs and 50 RBIs at the plate. The Kanawha Valley Player of the Year, she struck out 253 batters in 161 innings against just 15 walks. Burdette is a four-time member of the Class A All-State Tournament Team and was co-captain of the Class A All-State Team as a junior. She will attend Marshall University.

P - Meghan Beaubien, St. Mary Catholic Central (Monroe, Mich.), So.
Beaubien led the Kestrels (36-5) to the D-3 state title and threw a no-hitter in the title game. In compiling a 28-3 record, Beaubien threw 10 no-hitters and struck out more than 400 batters on the season. Named Michigan's Gatorade Softball POY, she has committed to Michigan.



P - Megan Deiter, Silver Lake (Kan.), Sr.
Deiter pitched every inning in the state tournament and allowed just one hit, which came against Riverton. She struck out a total of 48 hitters in three games as Silver Lake won its third-straight title with her in the circle. In the final, all but two Hillsboro outs were via strikeout as Deiter finished with 19. She will attend Mid American Nazarene University.

P - Josie Wood, North Miami (Denver, Ind.), Sr.
Wood compiled a 21-3 record with 318 strikeouts in 151 innings and a 0.14 ERA. She had 18 shutouts. Wood also stole 26 bases and batted .485 with 43 RBIs in 30 games. Wood, who lost 1-0 in the state 2A semifinals, has signed with Indiana.

P - Marina Vitalich, Mary Star of the Sea (San Pedro, Calif.), Sr.
The George Mason-bound Vitalich was nearly unhittable this season, finishing 22-4 with a minuscule 0.54 ERA and 367 strikeouts. She had 18 shutouts and 24 complete games and etched her name permanently in the record books, as her 1,154 career strikeouts placed her eighth all time in the CIF Southern Section.

P - Lainey Stephenson, Veritas Prep (Phoenix), So.
Stephenson struck out 468 batters in 186 innings to go with a 0.45 ERA and 26-4 record. She walked just 15 batters and limited opponents to a .076 batting average. She also batted a team-high .478 with 31 RBIs. Veritas lost 1-0 in the state semifinals to eventual champion Superior.

C - Taylor Johnson, Beecher (Ill.), So.
Johnson batted .624 with 15 home runs, 50 RBIs and 58 runs scored this past season, leading the Bobcats (24-7) to the Class 2A sectional semifinals. A returning first-team All-Area selection as named by the Chicago Sun-Times, Johnson worked 24 walks and collected 31 extra-base hits, recording a .706 on-base percentage and a 1.312 slugging percentage. Johnson, who has committed to Wisconsin, was the state's Gatorade POY for softball.

C - Averi Munro, Morrice (Mich.), Jr.
Munro led Morrice into the postseason as she batted .717, hit five home runs and drove in 69 runs. She also had 43 stolen bases.



C - Taylor Pack, Sutter (Calif.), Sr.
The UCLA-bound Pack closed out a sterling four-year career with .a 551 batting average, 57 runs, 70 hits, 45 RBIs, 21 doubles and 16 stolen bases, as the Huskies won the CIF Northern Section D-4 title.

C - Cassidy Kelsheimer, Chase County (Cottonwood Falls, Kan.), Sr.
Kelsheimer, who will play at Wichita State next year, batted .540 with 35 RBIs and 31 runs scored in leading Chase County to its fourth-straight Class 2-1A title. In her four seasons, Chase County won 97 of 98 games.

IF - Sydney Townes, Cabrillo (Lompoc, Calif.), Sr.
Named the Lompoc-area Player of the Year, Townes batted .574 with 31 stolen bases and 32 runs in 19 games. She will attend Santa Barbara City College.

IF - Kaila Searcy, Paraclete (Lancaster, Calif.), Jr.
Searcy hit 22 homers, drove in 74 runs and batted .668 to lead Paraclete to the CIF-SS D-6 title. Searcy, who has committed to Central Arkansas, was 16-1 in the circle with a 0.65 ERA and struck out 1.5 batters per inning.

IF - Rachel McCollum, Spring Creek (N.C.), Sr.
McCollum finished her senior season with a batting average of .805, the best documented single-season batting average in the North Carolina record books. The previous high was .779, set by Sarah Mooney of North Mecklenburg in 2011. McCollum had 33 hits in 41 official at-bats. She walked 20 times and homered 12 times as her team got to the second round of the NCHSAA state 1-A playoffs.

IF - Maggie Gallagher, Kennedy Catholic (Burien, Wash.), Jr.
The Seamount League MVP had a .719 batting average along with 42 runs scored and 34 RBIs. A Washington-bound shortstop, Gallagher helped the Lancers to a league title.



IF - Erika Underwood, Addison (Mich.), Sr.
Named the Citizen-Patriot POY, Underwood batted a county-best .647 with 18 doubles, nine triples, 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and 56 runs scored. She finished her career with 49 home runs, tying the state record. A four-time all-state selection, she will play at Central Michigan.

IF - Jenna Ergle, Sumiton Christian (Ala.), So.
MaxPreps' 2014 Freshman of the Year, Ergle led Sumiton Christian to the state 2A title and was named to the Super State All-State team after driving in 103 runs (she has 230 in two seasons). She batted .519 with 80 base hits, including 25 doubles and 14 home runs. In the circle, she was 25-5 with a 2.66 ERA. She has committed to Boston College.

IF - Kailey Harvey, Calvary Christian Academy (Chula Vista, Calif.), Sr.
Harvey batted .690, drove in 80 runs, collected 28 doubles and had 42 extra-base hits as the Royal Knights went deep into the playoffs. She also stole 27 bases and struck out 67 batters in 27 innings pitched.

IF - Alyssa Cuellar, San Manuel (Ariz.), Sr.
Alyssa Cuellar, San Manuel
Alyssa Cuellar, San Manuel
Photo by Mark Jones
Cuellar batted .650, scored 58 times and drove in 60 runs. She had a base hit in all 30 games as the Miners reached the state final game. She has signed with Pima Community College.

OF - Zoe Casas, Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.), Sr.
The Florida State-committed senior is no stranger to accolades from MaxPreps. She was an Underclass All-American Team selection as a freshman, underclass and small schools all-American as a sophomore, and a small schools all-American as a junior. This makes her 4-for-4. As a senior, she batted .736 with 64 hits, giving her a state-record 248 base hits. In 105 games, she scored 193 runs and struck out just three times in her career. For her four seasons at Aquinas, she batted .681.

OF - Kendall Beth Sides, Sumiton Christian (Ala.), So.
Sides led the nation in hits (115), runs scored (95) and stolen bases (107) when she batted .612 and drove in 48 runs. She also pitched 114 innings and posted a 20-5 record as Sumiton Christian captured the state 2A title and won its final 17 games en route to 47 wins. Sides has committed to Alabama.



OF - Hannah Edwards, Catasauqua (Pa.), Jr.
Edwards set a state record for stolen bases with 57 (twice she stole six in a game) and also had 57 base hits in batting .687 and scoring 40 times. She was a first team all-state pick.

OF - Megan Hensley, Ashland Blazer (Ashland, Ky.), Sr.
A two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year, Hensley posted a 25-8 record in the circle along with a 0.75 ERA this season, leading the Kittens (32-9) to the first round of the KHSAA State Tournament. Hensley struck out 371 batters and walked 66 in 233 innings. At the plate, the 2014 MaxPreps All-American batted .429 with 18 home runs, 48 RBIs and a 1.025 slugging percentage. She will play at Louisville.

UTIL/P - Morgan Florey, Brimfield (Ill.), Sr.
Florey was 22-3 with 435 strikeouts and a 0.32 ERA, She also batted .480, hit 17 homers and had 46 RBIs despite being walked 38 times. She will play at Evansville.

UTIL - Grace Baalman, Calhoun (Hardin, Ill.), So.
Baalman supplied the power in the circle (34 wins, 428 strikeouts) and at the plate (19 homers, 17 doubles and 69 RBIs) en route to a state D-1 championship. The Calhoun sophomore pitched 48 innings in postseason games and allowed only seven hits, seven walks and struck out 106 batters. She had an amazing 0.16 ERA.

UTIL - Morgan Ray, Frenchtown (Mont.), Sr.
The two-time returning Gatorade State Player of the Year, Ray posted a 19-2 record along with a 0.32 ERA in leading the Broncs (24-2) to a third-straight Class A state title. Ray struck out 248 batters in 130 innings. At the plate, the three-time Class A first team all-state selection batted .553 with seven home runs, 33 RBIs and a .953 slugging percentage. She has signed with Ohio State.
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Second Team
Hailey Dolcini, Fortuna
Hailey Dolcini, Fortuna
Photo by Greg Jungferman

P - Hailey Dolcini, Fortuna (Calif.), So.
Big numbers ... 23-5, 356 strikeouts and 0.43 ERA in 178 innings. She also batted .430 for the CIF North Coast Section D-5 runner-up.

P - Abby Marsden, Weedsport (N.Y.), Sr.
According to Jeremy Houghtaling of the Auburn Citizen, Marsden struck out 276 batters and had a 0.70 ERA in 115 innings, leading the Warriors to a 16-1 season. A three-sport athlete, Marsden's senior season was one for the record books. She recorded 13 shutouts and backstopped the field hockey team to a section title, reached the 1,000-point mark and took the Warriors to the section basketball championship game, and the field hockey, basketball and softball teams each won their county titles and finished with a combined 47-1-1 regular season record. A perennial all-stater, she was named the Auburn Citizen's POY.



P - Sara Stephenson, Sutter (Calif.), Sr.
Stephenson, who will attend Montana, had 29 wins, 339 strikeouts and led Sutter to the NSCIF D-4 title.

P - Anna Grace Owens, Colbert Heights (Tuscumbia, Ala.), Sr.
Owens led Colbert Heights to a 42-8 record with a .450 batting average and was 31-6 with a 0.69 ERA.

P - Selice Daley, Thomas Heyward Academy (Ridgeland, S.C.), Jr.
Daley had 27 wins, 0.75 ERA and 339 strikeouts in 177 innings for the state runner-up team. She allowed only 52 hits – the same amount she totaled in batting .500 with 36 RBIs. She has committed to South Carolina Upstate.

P - Bailey Singleton, Macon-East Montgomery Academy (Cecil, Ala.), Sr.
Singleton was 31-1 with a 0.54 ERA with 14 walks and 201 strikeouts in 209 innings. She threw 18 shutouts and had a .303 batting average with 40 RBIs. She has signed with Montevallo.

P - Abbey McMillian, Florien (La.), Jr.
McMillian won her third-straight Class B Outstanding State Player honor after going 22-3 and batting .474 with five homers and 33 RBIs.

P - Carly Kingery, Carroll (Flora, Ind.), Sr.
In leading Carroll to the state title, Kingery was 18-3 with a 1.10 ERA and 284 strikeouts in 146 innings. She also batted .496 with a team-high 42 RBIs and 28 extra-base hits. She has signed with University of Missouri-St. Louis.



P - Rachel Younts, Holton (Mich.), Sr.
Younts keyed Holton's 37-1 season with a 26-0 record, 0.75 ERA and 203 strikeouts. She also batted .320 with 13 doubles. Cornerstone University is next.

P - Nicole Bauer, Unionville-Sebewaing (Sebewaing, Mich.), Jr.
Bauer was 26-0 with a 0.38 ERA and 191 strikeouts in leading her team to the state title. A first baseman when not pitching, Bauer batted .463 with 17 doubles and 46 RBIs.

P - Tristin Achenbach, Conrad (Mont.), So.
Conrad pitched Conrad to its first state title, and she did it in dominant fashion, finishing the season with a 22-1 record. Her ERA was a minuscule 0.42 and she struck out 328 in 148 innings. She led the Cowgirl bats as well, collecting a .465 batting average and driving in 32 runs.

P - Maddy Barone, Silver Lake Regional (Kingston, Mass.), Jr.
The junior pitcher led the Lakers to a 24-2 record and a spot in the Division 1 state championship. She compiled 234 strikeouts and a 0.38 ERA. She also batted .407. She has committed to Southern New Hampshire.

P - Kayla Schwebke, Laconia (Rosendale, Wis.), So.
Compiling a 29-2 record with a 0.45 ERA and 388 strikeouts, Schwebke was a machine in the circle in leading Laconia to the state D-3 title.

C - Hannah Seaver, Aynor (S.C.), Sr.
Seaver batted .558 with 14 home runs, six doubles, 45 RBIs and 40 runs. She had a slugging percentage of 1.140. She also threw out 12 runners attempting to steal, including two in the second game of the championship series against Andrew Jackson as Aynor captured the state D-2 title. She has signed with Furman.



C - Ashley Friend, Holton (Mich.), Sr.
Friend batted .633 with 19 doubles and had 65 RBIs in Holton's state runner-up season. She will enlist in the Marine Corps this fall.

C - Lillie McCray, Pisgah (Ala.), Sr.
McCray excelled in her senior season for the Class 3A state runner-up, hitting .563 with a .625 on-base percentage, 15 homers, 64 RBIs and 20 doubles in 50 games. Next she'll play at Chattanooga State.

C - Courtney Hankins, Pennsville Memorial (N.J.), Sr.
The senior hit .656 in her final season as an Eagle, but that was just the start of her phenomenal numbers. Of her 59 hits, 27 went for extra bases - including 10 home runs. She also contributed 45 runs and 53 RBIs. She signed with Fairfield.

IF - Mady Poulter, St. Joseph-Ogden (St. Joseph, Ill.), Sr.
Poulter, who was named the state Player of the Year, batted .532, scored 59 runs and drove in 48 teammates to lead St. Joe to a 32-4 record. She has signed with Eastern Illinois.

IF - Erin Boone, South Granville (Creedmoor, N.C.), Sr.
Boone led the Vikings to a 24-2 season and state 2A title with a .598 batting average, 49 runs and 28 RBIs. Boone, who has signed with Lenoir-Rhyne University, was named the State 2A West Player of the Year.

IF - Theresa Swertfager, John Jay (Cross River, N.Y.), Sr.
Swertfager led the Indians in hitting (.477), walks (17), on-base percentage (.568), hits (31) and triples (five). She had a .753 slugging percentage and struck out only twice in 88 plate appearances. She also made only one error all season in the field. In the circle, she was 14-5, had a 2.05 earned run average and 108 strikeouts. She has signed with Florida.



IF - Kelbi Fortenberry, East Bernard (Texas), Jr.
Fortenberry missed a dozen games, but still managed 42 steals, a .552 batting average, 48 runs and 30 RBIs for the state 3A champions. She has committed to Texas A&M.

IF - Ashley Diaz, South El Monte (Calif.), Sr.
Named the Mission Valley League Most Valuable Player for the second-straight season while also earning D-5 first-team honors, the University of Arkansas commit was impressive again, batting .561 with 42 RBIs, 10 home runs and nine doubles for the MVL champions.

IF - Kaylee Buhrkuhl, Santiam Christian (Corvallis, Ore.), Sr.
Buhrkuhl was named the 3A Player of the Year, as she hit .662 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs and 42 runs scored in 21 games.

IF - Bradi Kooyman, Elliot Christian (Lodi, Calif.), Jr.
It was another impressive season for Kooyman: a .747 batting average, 15 triples, 10 doubles, 65 RBIs and 63 runs scored as the Eagles went 20-9. She has committed to Missouri.

IF - Maddie Dowdle, Pusch Ridge Christian Academy (Tucson, Ariz.), Sr.
Dowdle led the Lions in every offensive category: hitting (.726), runs (54), hits (61), RBIs (64), doubles (18), triples (10), home runs (10) and stolen bases (19). She has signed with Grand Canyon University.

OF - Kyla Walker, Franklin (Texas), Sr.
Walker batted .662 with 49 hits, 34 runs and 29 stolen bases and did so in just 20 games. She has signed with Baylor.



OF - Deven Kennedy, Macon-East Montgomery Academy (Cecil, Ala.), Sr.
A first-team AISA all-state pick, Kennedy had a .508 batting average with 57 RBIs and 89 runs scored in 185 at-bats. She walked 22 times and stole 30 bases to go along with 12 home runs and 27 doubles to compile an .881 slugging percentage. She was a four-time all-state player.

OF - Jacki Stone, Holton (Mich.), Sr.
The Ferris State signee batted .617, scored 63 times and drove in 52 runs as Holton won its first 37 games before losing in the state final.

UTIL - Mikayla Montes, Pershing County (Lovelock, Nev.), Sr.
Montes batted .664 with 81 hits, 70 runs, 45 RBIs, 31 extra-base hits and 57 stolen bases. She also was 15-3 with 74 strikeouts in 86 innings.

UTIL - Noemi Farfan, Calvary Christian Academy (Chula Vista, Calif.), Fr.
Farfan won 20 games and struck out 286 in 115 innings. She also batted .753 with 93 RBIs, 61 hits and 65 runs in 24 games. Farfan had 63 stolen bases in as many attempts and had 39 extra-base hits, including 27 doubles as Calvary reached the CIF San Diego Section finals.

UTIL - Becca Rogers, Hamilton (N.Y.), Sr.
Hamilton was named Class D Co-Player of the Year for the second-straight spring, this time sharing the honor with Deposit eighth-grader MaKenzie Stiles. The University of Rhode Island-bound pitcher finished the season with a 17-4 record, striking out 302 batters while also batting .500 with 43 runs batted in, 13 doubles and four home runs.

UTIL - Katie Warrick, Forrest (Chapel Hill, Tenn.), Sr.
The Lady Rocket ace led her team to the Class A championship with a record of 32-3 and a 1.81 ERA pitching, winning all four of her team's tournament games and finishing the season batting .594 with 14 home runs. She has signed with the University of Tennessee at Martin.