MaxPreps 2013 Softball Small Schools All-American Team

Dixon catcher Kristina Brown is one of the talented players who make up the 2013 Small Schools All-American Softball Team.

File photo by Ike Dodson

The MaxPreps Small Schools All-American Team includes a 30-member first team and a 30-member second team. The teams are selected from schools who play in state enrollments that generally have fewer than 1,000 students.

See the MaxPreps 2013 Softball All-Americans (overall)

Small Schools Softball Player of the Year: Ashley Thompson, Connell

Ashley Thompson had two goals for her final year of high school. First, be named valedictorian of her senior class; second, repeat as state champions on the softball field.

She did both. Then added Washington's Gatorade Softball Player of the Year.

And now she can add MaxPreps Small Schools Softball Player of the Year.

It was most definitely a senior year to remember. Until being named MaxPreps Player of the Year, Thompson said her most memorable moments were her valedictorian speech and the final strikeout of her high school softball career.

"The speech was a nerve-wracking moment," said Thompson. "I'm not good at public speaking."

The last pitch, however, wasn't her overpowering rise ball that has earned her a scholarship to BYU. It was a changeup that secured Connell High School's third-straight Washington 1A softball title.

"Actually, there was another moment at the state tournament that was pretty memorable, too," said the 6-foot-2 Thompson, daughter of Ron and Shelley Thompson. "There was a pop-up bunt in the semifinals at state ... I dove and caught it on the chalk."

Public speaking might not be her thing, but softball certainly is — no matter if she is hitting or pitching. She is Washington's career leader in home runs (51), strikeouts (1,117) and no-hitters.

The three-time Washington Player of the Year pitched 13 no-hitters, including four perfect games in 2013 and struck out 345 batters in going 27-0. She also pitched nine one-hitters.

As a senior, she hit 13 home runs — far off her state record 23 as a junior, but she was walked 45 times this season (more than 40 times intentionally). She still managed to hit .667 with 53 RBIs.

When all was said and done, she allowed just 22 hits all season. She pitched 20 shutouts and allowed but four earned runs.

"Her offense and pitching were a big piece of Connell softball," said coach Andy Sawyer. "When she does not get the chance to hit, a walk is as good as a triple I say. She scored 63 times and steals bases very well.

"With Ashley in the circle it raises the confidence of our team, especially after we have scored. Ashley was lights out all season and dominated hitters with excellent control nearly every batter."

Among those 13 no-hitters were seven in a row, a streak interrupted by a one-hitter.

"I didn't know I had that many in a row until the sixth one and it created publicity," said Thompson, who consistently throws in the mid-60s, but has been clocked as high as 69 mph. "I was kind of just doing my thing ... just kind of going with it."

While her pitching gets much of the attention, her power-hitting draws raves as well.

"Ashley hits the ball a very long way," said Sawyer. "She hit two home runs 300 feet plus this year and most of her 13 home runs were 250 plus. Both home runs at state were 280 and 300. The funny part of this was it was the pitchers' mistake trying to pitch around her. She is fairly kindhearted and was 3-for-3 the last two years with her home runs hitting cars. Last year's went through the windshield of one our fans and she worries about the cars she hits."

MLB Fan Cave referred to Thompson as the "Babe Ruth of Softball." Her slugging percentage as a senior was 1.550.

"I like to hit, but pitching gets the edge," said Thompson, who pitched Connell to wins over three of Washington's best large school teams.

Against 3A state champion Kamiakin, she struck out 18 batters and duplicated that in a win over 4A (and 2012 state runner-up) Walla Walla.

Small Schools Softball Coach of the Year: Mark Workman, Silver Lake

Silver Lake won the Kansas 3A state title to complete an unbeaten season. The Eagles blanked a dozen opponents and outscored their foes 235-28.

In winning its 10th state title, Silver Lake completed the season 24-0. And as a result, Silver Lake won its first Kansas 3A All Sports Award.

MaxPreps Small Schools All-American Softball Team

First Team

P - Ashley Thompson, Connell (Wash.), Senior
The 6-foot-2 senior right-handed pitcher led the Eagles (27-0) to a third straight Class 1A state championship as she posted a 27-0 record with a 0.19 ERA and 345 strikeouts in 144 innings pitched. Thompson pitched 11 no-hitters — including seven in a row — and allowed just 22 hits for the season. Thompson batted .667 with 13 home runs, 63 runs scored, 53 RBIs and 48 walks, compiling an on-base percentage of .789 and a slugging percentage of 1.550. She concluded her prep career with a state-record 1,117 strikeouts and a state-record 51 home runs at the plate. A BYU signee, Thompson was Washington's Gatorade Player of the Year.

P - Jaelen Hull, Bishop McNamara (Kankakee, Ill.), Senior
Hull finished with a 28-0 record in leading her team to an unbeaten season (35-0) and a state 2A softball title. She allowed 16 earned runs, recording 220 strikeouts and posting a 0.68 ERA. She batted .367 with five home runs and 43 RBIs. For her efforts, she is the 2013 Sun-Times Player of the Year. She has signed with Bradley University.

P - Taylor West, Saks (Anniston, Ala.), Senior
West earned 33 wins for Saks this past season and led the Lady Wildcats to their fifth consecutive Class 3A state tournament. In addition to her pitching, she batted .358 with 46 RBIs, 30 runs and 11 home runs. But the statistics that raised eyebrows were her 610 strikeouts and 0.48 ERA in 334 innings. As eye-popping as those numbers are, it was West's bat against Susan Moore (Bountsville, Ala.) that grabbed national news. In that game West hit a grand slam, a three-run home run and another grand slam in consecutive at-bats. Named Alabama Sports Writers Association's Class 3A Player of the Year, West has signed with Jacksonville State.

P - Skylar Cagle, Pilot Point (Texas), Senior
Cagle, the state championship game MVP, earned District 12-2A MVP honors. The Northwestern State signee hit .617 for the Lady Cats on the season, her fourth as a starter, with five home runs and 39 RBIs. As good as her offensive numbers were, Cagle did most of her damage pitching — compiling a 0.72 ERA and finishing her senior season 28-0 record. She struck out 259 batters and walked just 29. Cagle was named the Dallas Morning News Pitcher of the Year.

P - Katie Brignac, Curtis (River Ridge, La.), Junior
Injured part of the season, Brignac finished 20-0 with 225 strikeouts, a 0.75 ERA, and a team-best .444 batting average. She was named the Times-Picayune Small Schools Pitcher of the Year.

P - Kendall Marek, Weimar (Texas), Junior
Marek was named 1A All-State by the Texas Sports Writers Association. She was the winning pitcher in the semifinal and championship games and was named MVP of the state tournament. She posted a 34-2 record with an 0.77 ERA and 324 strikeouts and hit .344 with three home runs, three triples and five doubles.

P - Sydney Wright, Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville, Fla.), Senior
Wright had a standout senior season when she accumulated a 27-5 record and a 0.51 ERA. In 220 innings, she totaled 288 strikeouts along with 18 shutouts and three no-hitters. Wright was just as dominant at the plate where she posted a .443 batting average, 10 home runs, 46 RBIs and an .821 slugging percentage. Florida's 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year, Wright has signed with Arkansas.

P - Cara Goodwin, Good Hope (Cullman, Ala.), Senior
Few pitchers win 40 games and strikeout 500 in their careers. Goodwin did both in one season as she was 41-8 (29 shutouts), with 13 no-hitters and a 0.54 ERA in 2013, and in 292 innings she struck out 514. She also batted .396 with 46 RBIs. Named Alabama's 3A Player of the Year, Goodwin signed with Southern Alabama.

P - Carolyn Wilmes, Mater Dei (Evansville, Ind.), Junior
Wilmes had a 26-2 record with a 0.48 earned-run average in earning Courier & Press All-Metro Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Wilmes struck out 365 batters in 190 innings, while allowing 28 walks and 76 hits, in leading the Wildcats to a 29-3 record and a Class 2A regional title.

P - Megan Smith, Pisgah (Ala.), Junior
Another dominant Alabama pitcher with big numbers. Smith's numbers — 40-6, 0.93 ERA, 310 strikeouts in 264 innings and 29 shutouts. She also had a .471 avg., 42 RBIs and 19 doubles. She was Class 3A All-State first team selection and the Class 3A state tournament MVP as Pisgah won the title.

C - Ashley Walters, Center Point (Texas), Junior
Batting leadoff, Walters was unstoppable — .761 batting average (.807 OBA), 70 hits, 70 runs, 76 RBIs, 19 home runs, 30 doubles, four triples, 1.793 slugging and she struck out just once. She has committed to Texas A&M.

C - Kristina Brown, Dixon (Calif.), Senior
Not far behind Walters with a .726 batting average (.745 OBA), 61 hits, 67 RBIs, and 27 extra base hits. She also struck out just once and scored 48 runs for the 21-7 Rams. Her slugging percentage was 1.333 and she was 20-for-20 in stolen bases. She has signed with Fisher College in Boston.

C - Jamie McGuire, Glencoe (Ala.), Senior
McGuire was named the Messenger's All-Area Softball Player of the Year, selected to the Class 3A first team and was named 3A Hitter of the Year. McGuire, who will play at Jacksonville State, recorded a .602 batting average (.703 OBA), 56 RBIs, 54 runs, 74 hits (including 36 for extra bases) and 19 home runs while striking out just twice.

1B - Shelby Vinson, Goshen (Ala.), Senior
Vinson led the Troy area in nearly every offensive category in 2013. In addition to her 16 home runs and 55 RBIs, she scored 39 runs, connected with 19 doubles, and finished with an impressive 1.098 slugging percentage. Vinson, who was named the Troy Messenger's Player of the Year, will continue her softball career at Faulkner State Community College.

1B - Madison Spry, Parchment (Mich.), Junior
Spry, a Division 3 first team all-state player put up big offensive numbers as a junior — .542 batting average with 64 hits, eight doubles, seven triples and seven home runs. She scored 53 runs and drove in 35.

1B - Becca Bell, Burroughs (Ridgecrest, Calif.), Senior
Bell hit .480 with 14 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a 1.133 slug pct. The all-state and All-CIF team pick has signed with Cal State Northridge.

IF - Chandler Dare, American Christian Academy (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), Senior
A University of Alabama softball signee, Dare was a first-team All-State selection in Class 3A. She hit .660 with 77 runs, 62 steals and 35 RBIs.

IF - Monique Landini, Bellarmine-Jefferson (Burbank, Calif.), Senior
Landini batted .410 (41 for 100) for the Guards. In addition, she drove in 25 runs, scored 31 runs and had six doubles, seven triples, four home runs and a .730 slugging percentage. She was named the CIF Southern Section D-4 MVP. She has signed with St. John's.

IF - Taylor Williams, Flatonia (Texas), Senior
Williams, who was named the Victoria Advocate's Offensive Player of the Year, had another MVP-type season at the plate, batting .565 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. She also stole 19 bases and walked 26 times and posted an on-base percentage of .684. She has signed with South Carolina.

IF - Alee Rashenskas. Bishop McNamara (Kankakee, Ill.), Senior
The shortstop and team's leadoff hitter was the plate setter with .616 batting average, eight homers, 38 RBIs and 30 stolen bases as the Irish went 35-0 and won the 2A state title. Next stop: Army at West Point Academy in New York.

IF - Janae Langs, Climax-Scotts (Climax, Mich.), Senior
Langs was the MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette Divisions 3-4 Player of the Year in 2012 and followed up with another monster season. She batted .674 with 60 hits, including six doubles, 12 triples and four home runs. Langs also scored 53 runs, had 46 RBIs and and 82 stolen bases. She will attend Grand Valley State.

IF - Sarah Ing, National Cathedral (Washington, D.C.), Senior
The district's returning Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, Ing led the Eagles to a 15-1 record, the Independent School League AA championship game and the District of Columbia State Athletic Association title this past season. She posted a 15-1 record with a 0.44 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 95 innings. Ing batted .585 and scored 31 runs. In addition to collecting 18 stolen bases and 15 extra-base hits, she drew 13 walks in 16 games.

IF - Shaye Harre, Nashville (Ill.), Senior
Harre, the Southern Illinoisan's Player of the Year for the third time, batted .598 with 61 runs scored, 21 doubles, 14 homers and 64 RBIs. Harre hit .546 for her career. She had 87 doubles, eight triples, 31 home runs and 231 RBIs. She'll move on to play at Southern Illinois University.

OF - Hope Sawyer, Connell (Wash.), Junior
A first team 1A All-State selection, Sawyer helped Connell win a third-straight title and finished the season 27-0. She batted .628 with 40 RBIs, 47 runs and 17 walks.

OF - Zoe Casas, Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.), Sophomore 
Casas batted .663 (63 for 95), stole 16 bases, scored 50 runs and drove in 30 runs in 28 games. She scored a run in all but one game Aquinas played this season in leading the Falcons to the CIF-SS Division V title. Casas was the CIF Division V Player of the Year and the San Bernardino Sun's Player of the Year. She has committed to Florida State.

OF - Emily Griggs, Maize (Kan.), Junior
Griggs batted .688, scored 40 runs and 55 hits in 23 games. Griggs also drove in 21, and had an on base pct. of .731. She added 21 stolen bases for the 18-5 Eagles. She has committed to LSU.

OF - Eva Watson, Kenston Forest (Blackstone, Va.), Senior
Watson batted .583 (.638 OBA) in 18 games on 36 hits and scored 36 runs. She was 15-for-15 on stolen bases. Watson has signed with Arizona.

OF - Juli Weber, Tri-Valley (Hegins, Pa.), Senior
Weber, who for the second time in three seasons has been chosen as Player of the Year on the 2013 Republican-Herald All-Area Softball Team, batted .671 (55-for-82) with 37 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, seven doubles, eight triples, four home runs and 27 RBIs in 2013. She has signed with University of South Florida.

UT - Vanessa Sanders, Cheyenne (North Las Vegas, Nev.), Senior
Named Nevada's Southern Region Player of the Year, Sanders hit .663 (.733 OBA), with eight home runs, 23 doubles, knocked in 87 runs and scored 59 times. In 35 games, she had 35 extra base hits and a slugging pct. of 1.208. She will attend Southern Nevada.

UT - Britney Rodriguez, Construction (Queens, N.Y.), Junior
Rodriquez led Class A in runs scored (41), hits (44), batting average (.786), on-base percentage (.803) and slugging percentage (1.571) and was second in RBIs with 48. As a pitcher, she was 20-1 with a 1.31 earned run average and averaged 1.5 strikeouts per inning. She named the New York Daily News Player of the Year.