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After finishing second in District 4-5A, the Burleson Lady Elks were rewarded with several all-district honors.
Junior pitcher Jamie Lambert was named the co-pitcher of the year, along with Mansfield senior Morgan Rodgers, while senior second baseman Ashleigh Jimenez and sophomore outfielder Taylor Bankston were first-team selections.
Lambert pitched on the junior varsity for Burleson last season, but head coach Regina Bankston said the game experience from last season paid off in a big way this season.
“[Lambert] rocked,” Bankston said. “She had a great season. She really matured as a player last season on the JV. She got a lot of ground ball outs and did a really great job on the mound for us.”
Jimenez, who will be off to Texas Wesleyan University in the fall, was a four-year letter-winner for the Lady Elks.
“[Jimenez] was a quiet leader on the field, but man can she play,” Bankston said. “She led the team in batting average at over .400, she played stellar defense and she will be missed.”
Bankston’s daughter, Taylor, shined in the regional quarterfinals against Odessa, recording four of Burleson’s eight hits in the two-game series. Her mother is aware of the pressure that comes with being the coach’s child.
“[Taylor] played really well,” Bankston said. “She batted .350 and probably had the most sacrifice bunts on the team. All the eyes are on her when you’re the coach’s kid and she’ll have to play up to her potential next year.”
Burleson also placed three players on the second team in junior third baseman Kari Fry, junior first baseman Katie Monreal and sophomore shortstop Ashlee McDonald. All three, like Lambert, played at the JV level last season.
“Monreal came in and stepped in at first base and did a bang-up job,” Bankston said. “She played great defensively. She helped us out a whole bunch with unassisted plays and saving errors.
“Fry came in and had a lot of success. She hit very well in district. McDonald really stepped it up. She struggled a bit, but she ended up hitting .350 for the season. She had a few double plays, which you don’t see often in softball.”
Burleson finished second to Weatherford in District 4-5A with an overall record of 25-11 and a 12-4 mark in district.
The Lady Elks advanced to the regional quarterfinals of the playoffs, eliminating Midland in the bidistrict round and El Paso Bel Air in the area round before falling to state finalist Odessa.
Burleson loses two players, and gain three players who missed the season because of injury, Erin Harmon, Angela Clark and Lindsey Klein, so Bankston expects to be competitive next season in a new district.
“I’m looking forward to having a other run at the playoffs,” Bankston said. “I definitely think we can do that.”
Weatherford junior pitcher Hannah Schnebly was voted the district’s most valuable player, and her battery mate, junior catcher Randi Tongate, was named the defensive most valuable player.
North Crowley catcher Brandi Heath earned offensive most valuable player honors, Summit freshman shortstop Sydney Kramer won the newcomer of the year award and Granbury coach Mark Strickland took home the coach of the year award.
The district’s coaches placed three junior pitchers on the first team, Megan Ayala of North Crowley, Baillie Trumble of Granbury and Courtney Hoeppner of Paschal.
Behind the plate for the first team are sophomore Kayla Gritt of Summit and junior Shelby Poe of Legacy.
Three first basemen made the first team cut — freshman Katelyn Potts of Legacy, junior Megan Askew of Weatherford and senior Chelsie Miller of Granbury.
Seniors comprised all of the shortstop picks for the first team, as the district’s coaches picked Courtney Dews of Granbury, Audrey Phillips of Mansfield and Hopie Perez of Weatherford.
Megan Crawley, Mansfield’s junior second baseman and Emily Spicer, Summit’s junior third baseman, round out the infield for the first team.
Joining Bankston in the outfield are a pair of Weatherford juniors, Shawna Henderson and Malorie Wakefield.
On the all-district second team, the lone pitcher honored was Summit freshman Eli Torres. Paschal junior Paloma Sanchez, Granbury senior Hailey Naifeh and Mansfield junior Brooke Taft were all selected as second-team catchers.
At first for the second team is Summit junior first baseman Christina Gallant and Mansfield senior Elizabeth Cornwell.
Sophomore Chelsea Lee of Weatherford and junior Brandy Bonner of Granbury were selected as second basemen, and Timberview senior Porsha Parks joins Fry at third base.
Two shortstops, Timberview sophomore Kassie Salazar and Legacy senior Rachel Ward, made the cut for the second team, as did outfielders Chelsie Lopes (Granbury, senior), Alexa Sheridan (North Crowley, senior), Jillian Montano (Summit, senior) and Jacqueline Torres (Paschal, junior).
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