Senior Swag Lady
Fri, 2016-06-03 05:00
News Staff
Lady Dawg softball players receive end of year honors
By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Copperas Cove head softball coach Bryan Waller really didn’t like the way his season began but loved the way his team grew over the course of the season despite having jut two seniors on the team that claimed the highest seed in the history of the program when they finished in third place in district play.
The Lady Dawgs struggled against stellar competition to start the season on a sour note but the Lady Dawgs continued to gel and improve though district play to earn the third seed.
“The first tournament we didn’t get any wins out of it but every team we played was a playoff team the previous year,” said Waller. “They played quality teams and I think it prepared us for district and to compete in the playoffs.”
The turnaround may not have happened if not for the two seniors Zoe Frizzell and Marissa Williams, says Waller. They’re work ethic set a tone for the rest of the usquad and earned them the top two honors given during the annual banquet.
“Those two are some of the hardest workers I know,” he said. “They take care of business in the classroom and on the field. They are great athletes and great young ladies. Any coach would be blessed to coach them.”
Frizzell was voted as the Most Valuable Player by her teammates and Williams earned the Iron Man Ward for her efforts as a leadoff batter and left fielder
Frizzell carried a .464 batting average to lead the team. She had 26 hits in 56 at-bats and was first in runs scored (17) and second in RBIs (11). She also had three triples for another team-high.
Williams had the third-best batting average, hitting .455 from the leadoff position. She had 25 hits in 55 at-bats and had a third-best 14 runs.
Junior Makaela Burgess was voted the Battlin’ Bulldawg – an award given for the most improved player.
Burgess struggled early in the season but progressed as the district season rolled around to become one of the top hitters on the team and solid defensively.
“She improved her batting over the course of the season,” said Waller. “She was struggling a little bit at the beginning but made some tweaks and found some things that worked. She improved both defensively and offensively.”
Burgess finished the season as the fourth best batter with a .422 average. She was 19 for 45 at the plate with four extra base hits, seven RBIs and 10 runs. Burgess hit .485 in District 12-6A play and the playoffs for third best on the team.
The Offensive Player of the Year award was fittingly shared by a pair of girls that led in many of the offensive statistics.
Juniors Tessa Fain and Peyton Choate shared the honor after combining for six home runs, 27 RBIs and 21 runs.
“It was hard for the girls to choose just one,” said Waller. “Stat-wise, they were the ones that accounted for the majority of our runs.”
Fain finished just .02 behind Frizzell atop the batting average chart with a .462. She had three doubles, a triple and three home runs to go along with 10 RBIs and 11 runs. She also had a .897 fielding percentage with 91 putouts and caught five runners stealing as a catcher.
Choate finished with a.400 batting average, led the team in RBIs with 17, led in doubles with nine and tied Fain for the most home runs.
Last, but not least, junior pitcher Elana Montanez vos voted as the Defensive Player of the Year with her efforts in the circle.
She finished the season with a 4.004 earned run average. She allowed 53 earned runs on 119 hits in 92.2 innings. She also recorded 105 strikeouts to just 36 walks. She also carried a .385 batting average, had nine RBIs, nine runs and carried a .897 fielding percentage.
“She did a good job in the circle and did a good job fielding from the position,” said Waller.
Waller is, of course, sad to see his seniors go but knows the experienced gained by all those returning should pay huge dividends next season if they continue to work hard in the offseason, says Waller.
“It is (huge),” he said. “We’re going to be a seniorladen team next year that has been to the playoffs and has that experience. It all comes down to them coming back next year and transferring that leadership that preceded them and making their own path and going as far as they can go.”