Once again, Panther softball had some of the best talent in the mountains this year.
At the end of the spring season, which saw Franklin accrue a 15-4 record and finish second in a tough Mountain Seven, the conference’s coaches met for their annual postseason meeting to discuss M7C business and select an All-Conference team. There, nine Panthers were named All-M7C for 2024 (seven First Team and two Honorable Mention), including five who were later named All-State by the N.C. Softball Coaches’ Association. Last week The Press recounted the seasons of four of these nine players; the other five are listed below.
Kendall Rumans
This season’s Mountain Seven Player of the Year and a two-time All-State selection, Kendall Rumans has seemingly arrived as Franklin’s next great softball star. A five-tool player and ace pitcher on the mound, the sophomore led the team in nearly every statistical category.
Batting second in Franklin’s lineup, Rumans was the conference’s best hitter by nearly any measure, leading the Mountain Seven in average (.561), home runs (12), RBIs (41), runs scored (36), slugging percentage (1.333) and on-base percentage (.633). Her 37 total hits and 26 extra-base hits also led all Panthers, while her four strikeouts in 66 at-bats tied McConnell for lowest on the team. She often seemed to make hurlers wary of throwing her pitches in the zone, also leading the team in walks with 13.
On the mound Rumans did double duty as Franklin’s top-of-the-rotation pitcher, starting 15 of the team’s 19 games and accruing an 11-4 record. The sophomore’s 11 wins were good for first conference-wide, as was her 2.81 earned runs average among pitchers with more than 30 innings. She also finished third in the conference in strikeouts with 96, dealing more than two for every one of her 45 walks.
When opponents did make contact, Rumans was one of the Mountain Seven’s surest gloves, finishing second conference-wide with a .984 fielding percentage. In 62 total chances on the mound or elsewhere in the infield the sophomore committed just one error, racking up 25 put-outs, 36 assists and three double plays.
“Kendall had a great year at the plate as far as hitting home runs, driving runs in, keeping a high average. She pitched a lot for us and did a great job in both scenarios,” said head coach Bobby Bishop. “Kendall’s another one of those players who plays a lot during the summer and fall before the cold weather gets here, and it makes a big difference if you can play that much. She’s a great kid, and never complains even when I ask her to play [other positions]. … She’s willing to do whatever we ask her to do, and that means a whole lot.”
Delaney Stiles
An Honorable Mention last year and a First Team selection in 2024, Delaney Stiles brought her Panther career to a fitting end. Franklin’s everyday left fielder and one of its most powerful hitters, Stiles tied fellow senior Laura Holland for third on the team with two home runs, adding 11 hits, three doubles, six RBIs, 12 runs scored and a stolen base on the year.
While Stiles’ home runs versus Murphy and Tuscola helped Franklin to big wins over area rivals, her true impact on the team’s offense went far beyond the stat sheet, as the senior regularly moved runners over with sacrifice bunts in key moments. Thanks to excellent pitching and infield defense from teammates, Stiles had just 13 total chances in left this year, recording eight put-outs.
“Delaney played really good this year, hit some home runs, drove in some runs, and did a lot of good things at the plate for us,” said Bishop. “She had quite a few sacrifices bunting people around, this, that and the other, but Delaney’s just always solid no matter what. Last year she even played a little bit of first base for us and probably would have done it this year some, but it just didn’t work out that way this year. … She did a super job for us in left field all year.”
Meyaeh Tran
Earning All-District honors and her second straight All-Conference nod, Meyaeh Tran played a key role for Franklin both at the plate and in the field. On defense Tran was one of the Mountain Seven’s best overall players, joining Rumans to form a deadly pitching duo and playing excellent infield defense. On the mound she finished fifth conference-wide with a .433 earned run average, posting a sterling 4-0 record in eight appearances. In 32 1/3 innings, she dealt 17 strikeouts to just three walks and one hit batter, allowing just 26 runs on 51 hits.
On the mound and elsewhere in the infield Tran had one of the conference’s surest gloves, also finishing fifth in fielding percentage at .973. In 74 total chances the senior committed just two errors, racking up 52 put-outs, 20 assists and four double plays.
Batting fifth in the Panther order, the senior had a knack for driving balls deep into the outfield, finishing third on the team with 20 RBIs on the year. She was also one of Franklin’s most disciplined hitters, finishing second on the team with 10 walks.
“Meyaeh pitched a little bit again this year, and I think her knees were still bothering her a little bit, but she never complained,” said Bishop. “If I needed her to pitch, whether it was a whole game, a couple innings or whatever, [she did it]. She played first base some this year, second base some this year, and never said, ‘Coach, I want to do this or I want to do that.’ … She hit the ball good for us, drove in runs, hit for good average. If I needed her to bunt, she’d bunt – she just did whatever you needed her to do.”
Jozy Dehart and
Layla Maloy
With Jozy Dehart and Layla Maloy both earning Honorable Mentions, all nine members of Franklin’s starting lineup received praise from Mountain Seven coaches this year.
A junior who has long excelled in the field, Dehart was an invaluable asset this year, starting games at multiple positions for the Panthers. On April 24 versus North Henderson, Dehart made what was perhaps Franklin’s defensive play of the year, catching a hard-hit line drive while crashing violently into the outfield wall. In 28 total chances, the junior posted 12 put-outs, 11 assists and two double plays.
On offense Dehart accrued a robust .295 average, racking up 13 hits including three doubles, four RBIs, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases.
“This year she played center some and second some, and of course unless somebody else comes out, she’s gonna be our only senior next year,” said Bishop. “As the year went on by the end of the season, she was actually hitting the ball really good. She had a bunch of good hits those last four, five, six games that we had [once] she kind of got the timing down on her swings, and she had a lot of sacrifices for us bunting people down.”
As Franklin’s everyday third baseman in just her freshman season, Layla Maloy should be an asset for years to come. After helping Macon Middle School to a conference title in 2023, Maloy joined the varsity team with a readymade skillset, finishing fifth among Panthers with a .375 average. Her 21 hits included three doubles and a triple, leading to 11 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
At third base Maloy posted a .906 fielding percentage, racking up 18 put-outs, 30 assists and two double plays in 53 total chances. She added three stolen bases on offense to round out one of Franklin’s best freshmen seasons in recent memory.
“Layla of course as a freshman came in and we had to move people around, and she just seemed to fit better at third,” said Bishop. “Next year she may play third, but she may play somewhere else. In practice we put her at second and in the outfield some, and I believe she could play any outfield position or infield position. I wouldn’t have a bit of problem with her playing anywhere we needed her to be. She got a lot of good hits this year in some crucial times, and laid down a ton of good bunts for us. She’s just an all-around good athlete.”