It was another good year for Panther softball.
After an 18-8 season ending in Round 2 of the state playoffs, seven Panthers were recently named to the All-Mountain Eight Conference team, including five First Team selections and two Honorable Mentions. Three of these players are listed below, to be continued in next week’s edition.
Meliah Mason
A senior earning her second All-Conference nod, Meliah Mason was a key player on offense and defense.
At the plate she was one of Franklin’s best power hitters, finishing second on the team and fourth conference-wide with six home runs. She ranked fourth among Panthers in slugging percentage (.662) and extra-base hits (14), fifth in runs batted in (21) and runs scored (20), and sixth in doubles (8) and total hits (23).
At first base she also boasted one of the team’s surest gloves, finishing third in fielding percentage (.938). In 97 total chances she posted just six errors and a team-leading four double plays.
“Meliah Mason has played first for us the last two years, and has hit some big home runs,” said head coach Bobby Bishop of the Honorable Mention. “When I counted it up I think she hit four or five last year and six this year, so she's in double digits for her career, and that's pretty good.
She drove in some big runs in some big games. A couple of them come to mind – a couple of West Henderson games, and I think a couple of the Enka games – so she’s been a good player.”
Makayla Pendergrass
Makayla Pendergrass capped her senior year with a second All-Conference nod.
In just 60 plate appearances Pendergrass punched above her weight, finishing sixth on the team in RBIs (17). She was also one of seven Panthers to record a home run this year, and finished eighth in hits (17) and runs scored (14). Among players with more than 50 plate appearances, she also ranked eighth in batting average (.298).
In left field she finished eighth with a .900 fielding percentage, posting 17 put-outs, an assist and just two errors in 20 total chances.
“Makayla Pendergrass played in the outfield for us the last couple of years, and got a lot of big hits for us,” said Bishop of the Honorable Mention. “She drove in some runs, and between those two seniors, Kendall [Rumans] and Ashlyn [McConnell], they’ve laid a good foundation for us these last couple of years. It's going to hurt losing those seniors, but we've got some good ones coming back.”
Alyssa Awtrey
Already one of Franklin’s top players from Day 1, Alyssa Awtrey burst onto the scene as a freshman.
At the plate she joined the team as a readymade power hitter, finishing second on the team in extra-base hits (18) and third in RBIs (33) and slugging percentage (.788). Her four home runs ranked third on the team and tied for sixth in the conference, while her RBIs ranked third and eighth.
Far from a one-tool hitter however, she was also quite consistent, finishing third on the team in runs scored (30), fourth in total hits (35) and fourth in batting average (.438) among Panthers with more than 50 plate appearances. Her runs scored total ranked 10th conference-wide, while her four stolen bases were good for fourth on the team.
In the outfield she ranked sixth on the team in fielding percentage (.900), posting just three errors and a double play in 30 total chances. In five appearances on the mound she posted Franklin’s second-best earned runs average (5.68), allowing seven hits and recording a save in 12 and one-third innings.
“Alyssa Awtry was a freshman that came in, played in the outfield a lot but did play in the infield some for us here and there, and pitched some innings for us especially at the beginning of the season,” said Bishop of the First Team selection. “We were just trying to figure out who was going to do what, but she pitched some innings for us and wound up being one of our top hitters, and hit some home runs for us, drove in some runs and did an excellent job at that. [Awtrey has played] just one year, but seems like a very good kid and is willing to play wherever I put her, and that means a whole lot.”
Will Woolever can be reached at sports@thefranklinpress.com.