Local Sports
AMONG NATION’S BEST
Staff ReportsHANCEVILLE — The success of Wallace State’s softball team on the field the last two years has resulted in individual awards for the Lions off the field.
After coming within one win of a second consecutive National Junior College Athletic Association championship this season, coach Jayne Clem’s team had three players named NJCAA First Team All-Americans.
Sophomore Sallie Van Kirk along with freshmen Kelsey Dennis and Stephanie Needham received the honors last month.
Van Kirk, Dennis and Needham were also named to the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association All-South Region First Team, while sophomore Sallie Beth Burch was selected to the second team.
Dennis was also named the NJCAA Region XXII Player of the Year for her strong season on the mound. The Pelham High graduate finished the year with a 34-4 record and a 0.84 ERA. She struck out 340 batters in 249 1-3 innings and tossed 24 complete games.
Skinner complemented Dennis with a 19-2 record and a 1.38 ERA in 24 starts.
Needham served as Wallace’s biggest power threat. The Hewitt-Trussville graduate hit .457 with 15 homers and 71 RBIs. Needham was also the Alabama Community College Conference Tournament MVP after going 4-for-4 with six RBIs against Jeff State in the championship game.
Van Kirk, who battled through an ACL injury all season, recorded a .391 average and .447 on-base percentage. She finished with 29 steals and 39 RBIs.
Burch, a Lawrence County product, hit .346 with six homers and 41 RBIs.
Van Kirk and Burch were part of a sophomore class that will be remembered for bringing a national title to Hanceville as freshmen.
“To see those girls mature as players and accomplish what they did is amazing,” said Clem. “It was their goal to get back to the national tournament after they won it as freshmen. To get back and be one inning away from winning two in a row says a lot about their character and hard work.”
Dennis, Needham and Skinner highlight a solid core returning next season. They’ll be joined by a strong freshman class led West Morgan High’s Lauren Seibert, who recently was named as the Class 3A MVP and Pitcher of the Year after leading the school to its first state championship.
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PREP FOOTBALL: Postseason deja vu
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RECLASS SHAKES UP AREA
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