LUMBERTON — The following are the 2019 selections for the All-County softball team. They were selected from the six county high school teams.
Those with a “*” were 2016 All-County selections and those with a “^” were 2017 All-County selections and those with a “+” were 2018 All-County selections.
Coach of the Year
Mackie Register, Lumberton: Leading the Lady Pirates to their second Robeson County Slugfest title in three years as well as a county-best 18-7 record, Register takes best skipper honors. He guided the team to a third-place finish in the Sandhills Athletic Conference, handing league champion Richmond its only regular season loss in the process.
Register also directed the squad to its’ fifth straight NCHSAA 4A playoffs appearance, where it fell to the eventual East Region champions Hoggard.
Register’s take: “I have a great coaching staff. When you surround yourself with good people, good things happen. I’m really honored, but it’s the coaches and the players who are the reasons why I got the award.”
Player of the Year
*^+Madison Canady, Lumberton, INF, Sr.: A league-leading .486 batting average along with 39 RBIs and 11 doubles helped Canady take the outright award for the second year in a row. As Lumberton’s all-time leading hitter, Canady now has had at least a share of the honor in all four seasons.
The senior slugger also tacked on a Robeson County Slugfest MVP after pacing the field with 12 RBIs in the three-day tournament. On the infield, she yielded a .939 fielding percentage as the starting shortstop.
Canady’s take: “Me being a senior, I came in with really high expectations to do as well as I did every other year. I’ve gotten it (player of the year) all three years and the pressure was on, I needed to get it my senior year. I knew I had to turn it on for us to have multiple chances.”
Register’s take: “She had the year I was expecting her to have. She had to show a lot of maturity because people were pitching around her so much and I thought she grew as a player in that way, too.”
Pitcher of the Year
*^+Morgan Britt, Lumberton, Sr.: The Sandhills Athletic Conference co-Pitcher of the Year took home county honors for the first time as a four-year starter with the Lady Pirates. Britt posted a career-low 1.79 ERA and pitched four no-hitters. She also collected a county-best 138 strikeouts.
Britt’s take: “The tight games, they (offense) came together late and started hitting the ball really good. Once we got ahead some, it kind of got some of the pressure off me.”
Register’s take: “After coming off last year with the injuries, for her to bounce back, I was real happy for her. She put in the work and it gave us a chance to be one of the elite teams in the state.”
Most Improved Player
Trinity Locklear, Purnell Swett, Sr.: The senior infielder posted her best season with the Lady Rams, reaching career highs in batting average (.423), hits (24) and on-base percentage (.444) as the lead-off hitter for a loaded lineup.
Trinity Locklear’s take: “I worked a lot this winter in the offseason on my slapping. I had to work hard this year because it was my senior year. It’s very exciting, it feels great because last year I didn’t get any awards.”
Purnell Swett coach William Deese’s take: “From last year to this year, she was probably one of our most improved batters. She’s a relentless worker. She actually became a spark for us. Her progression was great.”
Freshman of the Year
Chandra Locklear, Purnell Swett, Fr.: The newcomer continued the momentum from last summer as a member of the Dixie Youth Softball World Series team and had one of the most consistent bats in the lineup. Locklear led the Lady Rams with 31 hits and sported a .383 batting average. Inside the circle, Locklear finished with a team-low.121 ERA and seven walked batters in 11 appearances.
Chandra Locklear’s take: “My teammates cheered me on. “I always have this saying in my mind that, ‘I can do it.’ I’m happy. I got two other freshmen (on the team) that were good competition…they pushed me a lot.”
Deese’s take: “Coming in, I didn’t know what to expect from her or the other freshman. Chan started out hot and just never stopped.”
Starters
P: *^+JaiLeana Deese, Sr., Purnell Swett: Last year’s Pitcher of the Year award winner, Deese led the Lady Rams with seven wins in 68 1/3 innings pitched. At the plate, led the team with a .446 batting average, 20 RBIs and five home runs.
C: *^+Kasey West, Sr., Lumberton: The senior captain was rock solid behind the plate, finishing the year with a perfect fielding percentage. West hit .337 at the plate and provided clutch hits down the stretch to drive in runs, finishing the year second on the team with 24 RBIs.
INF: Angelica Locklear, Fr., Purnell Swett: A key piece of a talented freshman class, Locklear was one of the team’s best hitters, ending the season third in hits, while tallying 15 RBIs. She also proved to be a reliable starter at first base with a .979 fielding percentage.
INF: Kenija McGougan, Sr., St. Pauls: The veteran shortstop wrapped up her career leading the Lady Bulldogs with a .375 batting average, 10 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
INF: *^Mackenzie Johnson, Sr., Fairmont: Johnson’s .318 batting average was second on the team and she provided security at third base as a four-year starter.
INF: Summer Bullard, Fr., Purnell Swett: Another versatile Lady Rams freshman who finished second on the team with 18 RBIs and was first with 54 strikeouts inside the circle.
OF: ^Ashley Prevatte, Sr., Lumberton: Rounding out the Lady Pirates’ lineup, Prevatte finished third on the team with a .381 batting average. She also had a .915 fielding percentage.
OF: Rachel O’Neil, Sr., Lumberton: The Lady Pirates center fielder was third on the team with 16 RBIs and boasted one of the more sure-handed gloves with a .929 fielding percentage.
OF: Haliya Williamson, Jr., South Robeson: Williamson was a valuable piece for South Robeson this year with a .294 batting average and she scored 20 runs behind a .357 on-base percentage.
Reserves
Katlyn Jones, C, Sr., Purnell Swett: .333 BA, 16 RBIs, .986 fielding percentage.
Katelyn Culbreth, INF, Jr., Lumberton: .289 BA, 13 RBIs, 4HR, .991 fielding percentage.
Tristen Locklear, C, So., Red Springs: team-leader in hits, RBIs.
+Kaitlyn Hunt, C, Jr., Fairmont: .489 BA.
Solara Blue, RHP, Sr., Red Springs: An 8-10 record as the Lady Red Devils ace.
Individual awards and team selections were made by Donnell Coley and Jonathan Bym, with the help of Tony Chavis.
