Eight NTL softball players earn all-state honors.
By: Brian Fees | Towanda Daily Review | July 28, 2012 | Photo courtesy Brian Fees
2012 NTL and District 4 News
It was another successful season for area softball teams, and now the players are earning recognition for their success, with eight NTL players earning all-state honors on Thursday, three of them getting first-team nods.
Northeast Bradford's Calla Martin was the NTL East player of the year after hitting .422 with 31 runs scored, 25 RBI and six home runs this year and for that she earned first-team honors in Class A at shortstop.
"It's definitely an accomplishment," Martin said.
Just a sophomore, Martin hopes that she motivates younger players, including her own family.
"I know definitely my younger sisters look up to me so it makes them want to achieve more now," she said.
Martin wasn't the only Northeast Bradford player honored as fellow sophomore Chelsie Souto made second team as a pitcher after going 14-0 with a 1.58 ERA and 136 strikeouts and junior MaKaylah Holbert made honorable mention as an infielder.
"To know that three of our main infielders made it and are coming back gives us a great boost of confidence," Martin said.
Hennip knows how special it is to have three underclassmen make all-state.
"I'm very proud of all three of those kids," he said. "The great news for us is they are all coming back next year. We will have another couple of years with Chelsie and Calla and another year with MaKaylah.
"We have been pretty fortunate the last three years, we have had one of our players make some sort of all-state team each year. Hopefully the younger kids see that. These kids work awfully hard at the game of softball and it's nice to see them have some recognition for it."
While Martin was the NTL player of the year and Souto was the league pitcher of the year, Holbert is going to be a senior on the team next year, and Hennip hopes this gives her a little added confidence.
"It certainly can help with her confidence," he said. "We are planning on her being a leader for our team next year. It's a good confidence for her."
Canton's Morgan Palmer made the first team as a designated player/hitter after hitting .592 with seven home runs. Palmer is headed to Lock Haven next season to play softball.
"I'm very excited, it makes me feel like everything I worked toward was put to good use," she said. "Everything I worked so hard to accomplish is being noticed."
Palmer knows that to get recognized on a team that didn't advance to the postseason can be a challenge.
"Definitely, like Northeast Bradford they made it very far and a lot of them got noticed," she said. "For me to be able to make it out on top on a not so winning team is really great. It's an awesome feeling to know people are watching and noticing. It's a confidence booster to know I can play with just about anyone."
For Palmer to hit .592 and have the power she did, and earn first-team all-state honors, is extremely gratifying because she had always been told her size would hold her back.
"I'm only five-feet tall and my mom always told me dynamite comes in small packages," Palmer said. "It's great knowing small people can do great things. When I first started playing softball everyone told me my height was going to be a hindering situation for me. Now, I'm going to a D2 school and it's a great feeling."
Wyalusing's Laci Holdren hit .492 with 30 runs scored during her senior season and earned second-team all-state honors at shortstop for the Rams.
In Class AA Troy's Katie Jackson earned first-team honors in the outfield after hitting .442 with 19 runs scored.
Jackson was never a player to put up flashy numbers or hit for power, so she never really saw herself earning an honor like this.
"It really is quite an honor," she said. "I wasn't expecting anything like this. I don't think of myself as being a great player, because I don't hit home runs, I don't do stuff like that. It's nice that they recognized the stuff besides home runs."
A player who plays strong defense and gets on base, Jackson hopes that maybe this recognition will inspire other players to do the little things for their team.
"The low key players might not always get recognized, but maybe they have a chance to get recognized now," Jackson said. "I hope it inspires them to work hard and push to receive an award like this. With good coaching, you can have a great season."
When Jackson first joined varsity she was on the district championship team for Troy that included all-state players like Kate Pratt and Courtney Mattocks. Never did she imagine she would earn those same honors.
"No, when I came onto the team as a freshman I couldn't even picture my senior year," she said. "I never thought I could get the same awards as they got when I was younger."
Towanda sophomore Koryn Wickwire hit .528 with 35 RBI and 25 runs scored this year and earned second-team all-state honors in Class AA as a shortstop.
"I'm extremely happy for Koryn," Towanda coach Bryan Fuller said. "She hit the ball real hard this year. It's quite a reward, quite an achievement."
Fuller hopes that this recognition just motivates Wickwire even more.
"I hope it helps her a lot," he said. "She just needs to continue to work hard, just continue to be who Koryn is, a hard dedicated worker who loves to play softball."
Fuller is sure that the honor will be special to Wickwire.
"This will mean a lot to Koryn that she has been recognized by the state of Pennsylvania as one of the best ballplayers in the state."
He also hopes it inspires the other players on the team.
'I hope it flows over to the other girls, to show them with some hard work, some dedication to yourself that they are capable of playing at a high level."
After helping to guide the Athens Wildcats to their first ever District 4, Class AAA final, Athens junior Christin Dunkling earned second-team all-state honors at first base. Dunkling hit .414 with 14 extra base hits and she scored 16 runs this season.
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