ALL-AREA SOFTBALL TEAM
All-Area First Team
Honorable Mention
Amanda Bayerlein
Carol Giuffrida
Nicole McHenry
Sara Burgos
Carissa Licata
Alex Hartley
Rachel Rahal
Maddie Brister
Janira Guzman
Alicia Mello
Sarah Davis
Miesha McBride
Caitlin Justice
Andrea Sempsrott
Taylor Strickland
PLAYER OF THE YEAR SAM HARRELL
AMANDA BAYERLEINFort Pierce Central senior pitcherStats: Went 11-7 with 1 save, 117 strikeouts; batted .389 with 13 RBIs
MADDIE BRISTERVero Beach freshman catcherStats: .398 batting average, 1 home run, 20 RBIs, 16 RBIs
SARA BURGOSTreasure Coast freshman outfielderStats: .424 batting average, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 9 RBIs
SARAH DAVISOkeechobee junior first basemanStats: .405 batting average, 4 home runs, 24 RBIs, 19 runs
CAROL GIUFFRIDAJensen Beach senior shortstopStats: .282 batting average, 3 home runs, 18 RBIs, 16 runs scored
JANIRA GUZMANSt. Lucie West Centennial senior catcherStats: .453 batting average, 6 home runs, 22 RBIs
ALEX HARTLEY Lincoln Park junior center fielderStats: .585 batting average, 1 home run, 15 RBIs All-Area Spring Sports Schedule
SUNDAY
Girls TennisMONDAY
Boys TennisTUESDAY
Girls TrackWEDNESDAY
Boys TrackTHURSDAY
Girls LacrosseFRIDAY
Boys LacrosseSATURDAY
SoftballSUNDAY
Baseball
CAITLIN JUSTICEJensen Beach senior catcherStats: .315 batting average, 12 RBIs, 14 runs scored
CARISSA LICATAOkeechobee sophomore center fielderStats: .386 batting average, 1 home run, 8 RBIs, 21 runs scored
MIESHA MCBRIDELincoln Park senior catcher Stats: .388 batting average, 1 home run, 13 RBIs
NICOLE MCHENRYSt. Lucie West Centennial senior shortstopStats: .556 batting average, 8 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, 35 runs scored
ALICIA MELLOVero Beach senior third basemanStats: .330 batting average, three doubles, 13 RBIs
RACHEL RAHALJohn Carroll senior third basemanStats: .304 batting average, 2 home runs, 22 RBIs, 19 runs scored
ANDREA SEMPSROTTMaster’s Academy sophomore pitcherStats: Went 8-2 with 2.15 ERA, and50 strikeouts; batted .488 with 27 runs scored
TAYLOR STRICKLANDLincoln Park freshman pitcherStats: Went 18-5 with a 0.39 ERA and 162 strikeouts; batted .313 with 14 RBIs
BREANNA ALTIZERPort St. Lucie junior third baseman
LAUREN ASHESt. Lucie West Centennial senior second baseman
TORI BETHELSebastian River junior first baseman
ASHLEY CREELFort Pierce Westwood senior left fielder
BROOKE DEANJohn Carroll junior catcher
MCKAYLA ELAMMaster’s Academy junior infielder
MEREDITH FLYNNSt. Lucie West Centennial junior first baseman
KAYLI GEBHARDTSouth Fork freshman shortstop
AUTUMN GREENVero Beach freshman pitcher
MEGAN GUEVAREZPort St. Lucie sophomore shortstop
KENDALL HEDGECOCKVero Beach senior shortstop
TORI JOHNSONFort Pierce Central freshman catcher
HOLLY JONESJensen Beach junior pitcher
TAYLOR MARTINLincoln Park freshman shortstop
SHANESSA REESFort Pierce Central junior third baseman/pitcher
CAT RIZZUTIJensen Beach senior first baseman
MICHAELA SIHLERTreasure Coast sophomore infielder
ASHLEY WATSONOkeechobee senior utility
DIAMOND WILSONMartin County senior pitcher
EMILY WILKINSONPort St. Lucie junior pitcher
By Jon Santucci Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers
OKEECHOBEE — Sam Harrell stands in the middle of the pitching circle a lot like a poker player.
She wears sunglasses to keep hit-ters from knowing which of her five pitches she might throw. She’s su-premely focused on the task at hand and refuses to give in or give up.
“She has the mentality that she’s not going to lose,” Okeechobee coach Christina Bragman said. “She had a phenomenal season. She practiced hard, pitched well, averaged 10 strikeouts a game and worked hard on her movement.
“She was just eager to pitch her heart out.”
Harrell was outstanding all year, but took her game to another level in the postseason.
After a closer-than-expected dis-trict semifinal — in which Harrell finished with a shutout but left the bases loaded for the final out of the game — she threw three consecutive shutouts to help Okeechobee reach the regional championship game.
For her efforts, Harrell is the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers Softball All-Area Player of the Year.
“I just wanted to lead my team fur-ther than we’ve ever gone before,”
said Harrell, who broke her own single-season strikeout record with 222. “None of the girls had ever gone that far before. We had a young team and they gave it their all.
“Toward the end, I really felt like I was on my game.”
Harrell’s postseason dominance
started with a one-hitter against Martin County in the District 12-7A championship game.
She then helped Okeechobee beat a pair of teams that had reached the Final Four in 2011. First it was a two-hitter against Sarasota, then a 10-strikeout performance against Bradenton-Braden River in the re-gional semifinal.
“I was just focused on leaving ev-erything on the field,” said Harrell, who has signed with Brevard Com-munity College. “I just tried to block everyone else out and make sure all of my spins were moving.”
Harrell started pitching when she was 7 years old and throws a screw-ball, rise ball, curveball, changeup and drop ball. She describes herself as a junk-ball pitcher who favors her screwball as an out-pitch.
She said she threw the screwball more than any other during the playoffs.
“If it’s a right-handed batter, the ball moves from left to right on the hands of the batter,” Harrell said. “I try to keep the batters guessing. Hit-ting is all about timing and I try to interrupt it.
“I think I did a good job this year, but I wish I could have took my team to states this year, though.
“All in all, it was a pretty good year.”
Cool and confidentSam Harrell kept batters guessing all season as
Okeechobee advanced to the regional final
Sam HarrellOkeechobee senior pitcherStats: Harrell posted a 14-4 record with a 1.26 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 150.1 innings pitched. She also had a .313 batting average with five doubles, one triple, 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored. Harrell was outstanding in the postseason, throwing three consecutive shutouts to help Okeechobee reach the Region 3-7A final.Okeechobee coach Christina Bragman: “She had a lot of movement on her pitches and she always strives hard and she stays on top. She never liked to fall behind. If she were to walk somebody or give up a hit, she’s coming back with three straight strikes and challenging the batter. She just had the mentality, ‘You’re not going to beat me.’ ”
Player of the Year
First Team continued
ALEX BOERNER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Okeechobee High School’s Sam Harrell is the 2012 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Girls Soft-ball Player of the Year after helping the Brahmans reach the Region 3-7A championship game.
Sarah GilloolySchool: Fort Pierce Central Years with team: 3This season: After starting the season 0-4, Fort Pierce Central finished the year 12-7 for its first winning season since 1997. The Cobras took Region 3-7A finalist Okeechobee to the brink in the District 12-7A semifinal, loading the bases in the seventh inning before falling 5-3. Central was the only team to score against Okeechobee pitcher Sam Harrell in the Brahmans’ first four postseason games. Quotable: “I am so proud of the season that our girls had. They worked so hard as a group and that’s why we had the year we had — because we worked together. I can’t even tell you how proud I am of those girls.”
Coach of the Year
The TeamThe 2012 All-Area Softball Team was compiled by Jon Santucci.
6C » Saturday, June 9, 2012 » S C R I P P S T R E A S U R E C O A S T N E W S PA P E R S » T C
Top Related