All-Daily Record 2022: Softball

It was a historic season for softball in The Daily Record's coverage area, with three local teams making state runs, highlighted by Triway winning a state championship and proving itself as one of the top teams in the entire country.

A list of top players in the area had to have an inordinate number of players from the three state teams — Hillsdale, Triway and Tuslaw. And that's exactly how it shook out, with 13 of the 15 All-Daily Record first team spots going to Falcons, Titans or Mustangs.

Here are the 2022 All-Daily Record softball teams (in alphabetical order):

FIRST TEAM 

Olivia Amstutz, Northwestern, soph. 

Northwestern took a little bit to hit its stride and a big part of that was Amstutz emerging into a true ace as a sophomore. Down the stretch, Amstutz was dominant as the Huskies marched all the way to a district title.  ... First-team All-WCAL ... 88⅔ IP, 11-2, 1.82 ERA, 103 Ks, 24 BBs; .316 AVG, .411 OBP, 1 HR, 7 doubles, 26 RBIs, 13 runs

Lillian Bucher, Tuslaw, jr. 

A consistent hitter with a great glove at second base, Bucher was instrumental in leading the Mustangs to their first state appearance in program history. ... First-team All-PAC-7 ... .411 AVG, .516 OBP, 1 HR, 5 doubles, 21 RBIs, 28 runs, 11 walks

Karena Burgess, Loudonville, soph. 

The Redbirds took a big step forward in 2022 and Burgess was a big part of that. Her breakout season put her among the best hitters in the area as she leads a young Loudonville team into a bright future. ... MBC Player of the Year ... .470 AVG, .465 OBP, 3 HRs, 8 doubles, 7 triples, 35 RBIs, 30 runs; 20 IP, 2-0, 1.40 ERA, 20 Ks, 8 BBs

Belle Dalton, Hillsdale, soph. 

Talk about a breakout year. After a successful freshman campaign, Dalton couldn't have played much better than she did in 2020, reaching base almost 3/4s of the time she came up to the plate. Her quick maturation put Hillsdale a year ahead of schedule and helped bring the Falcons WCAL, district and regional titles. ... Div. IV second-team All-Ohio, first-team All-WCAL ... .662 AVG, .725 OBP, 8 HRs, 15 doubles, 42 RBIs, 35 runs, 11 BBs

Emma Flinner, Triway, jr. 

There weren't many players in the area with a better swing than Flinner. She made that known all year, smacking eight home runs, including three in a single game. Her power in the No. 6 spot gave Triway the type of scary depth that made it one of the top teams in the nation. ... Div. II honorable mention All-Ohio, first-team All-PAC-7 ... .500 AVG, .537 OBP, 8 HRs, 12 doubles, 2 triples, 48 RBIs, 29 runs, 5 walks

Mollie Goon, Hillsdale, soph. 

Another one of Hillsdale's sensational underclassmen, Goon proved herself as one of the area's best hitters, blasting 16 extra-base hits and getting on base nearly half the time. She should be fixture near the top of the lineup during her final two years too. ... Second-team All-WCAL ... .455 AVG, .495 OBP, 6 HRs, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 38 RBIs, 26 runs, 9 walks, 9 steals

Macaira Fox, Tuslaw, sr. 

A standout defender in center, Fox also came up huge with her bat during Tuslaw's playoff run. During Tuslaw's regional semi and state semi wins, Fox drove in four runs combined, including a two-run homer against South Range. ... First-team All-PAC-7 ... .357 AVG, .440 OBP, 3 HRs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 18 RBIs, 33 runs, 14 walks

Katie Hoffa, Triway, sr. 

The only one of Triway's seven seniors who wasn't a part of the program as a freshman was a huge part of things as a senior, bringing consistency in the middle of the order. Hoffa was the only Titan with multiple hits in the state championship game and excelled at finding the gaps in the infield and outfield. ... .479 AVG, .500 OBP, 1 HR, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 32 RBIs, 29 runs, 5 walks

Hailey Massaro, Triway, sr. 

If there have been better high school hitters in Wayne County softball history, there aren't many. Every ball off the bat of Massaro carried a little extra integrity. With a much tougher schedule and a lingering shoulder injury, it was always going to be impossible for Massaro to match her 2021 numbers (.589, 14 HRs, 86 RBIs), but she still proved why she's a big-time college prospect headed to Ohio State. ... Div. II first-team All-Ohio, first-team All-PAC-7 ... .505 AVG, .513 OBP, 8 HRs, 15 doubles, 2 triples, 63 RBIs, 39 runs, 5 walks, 6 steals

Hanna Massaro, Triway, soph. 

The younger Massaro sister played her best during Triway's tournament run, going 12-for-22 with a home run, seven RBIs and nine runs scored over the Titans' seven playoff wins. She played stellar defense in left field all year and gives the Titans a next-level player to count on for the next few seasons as they try to stay on top. ... .402 AVG, .414 OBP, 4 HRs, 10 doubles, 1 triple, 28 RBIs, 23 runs, 3 walks, 9 steals

Taylor Morgan, Hillsdale, jr. 

Morgan's transformation into a true ace was perhaps the biggest difference-maker for Hillsdale this season. After pitching 31⅓ as a sophomore, Morgan became the No. 1 pitcher every great softball needs, striking out 1.78 batters per inning during a dominant year while giving the Falcons another reliable bat in the order. ... Div. IV honorable mention All-Ohio, WCAL Most Valuable Player ... 136 IP, 19-2, 1.70 ERA, 242 Ks, 43 BBs; .333 AVG, .412 OBP, 2 HRs, 9 doubles, 20 RBIs, 6 runs, 12 walks

Haylee Pruitt, Triway, sr. 

After batting at the bottom of Triway's lineup as a junior, Pruitt assumed the No. 3 spot in the order as a senior and delivered over and over again. In a loaded lineup, nobody got on base at a better rate than Pruitt. ... First-team All-PAC-7 ... .478 AVG, .563 OBP, 1 HR, 12 doubles, 36 RBIs, 33 runs

Meridith Rankl, Tuslaw, sr. 

While it's fairly common in high school softball for a team's top pitcher to double as its top hitter, it wasn't so common in the area this season. However, Rankl clearly carried each of those distinctions for the Mustangs, destroying the ball as a batter and carrying the Mustangs in the circle during their run to the state title game. ... Div. III first-team All-Ohio, first-team All-PAC-7 ... .473 AVG, .505 OBP, 8 HRs, 13 doubles, 46 RBIs, 33 runs, 6 walks; 141 IP, 14-6, 1.74 ERA, 219 Ks, 25 BBs

Carter Wachtel, Triway, soph.

It's hard to start a career better than what Wachtel's done over her freshman and sophomore years. She's proven herself as one of Ohio's top pitchers, going 47-4 while allowing just 50 earned runs over those seasons. Batting at the top of the order, Wachtel is a two-way player that doesn't come around often. And she's still got two years to go. ... Div. II first team All-Ohio, PAC-7 Player of the Year ... 159⅓ IP, 25-1, 0.84 ERA, 308 Ks, 21 BBs; .454 AVG, .556 OBP, 1 HR, 13 doubles, 1 triple, 26 RBIs, 15 runs, 22 walks

Emily Yacapraro, Triway, sr. 

In a lineup full of power hitters, Yacapraro's slap hitting kept opponents off balance. Using her elite speed, Yacapraro could turn routine ground balls and bunts into base hits like nobody else in the area. And once Yacapraro was on base, there was a good chance she was scoring. Her athleticism made almost every ball hit near center field catchable as well. ... .450 AVG, .545 OBP, 2 doubles, 15 RBIs, 58 runs, 20 walks, 20 steals; 31 IP, 5-1, 2.94 ERA, 32 Ks, 9 BBs

SECOND TEAM

Paige Becker, Wooster; Alexa Cottrell, Norwayne; Madison Fatzinger, Triway; Lacey Fickes, Hillsdale; Emma Hudson, Triway; Camryn Kiefer, Tuslaw; Kylie Johnson, Tuslaw; Anna Metsker, Norwayne; Kaitlyn Miller, Waynedale; Michaela Miller, Chippewa; Kylie Ohl, Hillsdale; Ava Panaciulli, Chippewa; Daylie Rickard, Northwestern; Jadyn Roper, Norwayne; Brooklyn Schlabach, Waynedale; Alexis Vazquez, Dalton; Lacey Walters, Waynedale; Kenzie Woods, West Holmes

HONORABLE MENTION 

Natalee Buzzard, Loudonville; Brandie Cooper, Tuslaw; Brooke Christine, Loudonville; Avery Garver, Northwestern; Kenzie Gatti, Waynedale; Averi Haley, Orrville; Julia Larrison, Norwayne; Goldie Layton, Loudonville; Kaitlyn Mazzocca, Tuslaw; Miriam Peterson, Tuslaw; Joey Reynolds, Dalton; Lily Rieman, Norwayne; Jacey Sermulis, Hillsdale; Emma Stanley, Waynedale; Courtney Stewart, Chippewa; Keegan Uhl, West Holmes; Payton VanSickle, Loudonville; Brooklyn Yoder, Waynedale

Editor's Note: Look for other spring All-Daily Record teams in the coming days. End-of-year awards will follow. 

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: All-Daily Record 2022: Softball