May 27—Patience paid off for longtime Daviess County High School slugger Jessie Daniels this spring.

The graduation of eight seniors from the 2022 team left the formidable Daniels with less protection, but she trusted coach John Biggs' mantra to remain selective at the plate, and it led to a monster season — and her second consecutive Messenger-Inquirer Area Player of the Year award.

"It's been my best season — my numbers are up," said Daniels, a 5-foot-8 senior first baseman who belted 17 homers, drove in 58 runs and batted .520, adding eight doubles, two triples and scoring 35 runs. "I think I bonded with the team more this year, and I played with more overall confidence.