All-Johnson County softball superlative awards loaded with elite talent
Jul. 9—Six teams are represented among the Pinnacle Bank 2022 All-Johnson County softball superlative selections, just one of several indications of how successful a year it was overall for softball in the county.
With nine of the county's 10 teams qualifying for the postseason and eight of those nine teams winning at least one playoff round — in addition to four district champions — it all adds up to the most competitive, deep and talented All-Johnson County team ever assembled, regardless of sport.
While the talent pool in Johnson County from the 2022 season is deep across the board, it's equally stacked at the top with this year's superlative winners, who were some of the state's most productive players from Class 5A to Class 2A.
With such great elite players at the top, it made for some difficult decisions superlative-wise on this year's All-Johnson County team. And while difficult decisions were made, seven of the eight superlative awards still wound up as shared honors. While the Times-Review tries to avoid too many shared awards, when you consider these players' impacts on their respective teams' success and take a look at their statistics, you can see why we decided on so many shared honors.
Most Valuable Players
Due to the brilliance of several players, the 2022 All-Johnson County MVP is shared three ways, amongst a Class 5A, Class 4A and Class 3A player in Burleson Centennial sophomore pitcher/third baseman Bailey Lindemuth, Alvarado senior pitcher Jacey Power and Grandview shortstop Morgan Holliday, respectively.
Lindemuth hit .552 with a .612 on-base percentage and a stellar 1.427 slugging percentage as one of the state's most productive hitters. She recorded 71 RBIs, scored 55 runs, launched 19 home runs, recorded 37 total extra-base hits, drew 18 walks and stole 19 bases without getting caught once. She homered once in every 5.05 at-bats for the District 8-5A champion Lady Spartans.
As if those offensive numbers aren't enough to justify her MVP status, she also excelled as a pitcher with 165 strikeouts against 34 walks and 44 earned runs allowed in 122 2/3 innings for a 2.51 ERA against great competition in District 8-5A and a tough playoff path.
"Bailey had a great freshman season last year and that put a solid foundation for her to build on with a very good sophomore season this year," Centennial Coach Shannon Sullivan said. "She did a tremendous job this year. She faced all sorts of pitchers and did a good job no matter who she was facing. In the circle, of course, she took care of business. When she wasn't pitching, she played third base and did a tremendous job there. She was a great anchor for our team, not only on the field but in the weight room and during workouts. She was our leader by example. She works hard on and off the field. I'm excited to see what the future holds for her."
Likewise, Power put up remarkable numbers offensively and pitching as a driving force to the Lady Indians' 22-win season.
Power slashed .473/.536/.868 with 53 RBIs, 40 runs, 15 walks, 21 total extra-base hits and five homers offensively. In the circle, Power had a record of 21-7 as she pitched 146 of a possible 156 1/3 innings for Alvarado, with 199 strikeouts against, 91 walks and 61 earned runs for a 2.92 ERA.
"Being named All-Johnson County co-MVP will probably be something she'll remember for the rest of her life," Alvarado Coach Rick Waugh said. "She's a heck of a competitor and an all-around great kid. She's very deserving of the accolade. She was a huge piece of the team. She made us competitive game in and game out, both pitching and offensively."
Power had never pitched before until Waugh approached her about it after her sophomore season.
"I had a conversation with her about her being able to help the team as a pitcher and she said she'd be willing to do it," Waugh said. "Not only was she willing to do it but she bought in and started going to lessons and doing outside work instead of just throwing at school. She really bought in to it. She didn't really want to do it at first but she did it because that's the kind of kid she is. She's a team-first kind of player. And it's good to see those types of kids be recognized."
Holliday, the third member of this year's All-Johnson County MVP trio (3A MVP), wraps up her career as one of Johnson County's most productive softball players statistically. This season, Holliday slashed .556/.616/1.226 with 55 RBIs, 69 runs, an astonishing 41 extra-base hits — 13 doubles, 14 triples and 14 home runs — with 19 walks and 20 stolen bases in addition to stellar defensive play at shortstop.
"Morgan is a phenomenal shortstop, there's no doubt about it," Grandview Coach Leigh Ebner said. "She can cover ground from pop-ups to grounders to line drives, whatever. She's a phenomenal defensive shortstop and she's a great hitter. You always felt good having her up at the plate, no matter what the situation was. She's also a great baserunner. She can fly and runs the bases so well. She's just a well-rounded athlete. It shows whenever she goes out here, whether it's hitting, base running or fielding, she gives 100% every time. And she's got a great attitude and she's a team player. It all fits into place with her, she's a great kid. She'll be greatly missed by our program."
Offensive Players of the Year
A quick look at offensive stats from any of the players on this year's all-county first team and you might think any one of them would be worthy of offensive player of the year. And that would be the case in a normal year, but 2022 wasn't a normal year as numerous players in the county put up dominant offensive statistics. But Grandview's Faith Goodgion and Godley's Cadence Chambliess stand out as the co-offensive players of the year.
Chambliess boasted a ridiculous .576 batting average for the entire season to go along with a .644 on-base percentage and a .906 slugging percentage. For any player to get on base nearly 65% of the time for an entire season is incredible. Additionally, Chambliess recorded 27 RBIs, scored 37 runs and notched 19 extra-base hits — with only two strikeouts all season.
"What made Cadence an even better player this year after a great freshman season was, on top of what she did in the circle, she took her offensive game to another level," Godley Coach Rus Mayes said. "In district she hit .679, which is ridiculous, but she also hit .576 for the entire season. She consistently put the ball in play all season and had some power to go along with seemingly always being on base. She only struck out twice all year, which is pretty remarkable. I've coached a bunch of great ones, but I think two strikeouts in an entire season might be the lowest. It's pretty remarkable to hit five more triples than you had strikeouts for a season."
Goodgion was one of only three players in the county to hit above .500 with at least 50 RBIs and 50 runs — co-MVPs Lindemuth and Holliday were the other two. Goodgion slashed .538/.600/.983 with 56 RBIs, 50 runs, 24 extra-base hits, 12 homers and 15 walks.
"Faith can hit the ball so hard and she was so clutch for us this year," Ebner said. "She was going to get an extra base any time she could. She gave it everything she had to turn a single into a double if she could. She just hit the ball hard all over the place all the time. I'm going to miss seeing her hit the ball. She really stepped it up in the playoffs and got some key hits for us. She really stepped up and did a good job at the plate for us. She's another player with a great attitude and a team player — it doesn't get much better than her. She'll be missed just as much for that as she is her offensive game."
Defensive Players of the Year
The 2022 All-Johnson County defensive player of the year honor is another shared award, with Grandview junior second baseman KK Moore and Burleson Centennial junior first baseman Jalynn Vasquez getting the nod. Both Moore and Vasquez were nearly flawless defensively and also added big-time offensive numbers to boot.
Moore excelled at second base for Grandview with a .949 fielding percentage with 24 assists and 50 putouts. She also hit .429 with 32 RBIs and 39 runs.
"KK does a phenomenal job at second base," Ebner said. "She gets to pretty much everything. She gives 100% defensively. She did a really good job at getting those pop-ups that were in no-man's territory. She got really good at tracking those down and being able to make those plays. She does a great job of getting to a lot of balls and that's huge. It's great to have a great shortstop but when you also have a great second baseman, that solidifies everything and tightens up your whole infield and that's what she did for us. Plus, she has a cannon for an arm."
While first base isn't a typical position for defensive awards, Vasquez was rock solid for the Lady Spartans, who allowed only 2.9 runs per game. Vasquez had a .956 fielding percentage with 126 putouts to go along with a .446 batting average with 33 RBIs, 23 runs, 21 extra-base hits and six homers.
"Jaylnn was worthy of defensive player of the year because she just made plays all season long," Sullivan said. "She was very consistent overall. She was solid for our infield to receive balls at first and she was solid on balls hit to her. Her teammates knew if they got the ball close to her, she would make the play. She played every game at first base and did a tremendous job plus she put up huge offensive numbers."
Pitchers of the Year
In a county with several talented pitchers, Joshua sophomore Catie Amador and Grandview junior Caydin Blackmon were the most dominant and efficient.
Amador went 14-3 with two saves as she struck out a county-high 237 batters against only 35 walks and 28 earned runs allowed in 130 1/3 innings pitched for a 1.50 ERA and a sparkling 0.752 WHIP. Amador, who was the all-county newcomer of the year in 2021, also contributed offensively with a .322 batting average and 21 RBIs.
"Catie had an outstanding season," Joshua Coach Ashley Benson said. "She grew tremendously from the start of the season to where we finished, just her maturing in the circle and her game mindset. It was amazing how much she grew. She's a all-around great softball player. She was also our three-hole hitter and also played second base when she wasn't pitching. She could bunt, she could hit, she did very well. She's just an all-around strong player and she grew tremendously this season. We can't wait to see how she continues to grow the next two years. ... I'm excited to see what's in store."
Blackmon is the All-Johnson County co-pitcher of the year for a second consecutive season. And she was even more efficient this season. Blackmon had a win-loss record of 25-4, most pitching wins in the county, to go along with a 1.73 ERA and 0.803 WHIP. She struck out 192 batters against 14 walks and 36 earned runs allowed in 145 2/3 innings pitched. She also hit .492 with 22 RBIs and 28 runs offensively.
"Caydin is one of those players who is just a gamer, 100%," Ebner said. "Something clicks in her when it's game time. I love to watch her compete. She moves the ball well and mixes it up well. Every pitcher has their favorite pitch or best pitch, and that's good, but she'll also mix it up well. We can go in, out, up, away — whatever we need to do on certain batters, she's able to do it and that's what makes her successful. To keep those batters guessing, that's what makes you successful on the mound and she can do that."
Catchers of the Year
It's rare for a catcher to make an impact right away as a freshman, especially on playoff teams, but there were several who did just that in Johnson County this season, including co-catchers of the year — Alvarado freshman Tenzly Martin and Godley freshman Dakota Watson.
Martin slashed .378/.509/.626 with 30 RBIs, 47 runs, 24 walks, 19 stolen bases and 18 extra-base hits for the Lady Indians.
"It's very rare to be able to handle basically every game as the catcher as a freshman," Waugh said. "She kept so many balls from being passed balls or from being wild pitches. She limited extra bases, which is a big deal. She really controlled runners. Lots of teams would not run because they saw her arm behind the plate. She did so many things back there. She also has a natural competitive fire. And she really contributed offensively as well. She is going to be a great ball player the rest of her high school career and beyond."
Watson put up a line of .429/.547/.643 with 20 RBIs, 27 runs and 18 walks drawn in addition to stellar defensive play as well.
"Dak came in and did a really good job for us," Mayes said. "She's a calming presence at catcher. She's a great backstop. One of her biggest strengths is she's a heck of a communicator. She's one of our vocal leaders, which is important behind the dish and also rare for a freshman. She's a true student of the game and she's constantly working at every aspect of the game whether it's catching drills, hitting drills, everything. She can play other positions as well but it best suits us to have her behind the plate. She's a hard worker and is constantly making herself better in all aspects of the game. It's nice to have her back for the next few seasons."
Newcomers of the Year
Speaking of freshmen who make an impact right away, Grandview freshman catcher Kylie Grafa and Rio Vista freshman pitcher Kailee Dyer did just that and then some to earn All-Johnson County co-newcomer of the year honors.
Like co-catchers of the year Martin and Watson, Grafa was stellar behind the plate all season for the District 9-3A champion Lady Zebras. Grafa slashed .426/.526/.704 with 41 RBIs, 30 runs, six homers and 15 walks for Grandview.
"It's very rare to have a freshman come in and do what Kylie did this season," Ebner said. "You always expect freshmen to have to grow a little or get used to the varsity game before they're that solid as a player but she came right into it and ran with it from day 1. She caught every single game all season and she never complained once. She always had a smile on her face. Even in those tournaments where she was catching three games a day, she did it and gave it her all. The way she can just command the game back there is impressive. She blocks and frames pitches and throws people out. As a freshman, I really don't think it's normal what she did this year. Usually there's a bit of a learning curve or adjustment period but she came right into it and ran with it. She has a chance to be special the next three years."
Dyer was huge in helping fill the void in the circle for the Lady Eagles after the graduation of 2021 All-Johnson County MVP Haila Linton. Dyer struck out 129 batters against 20 walks and 32 earned runs allowed in 86 1/3 innings pitched for a 2.59 ERA and a 1.309 WHIP in addition to a .403 batting average, 22 RBIs and 18 runs offensively.
"Kailee is just a true competitor," Johnson said. "What stood out to me about her as a freshman is nothing ever phased her. She didn't get shook up. A lot of times, freshmen can get intimated moving up from middle school straight to varsity. What makes her so great is she didn't want to let her teammates down. On the rare occasion she had a down game, she told her teammates she was sorry and then was going to give her teammates every opportunity to compete and win the next game."
Utility Player of the Year
The only superlative award that wasn't a shared honor is Centennial junior Kylie Barnes as the utility player of the year.
Barnes was instrumental in the Lady Spartans' success as a pitcher, outfielder and infielder. With a .444 batting average and .933 slugging percentage, she hit for average and power. Barnes recorded 38 RBIs with 34 runs, 21 extra-base hits and 10 homers. In addition to boasting a .951 fielding percentage, she was also stellar in the circle with a 1.59 ERA as she struck out 26 batters against only six walks and five earned runs allowed in 22 innings pitched.
"Kylie is very versatile," Sullivan said. "Her offensive stats put her up there as a superlative plus she played three positions, which made her a good choice for utility player of the year. When [MVP] Bailey Lindemuth wasn't pitching, Kylie pitched really well for us in the circle. She threw two perfect games and all of her district starts were shutouts. She played a solid right field and she threw out many girls trying to take extra bases, including a couple of game-changing plays from out there. She also played first base some as well."
Coaches of the Year
The 2022 All-Johnson County coach of the year award was also a competitive honor but Ebner and Sullivan were the only coaches to guide their teams to the regional semifinals, plus Grandview (33-5) and Centennial (27-9) finished first and second in wins in the county to earn co-coach of the year honors.
In her first year in Grandview, Ebner led the Lady Zebras to 33 wins, an undefeated district title and a run to the regional semifinals.
"Being Johnson County co-coach of the year just goes back to what I said about the girls on the team — it's all because of them," Ebner said. "I wouldn't be up for coach of the year without them or my assistant coaches. I had two great assistant coaches in Tim Ward and Lerin Roberts. They excelled in whatever I asked them to do. We had three coaches that really know the game and you don't always get that in high school."
Sullivan has guided the Centennial softball program since its inception and always has the Lady Spartans poised for district titles and deep playoff runs. What made this year special for Sullivan is guiding Centennial to a district title and regional semifinal berth without a single senior on the roster.
"Being named co-coach of the year for Johnson County is a testament to what my girls did this season," Sullivan said. "There are a lot of great coaches in Johnson County so it's always an honor. But it's all because of the girls."
Editor's Note: The All-Johnson County softball teams and superlative awards are selected by the Times-Review based on all-district results, statistics, team success and coaches' nominations.
