Journal & Courier Small School Softball Player of the Year: Rossville's Avery Layton
ROSSVILLE - Coach Chris Gorbett had all the makings of a team ready to do things the Rossville softball program never had.
Perhaps the Hornets were one piece away separating a team that had never won any kind of hardware from a state championship contender.
Freshman pitcher Avery Layton was that missing ingredient.
"It takes a whole entire team in order to be successful and the team to support her and the coaching staff to support her," Gorbett said. "She did a great job in all aspects of the game as a freshman."
Indeed, Layton did.
In the circle, she kept opposing lineups at bay.
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At the plate, she materialized into Rossville's leading hitter.
And on a veteran-heavy roster, Layton had the necessary leadership to lean on.
The Hornets' rise over the previous seasons culminated in 2022 with the program's first conference, sectional and regional championships.
"I knew it was going to be challenging coming in. I am a freshman and had to fight for my spot on the field," said Layton, the Journal & Courier's Small School Softball Player of the Year. "They really incorporated me into the team and made me feel like I belonged. My defense was there. If I wasn’t doing well or they were hitting off of me, my defense was there."
Layton registered nearly 300 strikeouts in her first season of high school softball.
Rossville spent a majority of the season ranked in the coaches association's Class A softball poll, then proved it belonged in the postseason. The Hornets went 24-3, including a perfect 7-0 against the Hoosier Heartland Conference, and won the semistate opener before falling one run short of aa state finals appearance.
"We had a talented group this year. It was a good group of girls that always worked hard and gave 100 percent effort and would do anything for each other," Layton said. "Their (the senior class) freshman year wasn’t great. They have been building and getting better and it finally paid off this year.
"We’ve set a standard but we’re going to break that. We are going to keep improving and getting better. This is just the beginning for our program."
And perhaps just the beginning for Layton, who hit .512 with five home runs and ranked near the top in Indiana high school softball in most pitching categories.
A season prior, Rossville finished with a sub-.500 record, but advanced to the sectional championship before losing to Sheridan.
"It’s confidence. They came in last year and had the drive coming into this year to do better than last year," Gorbett said. "That carried over from senior to junior to sophomore to an incoming freshman. If you come into that environment, that helped build upon last year."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: J&C Small School Softball Player of the Year: Rossville's Avery Layton
