Softball: Bronson's Cary named Big 8 MVP; 15 Branch County athletes earn Big 8 All Conference honors
Entering the 2022 Big 8 softball season the race for the conference championship was wide open, with a number of teams sporting enough talent to take home the title. As the season progressed it became clear, painfully so for some teams, that the Bronson Lady Vikings were without a doubt the team to beat. Bronson would end up rolling through their conference schedule, winning the Big 8 conference championship with an undefeated conference mark of 14-0, finally dethroning the Quincy Lady Orioles who thoroughly enjoyed a four year run atop the conference.
Bronson won the conference title with a record of 14-0, followed by Jonesville who finished in second place with a record of 12-2, with their only two losses coming to the Vikings. Springport finished in third at 10-4, followed by the aforementioned Quincy Orioles in fourth at 8-6. Homer came in at fifth with a record of 5-9, followed by Reading at 4-10, Concord at 3-11 and Union City at 0-14.
A large part of any champions success, especially on the baseball or softball diamond, can be traced back to two things, a leader at catcher and dominant pitching, and the Bronson Vikings had both.
Senior Jadyn Cary was the cream of the crop in the Big 8 this season as the Viking catcher was voted as the Big 8 Most Valuable Player for the 2022 season. Cary finished the season having played in every game for the Vikings where she batted a robust .382 for the year, recording 29 hits in 76 at-bats, a number that included 18 singles and 11 doubles with 18 Rbis, 11 walks and 20 runs scored compared to only seven strikeouts for the year. Behind the plate from her catcher position is where Cary made her biggest mark, serving as the captain of a very stingy Viking defense. Cary recorded 175 put outs in 189 chances with 13 assists from behind the plate, finishing with a fielding percentage of .995 as she committed only a single error all season long.
Also earning All Conference First Team honors for the Vikings were senior pitchers Lynsey Smith and Addison Harris, a duo that made up a dominant two-headed pitching monster that wreaked havoc throughout the Big 8.
Smith, a senior, was a multi-faceted athlete who did big things across the field for Bronson, but did much of her damage on the pitcher’s mound this season for head coach Becky Gray. Smith finished the year with a record of 5-2 overall with an ERA of 3.843. The high powered senior pitcher threw a total of 78.1 innings of work, allowing 87 hits and 50 runs with an astounding 109 strikeouts compared to only 17 walks. Smith was also solid in the field, recording 22 put outs in 48 chances with a total of 23 assists. Smith only committed three errors on the year, contributing to her fielding percentage of .938 for the season. For all her hard work on defense, Smith was no slouch on offense, finishing the year batting .328 at the plate, recording 20 hits in 61 at-bats with 16 singles and four doubles to go with eight RBIs, 12 runs scored and seven walks drawn.
Harris, a senior, served as the other head of the doubleheaded pitching machine that paced the Vikings in 2022. Harris finished the season with a record of 5-2 overall on the year with an ERA of 4.011 after allowing 85 hits and 34 earned runs in 59.1 innings pitched. Harris also recorded 51 strikeouts compared to only 17 walks on the year. Harris was also a solid fielder for the Vikings, recording 11 put outs and 33 assists in 47 chances while recording only three errors for a fielding percentage of .936. At the plate Harris finished the year batting .238, notching 15 hits in 63 at-bats, a number that included nine singles, five double and one triple with 12 Rbis and 19 runs scored.
Rounding out the Bronson First Team honors was sophomore infielder Brealyn Lasky. Lasky finished the year batting a robust .386 at the plate, recording 27 hits in 70 at-bats, a number that included 18 singles, seven doubles, one triple and one home run to go along with 21 Rbis and 20 run scored. Lasky was also a very busy fielder no matter where she played in the infield, recording 118 put outs and 10 assists in 130 chances for a fielding percentage of .985. Lasky committed only two errors on the season and also contributed to five double plays.
The Quincy Orioles had two athletes earn Big 8 All Conference First Team honors as senior Cemara Paul and junior Kailey Allman both were honored by conference coaches for their work on the diamond this season.
Paul was perhaps the most dangerous hitter in the lineup for the Orioles day in and day out, finishing the year by recording 48 hits in 95 at-bats for an astounding batting average of .552 for the year. Paul racked up a slugging percentage of .747 on the season to go along with an OPS of 1.300 and an on base percentage of .552. Paul recorded 32 singles on the year to go along with 12 doubles, one triple and three home runs in addition to 35 Rbis and 41 runs scored. Paul also drew eight walks to only two strikeouts on the season. Paul was also a pretty solid fielder for the Orioles, recording 126 put outs in 132 chances with a fielding percentage of .955 after committing only six errors on the season.
Allman also had a tremendous season at the plate for the Orioles, finishing the year batting a robust .488 with 42 hits in 86 at-bats. Allman recorded a slugging percentage of .605 for the year in addition to a 1.186 OPS and a .581 on base percentage. Out of Allman’s 42 hits she recorded 33 singles, eight doubles and one triple to go along with 20 RBIs and 44 runs scored. Allman also drew 15 walks in contrast to five strikeouts and proved to be a menace on the base paths, stealing 20 bases on the season while only being caught three times. In the field Allman recorded 55 put outs in 98 chances with 26 assists and 17 errors for a fielding percentage of .827. Allman was also a part of five double plays turned.
Joining the six Branch County athletes with All Conference First Team honors was Kennedy Miller and Lexi Fleming of Homer; Madelyn Lee, Lyra Nichols and Kierstyn Keller of Jonesville; Ariana McDowell of Reading; and Breanna Crittenden, Kelsey Speer and Rebekah Betz of Springport.
Branch County was also well represented on the Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention team, with nine different athletes earning recognition.
Bronson had four athletes earn Big 8 Honorable Mention honors in Kaylee Wilber, Haylie Wilson, Ciara Blankenship and Caitlyn Hagen.
Wilber, a junior, finished the year batting .276 at the plate after recording 16 hits in 58 at-bats, with all 16 hits coming of the single variety. Wilber drove in 10 RBIs while scoring 19 runs and stealing 12 bases. Wilber was also a solid defender for the Vikings, finishing the year with a fielding percentage of .938 after recording 30 put-outs in 32 chances with only two errors on the year.
Wilson, a junior, was simply amazing at the plate for Bronson, finishing the year batting an astounding .477 at the dish with 31 hits in 65 at-bats. Wilson recorded 20 singles, eight doubles, and three triples with 21 Rbis, 24 runs scored and 10 walks with only three strikeouts on the year. In the field Wilson finished up the 2022 season with a fielding percentage of .885 after recording 18 put-outs and 28 assists in 52 chances with six errors and two double plays turned.
Blankenship, only a freshman, was a dangerous player at the plate, on defense and on the base paths for the Vikings this season. Blankenship finished the year batting .263 at the plate with 15 hits in 57 chances, recording 14 singles and one double with 19 runs scored and seven Rbis. Blankenship also drew eight walks on the year while swiping 13 bases while only being caught three times all year. On defense Blankenship finished the 2022 season with a fielding percentage of .833, recording 19 put-outs and one assist in 24 chances with only four errors all year long.
Hagen, a senior, was a solid all-around player for Bronson this season, finishing the year with solid numbers on both offense and defense. On offense Hagen finished batting .245 at the plate with 12 hits in 49 trips, recording 11 singles and one double with 10 RBIs and 14 runs scored. In the field Hagen was perfect on defense, recording 11 put-outs and two assists in 13 chances for a fielding percentage of 1.000.
The Quincy Lady Orioles had three players earn Big 8 honorable mention honors, led by the freshman duo of Danika and Deziray Skirka, along with junior McKynna Connin.
Danika Skirka served as the ace of the Oriole pitching staff in her rookie season, appearing in 21 games while putting together a record of 10-8 overall with an ERA of 7.257 on the year. Skirka recorded a total of 96 strikeouts compared to only 54 walks in a solid first year at the high school level.
Connin served as the big bat in the middle of the Quincy lineup all season long, finishing the year batting .405 at the plate with 32 hits in 79 at-bats. Connin recorded a total of 22 single, five doubles and a team high five home runs with 34 Rbis, 33 runs scored and 16 walks compared to only 10 strikeouts. Connin was also solid in the field, recording 23 put outs and 40 assists in 74 total chances with a fielding percentage of .865 on the year.
Deziray Skirka, much like her twin sister Danika, was a force from the moment she stepped on the field, holding down a spot in the middle of the Quincy lineup while also playing key defensive spots across the diamond. Skirka finished the season batting .361 on the year, recording 26 hits in 72 at-bats with 20 singles, four doubles, one triple and one home run to go along with 29 RBIs and 29 runs scored. Fielding wise Skirka recorded 27 put-outs and 34 assists in 70 total chances with only nine errors for a fielding percentage of .871.
The young Union City Charger squad battled their way through the 2022 season and showed a ton of promise despite their tough record. Two Chargers earned post season honors for their work on the field of play, as juniors Mara Bailey and Carley Gordon were named to the Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention team.
Bailey has been a stalwart at third base for the Chargers since the day she stepped foot on the diamond, occasionally moving around the field to fill any open spot for head coach Kerri Adams. Bailey has held down her spot in the middle of the batting order of the Chargers and promises to lead the way for Union City as a senior next season.
Gordon spent much of her season on the mound for Union City, although occasionally moving about the infield as well. Gordon is a talented pitcher who took a few lumps this season but showed flashes of the dominant pitcher she can and will be. Gordon also found herself smack in the middle of the Charger batting order and performed well, coming through with a number of big hits for Union City.
Also earning Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention honors from across the conference was Karlee Gamet and Jayden Householder of Concord; Allison Murphy and Kylie Endsley of Homer; Kenzie Baker and Abby Gutowski of Jonesville; Maggie Santure, Ashlyn Tesch and Brayleigh Butts of Reading; and Abby Heisler of Springport.
In all, 21 of the 34 Big 8 All Conference honorees for the 2022 will return next season for teams across the conference, promising exciting years to come for the conference on the softball diamond.
Congratulations to all those earning Big 8 All Conference honors for the 2022 softball season.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Softball: Bronson's Cary named Big 8 MVP; 15 Branch County athletes earn Big 8 All Conference honors
