WEIS Radio Scoreboard Host & Cherokee Co. Girls Softball Head Coach Drew Hall Wins Class 4A Coach Of The Year Award

Shannon Fagan, Sports Editor
Cherokee Co. Herald

Drew Hall doesn’t fancy himself a magician, but the first-year head coach helped make recent disappointing Cherokee County High School softball seasons disappear.

The program’s fifth head coach in six seasons, one of Hall’s first priorities when he took over last summer was to see where the Lady Warriors’ heads were following 2017’s 7-18-1 record.

He quickly found out their mindset was exactly where it needed to be.

“They said ‘We want to turn things around,’” Hall recalled. “They were tired of people talking bad about them. To be honest, there were a lot of people around the county, in the area, even in Centre who talked bad about the softball program.

“They wrote down everything bad anybody had ever said about them or about the program. I read those out loud to the team, and that was the fire every day. We’re going to prove people wrong. We’re not a bad softball team. We’re not a laughing stock. We are good. They said these kids can’t win, and we just wanted to prove them wrong. That was the goal. That was the mission.”

Mission accomplished. The Lady Warriors won 32 more games than they did the previous season and finished with a 39-12 record, including an area tournament championship and their first Class 4A state tournament berth since 2013

Cherokee County’s remarkable turnaround didn’t go unnoticed by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. The group selected Hall as their Class 4A All-State Softball Coach of the Year. His selection highlights 16 area players also earning all-state recognition.

“I tell everybody I just cut the field, line it off and direct the traffic. The girls are the ones who went out there and did it,” Hall said. “For whatever reason, they came back out and decided to give me a chance to try and make softball fun again. It’s all those kids and my assistant coaches. They deserve it, and I’m really happy for them.”

In addition to Hall, the Lady Warriors also had four players earn Class 4A All-State recognition. Senior Kendal Perry claimed one of the first team outfielder spots. Freshman Alana Loyd earned one of the second team pitching spots. Senior catcher Jensen Alexander and senior outfielder Erica Ellzey were both honorable mentions.

Perry posted a .529 batting average with 27 stolen bases, 12 walks, 19 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 55 runs scored and 39 RBIs. Loyd compiled a 19-4 record with a save in 138 innings with 125 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA. She also batted .413 with 22 walks, 15 doubles, three home runs, 58 runs scored and 44 RBIs. Alexander compiled a .395 batting average with 13 walks, 13 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs and 51 RBIs. Ellzey batted .510 with 10 walks, 28 doubles, a triple, five home runs, 58 runs scored and 49 RBIs.

“This is just kind of the final chapter to this season,” Hall said. “Kendal put in a lot of hard work. She bought into what we were doing. She led off all year long and was really a big key.

“Erica didn’t even play her junior year, which is amazing. It shows how good of an athlete she is. She takes a year off and comes in and hits over .500 with 20-plus doubles and five home runs.

“Jensen, (who) hit three or four home runs a year her whole career, really spent a lot of time in the cage and got hot. She put 11 out, and that was big for her. She caught almost every inning. She was a wall.

“Alana didn’t play last year, and she came out and won 19 games. She hits over .400 and puts three home runs out. She was a freshman who got the ball every other day and hit fourth in the lineup all year long. If we didn’t have Alana, (freshman pitcher) Karlee (Perry) wins 39 games this year. I don’t think anybody had a one-two punch like we did.

“I would take up two hours of time if I just sung their praises. Hat’s off to them. It’s much-deserved honors for them. It’s really the last feather in the hat of a heck of a year.”Class 2A state tournament participant Sand Rock (26-17-1) earned two first-team selections in senior second baseman Paige Norris and junior outfielder Brylie St. Clair. The Lady Wildcats also had an honorable mention at shortstop in seventh grader Jadyn Foster.

Norris batted .548 with 24 stolen bases, a double, a triple, 10 walks, 15 sacrifices, 52 runs and 36 RBIs. St. Clair compiled a .604 average with eight doubles, five triples, two home runs, 29 stolen bases, 11 walks, six sacrifices, 69 runs and 27 RBIs as a leadoff batter. Foster finished the season with a .445 batting average with 16 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 10 walks, 28 runs and 51 RBIs.

Staying in Class 2A, the Collinsville Lady Panthers (33-18) had a pair of second-team selections in senior catcher Abbigale Ford and sophomore designated hitter Brittany Rivera. Collinsville also had an honorable mention in freshman third baseman Caroline Brannon.

Ford, a Snead State signee, batted .448 with 14 doubles, 11 walks, a triple, five home runs, 30 runs scored and 42 RBIs. Rivera compiled a .467 average with 16 doubles, 15 walks, four triples, 10 home runs, 65 runs scored and 54 RBIs. Brannon batted .456 with 20 walks, 19 doubles, a triple, six home runs, 47 runs scored and 47 RBIs.

In Class 1A, the Spring Garden Lady Panthers (31-15-1) had five players earn all-state recognition, including three first-team selections in senior outfielder Kerstin Bryant, junior shortstop Payton McGinnis and eighth grade pitcher Abbey Steward.

Eighth grader Neely Welsh earned a spot at second team utility. Junior AJ Broome was an honorable mention in the outfield.

Bryant batted .439 with 21 walks, 19 doubles, 11 home runs, 58 runs scored and 62 RBIs. McGinnis batted .537 with 19 doubles, 18 walks, 10 hit by pitches, four triples, seven home runs, 68 runs scored and 40 RBIs. Steward collected a 14-4 record with 82 strikeouts and a 2.96 ERA in 130 innings pitched. She also batted .384 with nine doubles, six walks, two triples, 22 runs scored and 30 RBIs. Broome batted .425 with 12 walks, 10 doubles, two triples, a home run, 43 runs scored and 26 RBIs

Staying in Class 1A, the Gaylesville Lady Trojans (15-21) had an honorable mention at shortstop in junior Madelyn Mitchell. Mitchell batted .521 with 10 doubles, six walks, three triples, a home run, 37 runs scored and 25 RBIs.

Photo’s provided by Garrett’s Sports Shots

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