Lady Lions earn all-district honors
By Sam Waller
Six members of the Albany Lady Lions softball team were honored for the on-field performance this season with inclusion on the All-District 8-2A team.
The Lady Lions, who battled low numbers all spring, finished with a 15-15-1 record and a berth in the bi-district round of the playoffs after placing behind Cisco in the district standings.
“To be quite honest, this was a challenging year for our program, but the coaches of our district were still very complimentary of our kids and commended them for their efforts,” Lady Lion coach Jimmy Fuentes said. “I’m proud of our players who made this list and appreciate their hard work.”
Senior Gracie Price and junior Robin Lucas were named to the first-team infield, while senior Haily Cox and junior Braylyn Abbate were selected for the second-team infield. Two Albany freshmen were honored with Madison Parrott picked as a second-team outfielder and Kaisley Bartee receiving honorable mention.
Price took over at catcher in district play after spending the early part of the season playing outfield. She batted .528 (28 for 53) with two doubles, two triples and 24 RBIs.
Lucas played primarily shortstop as well as pitching. She led the team in batting average (.541, 40 for 74), on-base percentage (.588), slugging percentage (.757), RBIs (26), and stolen bases (13). She finished with 13 doubles and a home run.
Cox, who signed with Cisco College before the season, played second base and shortstop. She hit .493 (36 for 73) with six doubles, a triple and 17 RBIs. She led the team with 36 runs scored and 13 walks.
Abbate, the Lady Lions’ first baseman, blasted a team-leading four homers in batting .403 (19 for 62) with five doubles and 20 RBIs.
Parrott took over the starting spot in center field, recording 11 putouts and an assist. She batted .182 (10 for 55) with two doubles and 13 RBIs. She drove in seven runs in a victory against Baird.
Bartee saw time at catcher and third base. She batted .304 (24 for 79) with five doubles, two triples and 19 RBIs. She was second on the team with 30 runs scored.
