Lady Lions earn spots on all-district teams
By Sam Waller
The entire Albany Lady Lions starting lineup earned spots on the All-District 8-2A softball team after making their deepest playoff run since 2018.
Ana Balliew received Albany’s lone superlative honor as Pitcher of the Year. Shortstop Robin Lucas, catcher Haily Cox, and third baseman Sara Smith were named to the first-team infield, with Ansleigh Garcia and Gracie Price chosen for the first-team outfield.
First baseman Kam Browning was a second-team selection, while outfielder Braylyn Abbate and second baseman-pitcher Carisa Barrera received honorable mention.
The Lady Lions went 15-15-1 overall and 7-2 in district to finish second behind Cisco. Albany scored playoff sweeps over Hawley in bi-district and Ozona in area before falling in three games to Hamlin in the regional quarterfinals.
“I preached to the girls all year long that it was their time, especially for the seniors, to get the program back to where it was used to being after a couple of years of being one-and-done,” coach Jimmy Fuentes said. “They took it very seriously and played well all year long. I don’t think we ever played a bad game.”
Fuentes said the team made steady improvement throughout the season.
“They did exactly what I expected of them to get the program back into a deep playoff run,” he said. “I’m very proud of them for that, especially those seniors (Balliew, Browning, Garcia, and Smith). They’ve faced so many setbacks and adversity through the early part of their careers. To see them finish strong, enjoy a little bit of success, and leave their mark is very gratifying.”
Balliew carried the pitching load, throwing 140 of 172 innings, as well as being a key part of the offense. In the circle, she went 13-13 with a 4.60 ERA, striking out 80 while issuing 27 walks. At the plate, she batted .389 and led the team with 35 RBIs. She had seven doubles, a triple, and a home run to share the team lead in extra-base hits.
Lucas, who batted leadoff, was the catalyst for an offense that averaged 7.6 runs per game. She hit .500 with 17 RBIs, leading Albany in average, hits (49), runs (45), and stolen bases (23) as well as sharing the lead for extra-base hits with six doubles and three triples.
Cox, who moved into the lineup when district started, hit .357 with 19 RBIs. She had eight doubles and a triple.
Smith batted .356 with 22 RBIs, hitting seven doubles.
Garcia batted .346 with 22 RBIs and led the team in reaching base on errors (10).
Price batted .384 with 13 RBIs. She finished with seven doubles and a triple.
Browning hit .244 with 14 RBIs, collecting four doubles.
Abbate had a .225 average with 11 RBIs and four doubles.
Barrera hit .313 with 14 RBIs and six doubles. As a pitcher, she was 2-2 with two saves and a 4.70 ERA in 25.1 innings. She recorded 14 strikeouts against just seven walks.
