TSWA All-State Softball TeamsDivision IILauren Riddell, USJ, pitcher; Savannah Hill, Davidson Academy, pitcher; Megan Mihaliak, Pope John Paul II, pitcher; Roxanna Kimes, Tipton-Rosemark, pitcher; Kelsey Capella, Donelson Christian Academy, pitcher; Cassi Pickett, Baylor, catcher; Katy Richardson, GPS, catcher; Audrey Jones, Battle Ground Academy, infield; Haley Hall, USJ, infield; Allie Whitsitt, St. George's, infield; Lauren Provence, Briarcrest, infield; Paige Murin, St. Benedict, infield; Leigh Taylor Moss, Briarcrest, infield; Callin Griffin, Ezell-Harding, infield; Lauren Lewis, Baylor, outfield; Noelle Winkles, Baylor, outfield; Madison Boyd, GPS, outfield; Kenzie Sadler, Davidson Academy, outfield.Class ALindsey Fadnek, Coalfield, pitcher; Katie Henderson, Silverdale Baptist, pitcher; Haley McKinney, South Fulton, pitcher; Cori Jennings, Gordonsville, pitcher; Anna Renfroe, Trinity Christian, pitcher; Brooke Kennedy, Riverside, pitcher; Ashton Edwards, Richland, pitcher; Adrean Jordan, Forrest, infield; Andrea Foster, Coalfield, infield; Lexie Dean, Grace Academy, infield; Kaitlyn Eldridge, Grace Academy, infield; Summer Cross, Trinity Christian, infield; Savannah Dodson, Huntingdon, infield; Makenzie Hopkins, Cornersville, infield; Bella Zizzi, East Robertson, infield; LeeAnn Baggett, Houston County, infield; Lauren Jones, Riverside, outfield; Bethany Cowart, Grace Academy, outfield; Brooke Baxter, Marion County, outfield; Kate Black, Grace Christian, outfield; Nikki Dee Robertson, Collinwood, utility.Class AAKristin Hull, Upperman, pitcher; Shannon Plese, Christian Academy of Knoxville, pitcher; Meagan Prince, Westview, pitcher; Samantha Smith, Gibbs, pitcher; Emily Dagnan, Sequatchie County, catcher; Savannah Foster, Gibbs, catcher; Brittany Elmore, Goodpasture, infield; Dani Jefferson, Gibbs, infield; Kelsey Payne, East Hamilton, infield; Niya Sparks, Lexington, infield; Abbey Boling, Carter, outfield; Elantra Cox, Chester County, outfield; Shaliyah Geathers, East Hamilton, outfield; Faith Lowry, Gibbs, outfield; Niki Fogle, White House, utility; Shelby Willard, Central, utility.Class AAATaylor Baird, Ooltewah, pitcher; Alex Banks, Beech, pitcher; Allison Barbee, Maryville, pitcher; Kelsey Nunley, Soddy-Daisy, pitcher; Chelsea Howell, Coffee County, catcher; Kassidy McCoy, Beech, catcher; Bry Blanco, Maryville, infield; Cassidy Hackney, Soddy-Daisy, infield; Jule Kranz, Beech, infield; Andrea Rogers, Daniel Boone, infield; Jennine Duncan, Daniel Boone, outfield; Heather Montgomery, Beech, outfield; Natalie Sheffey, Daniel Boone, outfield; Madison Taylor, Mt. Juliet, outfield; Carly Lewis, Seymour, utility; Sidney Hooper, Walker Valley, utility.
Nineteen softball players from Chattanooga-area high school teams have been chosen to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association all-state teams for 2012.
Class AAA champion Soddy-Daisy, which ended up ranked 10th in ESPN's Powerade FAB 50 and the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and 14th in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25, is represented by senior pitcher Kelsey Nunley and junior infielder Cassidy Hackney. Nunley, the Gatorade state player of the year, has signed with Kentucky and Hackney has committed to Tennessee Tech.
Ooltewah senior pitcher Taylor Baird, Walker Valley junior pitcher and third baseman Sidney Hooper and Coffee County catcher Chelsea Howell are the area's other Class AAA selections.
In Class AA, East Hamilton is represented by junior outfielder Shaliyah Geathers, who is committed to Tennessee, and sophomore infielder Kelsey Payne. Sequatchie County catcher Emily Dagnan and Central pitcher and first baseman Shelby Willard, who will be teammates next season at Chattanooga State, also were chosen.
Outfielder Bethany Cowart and infielders Lexie Dean and Kaitlyn Eldridge, all seniors, were selected off Class A Grace Academy's state-championship team. Cowart has signed with East Tennessee State and Dean has signed with Lee.
Silverdale Baptist senior pitcher Katie Henderson and Marion County junior outfielder Brooke Baxter also are on the team. Henderson has signed with Kentucky and Baxter is committed to ETSU.
Locally there were also five representatives in Division II, where Baylor's three was the most among the 18 chosen in the A and AA classifications combined. However, it could be questioned whether that is enough representation for a team that dominated its league competition on the way to winning a state championship and finishing 40-5 with a No. 32 national ranking in the FAB 50.
Sophomore catcher Cassi Pickett, sophomore outfielder Noelle Winkles and freshman outfielder Lauren Lewis are the selections for the Lady Red Raiders, who were 8-0 in regular-season Division II-AA games -- winning one by forfeit -- and 5-0 in postseason. Of those 12 games played, the 6-3 victory over GPS in the state final was the only one in which they didn't score at least 10 runs.
No conference team outside of GPS scored more than two runs against Baylor. Pitcher Kaitie Sims, a Carson-Newman signee, had a winning percentage around .900 with only four losses for the season.
"That kid worked so hard and far exceeded anybody's expectations," Baylor coach Kelli Smith said. "Sure you could say our team scored a lot and that's why she won so many games, but again, she's a gamer. You have to put the whole game in perspective. Her senior year she wanted to be the No. 1 pitcher on a team that won a championship. She had confidence we were going to score runs for her. And she was not going to strike out 10 or 12 a game. But her two or three or four strikeouts were always in big situations.
"Would we have liked to have had more on the team? Sure. But I'm sure the other girls will take winning a ring instead."
GPS, which beat the Lady Raiders 4-3 in the Soddy-Daisy Invitational, is represented by ETSU-bound outfielder Madison Boyd and junior catcher Katy Richardson, who has committed to Lipscomb.