Huffman earned three of the six superlative honors – the most of any school in the area – on The Observers’ All-Area softball teams.
Senior outfielder Bailey Sousa headlined the list of Lady Falcons as she was named the All-Area Offensive Most Valuable Player. Sousa hit .430, slammed seven home runs, drove in 37 RBIs, hit eight triples and collected 17 stolen bases.
In addition to being named the All-Area Offensive MVP, Sousa was also selected the All-Area Player of the Year by the fans in a vote on The Observers’ website, garnering 46 percent of the vote.
The Observer’s All-Area team is decided by the sports staff and readers. The teams are made up of athletes in The Observer’s coverage area from schools from Splendora, Porter, New Caney, Kingwood, Kingwood Park, Humble, Atascocita, Summer Creek, Crosby and Huffman.
Atascocita sophomore Shelby McGlaun was named the All-Area Player of the Year. She was lights out as a pitcher – 24-3 record, 1.29 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 157 innings – and was a terror in the batter’s box.
McGlaun hit .430 on the year with 47 RBIs to go with her 15 home runs. Her season 1.572 on base percentage plus slugging – a statistic widely used to judge offensive prowess – would smash the MLB record of 1.421.
Huffman’s Kelsie McEachern was named the Defensive MVP. McEachern played first base nearly flawless with a .991 fielding percentage, making only one error in 117 chances.
McEachern is the only athlete in the area to be named All-Area in three sports – volleyball, basketball and now softball.
Lady Falcon coach Latonya Dorsey got the nod for the All-Area Coach of the Year. Dorsey led Huffman to its first ever state tournament berth and a District 22-3A championship.
Kingwood’s Ashley Johnson took the All-Area Pitcher of the Year award. The junior tallied a 24-7 record while racking up 168 strikeouts in 170 innings with a 2.31 ERA.
Kingwood Park’s Nikki Whitehead earned the All-Area Newcomer of the Year award. Whitehead, a freshman, started shortstop for the Lady Panthers in helping them to their first ever playoff berth.
Huffman led all teams with three players making the All-Area first-team. Lady Falcons Megan Unroe (pitcher), Christina Bardwell (shortstop) and Megan Mitchell (second base) all got the nod.
Crosby had Bailee Pharis (first base) and Abby Walker (utility) earn first-team honors. Walker posted an outstanding year with a 1.20 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 140 innings while also hitting .304 and belting eight home runs.
Kingwood’s Anna Olejniczak (outfield) and Arianna Zernial (outfield) both got the nod for first-team honors. Olejniczak was a TGCA all-state selection and led the Lady Mustangs with 25 steals and 40 runs scored.
Atascocita’s Kaitlyn Washington (outfield) and Miranda Grotenhuis (catcher) were both picked to the first-team. Washington led the Lady Eagles with a .467 average while bringing in 39 RBIs.
Porter’s Jade Strother (third base) rounds out the first-team all-area selections. Strother was a first-team All-District 19-4A selection for the Lady Spartans.
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