White named to all-league first team

Louisburg senior Miranda White was one of four Lady Cats selected to the all-Frontier League softball team last week. White earned first team honors for her play in the outfield and led the team in several offensive categories. Allyssa Griggs (second team), Emalee Overbay (honorable mention) and Molly Rison (honorable mention) were also all-league selections.

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Five wins might not seem like a lot, but for the Louisburg girls softball team, it was a big step in the right direction this past season.

The Lady Cats were winless a year ago, and in a league that saw three teams in the state tournament, including state champion Spring Hill, Louisburg faced tough competition every week.

League coaches definitely took notice of Louisburg’s improvement and recognized four Lady Cat players on the all-Frontier League team that was released last week.

Senior Miranda White garnered first team outfield honors and junior Allyssa Griggs was placed on the second team as a pitcher. Junior Emalee Overbay (catcher) and freshman Molly Rison (infield) were selected as honorable mentions.

“I thought our team was well-represented with the all-league selections,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “I am convinced that the Frontier League is the toughest, most talented 4A league in the state of Kansas, as evidenced by the number of teams that qualified for the state tournament, and the talent of two teams that did not qualify (Paola and Ottawa). I am proud to say that we were highly competitive against most of these teams in the regular season.”

White, who has signed to play at the University of Sioux Falls next season, was the offensive catalyst for the Lady Cats from the leadoff spot. She led the team with a .506 batting average and a team-best .518 on base percentage.

She racked up 42 hits on the season, including seven doubles, a triple and a home run to go along with six RBIs. Also in 85 plate appearances, White never struck out.

White also led Louisburg defensively as she displayed a lot of range in centerfield with a .935 fielding percentage.

“Miranda put together a season that not only lead our team in many categories, but her numbers were among the highest when compared to many of the other quality players in our league,” Ozier said. “She was everything you look for in a leadoff hitter – great speed, high on-base percentage and a hitter that puts the ball in play. In the field, she committed very few errors and has a strong, accurate arm.”

Griggs started 12 games for Louisburg and struck out 66 batters to 39 walks in 93 innings. She also had five relief appearances and accumulated a 4.14 earned run average.

Pitching wasn’t the only things Griggs contributed as she served as the Lady Cats’ clean-up hitter. Griggs had a .352 average and had 25 hits that included five doubles, three triples and a home run to go along with 21 RBIs.

“Allyssa did not have a high number of wins this season, but she put together some quality starts with a very solid ERA,” Ozier said. “She did a fantastic job as our cleanup hitter with a strong average with runners in scoring position.”

Overbay caught many of those games from Griggs and had a good season for the Lady Cats, especially at the plate. Overbay was second on the Lady Cats with a .400 batting average and finished with 32 hits with a team-high 10 doubles, five triples and a home run. She also finished with 20 RBIs and a team-high .688 slugging percentage.

As for Rison, she had a good first year for Louisburg as the first baseman/catcher hit .368 on the year with 25 hits. Rison had five doubles, a home run and 17 RBIs.

“Emalee and Molly’s selection as honorable mention is another testament to the talent in this league,” Ozier said. “They were both very close in being selected to the second team. Both girls posted great numbers at the plate. They were instrumental in delivering extra base hits in key situations. Emalee and Molly fielded their respective positions at catcher and first base with few errors and heads up play.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE SOFTBALL

First Team

Catcher: Sierra Sanderson, Spring Hill, junior

Infield: Kayla Kurtz, Baldwin, freshman; Jordan Flakus, Eudora, junior; Shea Mesik, Ottawa, senior; Dani Townley, Spring Hill, senior

Outfield: Miranda White, Louisburg, senior; Bayleigh Nelson, Ottawa, senior; Morgan Laudan, Paola, senior

Pitcher: Jordan Johnson, Paola, sophomore; Sarah Brown, Spring Hill, junior

Utility: Kylee Bremer, Baldwin, senior

Second Team

Catcher: Courtney Earring, Paola, junior

Infield: Kellee Wiggins, Baldwin, sophomore; Kamryn Shaffer, Ottawa, sophomore; Allison Daggett, Paola, junior; Matti Morgan, Paola, junior

Outfield: Sieana Hall, Baldwin, sophomore; Kylie Corneliusen, De Soto, senior; Elizabeth Hays, Spring Hill, sophomore

Pitcher: Kyla Etter, Eudora, freshman; Allyssa Griggs, Louisburg, junior

Utility: Carly Bodenhausen, De Soto, sophomore

Honorable Mention

Catcher: Emalee Overbay, Louisburg, junior; Jocelyn Woods, Ottawa, sophomore

Infield: Mackenzie Smith, De Soto, junior; Payton Faddis, De Soto, sophomore; Brooklynn Beerbower, Eudora, junior; Molly Rison, Louisburg, freshman; Courtney Clayton, Ottawa, senior

Outfield: Audrey Flowers, Baldwin, freshman; McKinley Markley, Baldwin, sophomore; Devin Purcell, Eudora, sophomore; Jasmine Thevarajoo, Eudora, junior; Meghan Smith, Paola, senior; Regan Smith, Spring Hill, sophomore

Pitcher: Lauren Dandreo, Ottawa, freshman

Utility: Alaina Howe, Eudora, sophomore; Ashaya Blevins, Ottawa, junior