Boulware, Bennett, Coward & Wells Leads 2025 HSSR-SCHSL-SCISA All-State Team
Pee Dee Academy's Maddie Coward.
From Staff Report
Moncks Corner---After viewing first hand every SCHSL and SCISA softball team who played in the state finals in South Carolina this past May, and after hundreds of interviews with softball head coaches statewide, the HSSR, feels very qualified to name and release our 39th annual all-state softball team, via our web site hssr.com. on June, 30.
Still, concerned about not missing anyone, we sent out a shot-gun email with an all-state nomination form attached to softball head coaches, the day after the final state championship was decided. Many head coaches responded, but some didn’t, so parents, players, and fans alike, will just have to know that every effort was made to give each and every head coach in South Carolina a voice in helping select this team, after the final out of the final championship game. We do not pick all-state teams in any sport until the season is over.
To call this 39th annual HSSR all-state team “well-researched” would be a vast understatement.
We had numerous play-off softball feature stories filed by Dennis Brunson, with 45 years of writing experience, along with David Shelton who has 40 years of writing experience. And HSSR Publisher Billy Baker covered numerous softball games with his 50-plus years of writing experience. We also thank writers Neill Kirkpatrick, Ron Gantt, Worthy Evans, and Larry Gamble for their softball coverage.
Lastly, HSSR Historian Gerald Doolittle tracked down softball stats, well into the night, for the entire season.
Our top softball superlatives from the SCHSL, for the 2025 season, include Gray Collegiate sophomore shortstop Aspen Boulware who was recently named the Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina, as she helped lead her team to the AAAA state championship. Boulware batted .573 with a state leading 22 home runs and 44 RBI’s.
During her sophomore season numerous major colleges came to see her play in person, a very rare occurrence in the state of South Carolina.
Also, the HSSR named a Career Miss Softball from the SCHSL based on an entire career of hard work. The no-brainer for that honor went to Summerville pitcher/athlete Ainsley Bennett who led Green Wave teams to AAAAA state titles her sophomore and junior seasons when she won back-to-back South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year awards.
This past season Bennett had 199-K’s in the circle. She batted .471 with 12 doubles and seven homes runs scoring 41 runs with 12 doubles and seven home runs. These type stats followed her every season of her career at Summerville High and she has signed to ply college softball at South Carolina next season.
From the SCISA softball ranks junior Pee Dee Academy performer Maddie Coward, a Wofford commitment, was named the 2025 HSSR-SCISA Miss Softball after leading her team to another SCISA state title.
Coward had an remarkable 0.13 ERA while also batting .557 at the plate. She has one more season to keep piling on some impressive stats.
Our 2025 HSSR-SCISA Career Miss Softball is very under rated Mandy Wells of Clarendon Hall who hit over 40 home runs during her prep career, including summer travel softball. Wells is a gold glove infielder who rarely made an error during her five-year varsity career. Wells finished with a .557 career batting average.
Wells has signed to play for one season at Florence Darlington Tech where she hopes to continue her outstanding career and transfer to a major college softball program.
Starting with the 2025-26 school year major college softball programs will see an increase in their scholarship allowances expand from 12 to 25 full scholarships. Wells should be able to advance to a major college program after her freshmen season.
