Future looks bright for Dorchester softball program after outstanding season
Raiders lose only two starters from 19-6 team that played for AA state championship
St. George – The season didn’t end quite the way the Dorchester Academy softball team had hoped for, but it’s hard to be disappointed in a season that ends with you playing for a state championship.
The Raiders finished with a 19-6 record, losing to Carolina Academy in the best-of-3 SCISA AA championship series. DA lost the first game 7-6 and the second contest 5-2.
“We had a very young team this season, and I am really proud of their growth, especially the second half of the season,” said first-year head coach Justin McClure. “The players improved tremendously.”
Dorchester had five players selected to play in the SCISA North-South All-Star Game in freshman Emery McClure, eighth-grader Lily Canady, junior Lyla Owens, sophomore Alyssa Grooms and freshman Brinley Pope.
McClure had a team high .453 batting average and had 39 hits, 14 of them for extra bases. That included four home runs, and she had 34 runs batted in and scored 41 runs.
McClure was also the No. 1pitcher, posting a 15-5 win-loss record. She had 108 strikeouts and a 2.26 earned run average.
Canady was close behind McClure with a .444 average. She had eight doubles, 18 RBI, 23 stolen bases and 35 runs. Owens batted .355 with 24 RBI ad 30 runs, Grooms batted .338 with five doubles, 33 RBI and 27 runs, and Pope batted .324 with 21 RBI and 33 runs.
Seniors Ava Higbe and Lucy Varnadoe were key contributors. Higbe batted .333 and had a 4-1 record in the circle with a 3.87 ERA. Varnadoe batted .246 with 19 RBI and 21 runs.
Junior Rylee Matthews batted .254 with a homer, 18 RBI, 27 runs and 12 stolen bases. Freshman Ryann Martin batted .379 with 23 runs and 12 steals. Sophomore Palmer Kizer had an on-base percentage of .421 to go with 28 runs and 15 stolen bases.
With Higbe, Varnadoe and Morgan Martin the only seniors on the roster, Coach McClure feels good about the future. The Raiders will also have Kinsey Bates returning for her junior season after missing all of this year with an injury. She was the team’s offensive most valuable player as a freshman.
“We are expecting big things from her next year along with the rest of the team,” said McClure, who also pointed out there are several players ready to move up from junior varsity. “Overall, I am very excited for the future of Dorchester Academy softball and really looking forward to next year.”
