Following a season in which South Forsyth and Forsyth Central both made it to the state playoffs, the War Eagles and Bulldogs fittingly have the most representatives on this year’s All-County softball team with four players from each school.

No one school dominates this 16-player squad, though, with all five local high schools earning between two and four spots.

This year’s team was selected by local coaches and is presented exclusively in the Forsyth County News.

FORSYTH CENTRAL

Brittney Head (Sr., P)

Hitting: .302 avg. in 86 AB, 26 H, 5 doubles, 16 RBI, 13 R, 2 BB, .348 OBP
Pitching: 14-9 record, 159.1 IP, 0.48 ERA, 244 K, 23 CG, 8 shutouts
Trivia: Named Georgia Dugout Club All-Star

Lauren Head (Sr., C)

Hitting: .286 avg. in 77 AB, 22 H, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 20 RBI, 16 R, .341 OBP
Trivia: Allowed no stolen bases as a catcher; named Georgia Dugout Club All-Star
Comments: The twin sister pitching-catching combo of Brittney and Lauren Head was the heartbeat for the Lady Bulldogs. Coach Bill Richardson said that having them on defense made it likely the ball wasn’t going to be hit very hard to his fielders.
Richardson: “Without the twins, what do we do, because pitching and catching makes all the difference in the world. Good defense starts with good pitching, and then of course Lauren catching took care of everything on the field. She’s the coach on the field ... and somebody you can depend on to make everything easy.”

Brittni Johnson (Sr., 1B)

Hitting: .316 avg. in 79 AB, 25 H, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 12 RBI, 12 R, 6 BB, .388 OBP, 1 SB
Comments: Johnson recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage for the year, something coach Bill Richardson says is more impressive considering the number of live balls a first base player has to contend with. She has been in contact with Waycross College and College of Coastal Georgia and hopes to continue her career beyond high school.
Richardson: “She battled hard at the plate all year, and her number of quality at bats far exceeded her actual batting average. With she and Kayla [Richards] on the corners added to Brittney Head’s pitching, we can see why we were able to be successful in the win column.”

Kayla Richards (Soph., 3B)

Hitting: .345 avg. in 84 AB, 29 H, 1 triple, 9 RBI, 22 R, 5 BB, .462 OBP, 5 SB
Comments: Coach Bill Richardson credited Richards for her speed and effort, and said she had greatly outperformed expectations.
Richardson: “Kayla really surprised us in a very pleasant way. She was our leading hitter. ... As the season progressed, she got better and better at third.”

SOUTH FORSYTH

LeAnne Brooks (Sr., C/SS)

Hitting: .343 avg. in 102 AB, 35 H, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 27 R, 10 BB, .400 OBP, 4 SB
Trivia: Named to All-Region 7-AAAAA team
Comments: Coach Ronnie Davis says Brooks has been a solid defensive catcher and great leader throughout her high school career. She leaves South as the all-time career home run leader, and is among the most prolific extra-base hitters in school history.
Davis: “She was a kid, from an offensive standpoint, that fit right in the middle of the lineup. When things are going well for her, she’s one of the toughest outs ... I’ve coached in a long time.”

Courtney Clark (Sr., CF)

Hitting: .413 avg. in 104 AB, 43 H, 3 doubles, 6 triples, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 29 R, 13 BB, .475 OBP, 13 SB
Trivia: Named to All-Region 7-AAAAA team
Comments: A three-sport athlete who also plays basketball and lacrosse, Clark leaves high school as a 12-time letter winner, having lettered in all three sports four years running. Coach Ronnie Davis said her love of challenge and lack of fear have made her a special player.
Davis: “From my opinion and what I’ve seen ... she is probably the best overall [female] athlete in the county. ... I think she can play any one sport if she put her mind to it.”

Alexa Ditmar (Jr., P)

Hitting: .221 avg. in 95 AB, 21 H, 4 doubles, 15 RBI, 15 R, 4 BB, .260 OBP, 1 SB
Pitching: 16-12 record, 174 IP, 2.00 ERA, 232 K, 18 CG, 3 shutouts
Trivia: Named to All-Region 7-AAAAA team
Comments: In addition to being South’s go-to girl on the mound, Ditmar significantly improved her fielding performance this year, according to coach Ronnie Davis.
Davis: “Ditmar, at times, was overpowering this year. ... She still has one more year left and I think that she’s only going to get better.”

Jenna Quinn (Sr., 3B)

Hitting: .393 avg. in 84 AB, 33 H, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 26 RBI, 13 R, 7 BB, .430 OBP, 6 SB
Trivia: Named to All-Region 7-AAAAA team as an honorable mention
Comments: More of a line-drive hitter than a power player, Quinn never backs down from a challenge, according to coach Ronnie Davis. He also says she’s a very solid defensive player.
Davis: “Jenna Quinn is one that never gets the attention that some of the other players get. ... For her three years on the varsity level, she is one that is a consistent player across the board. I don’t think that her average ever dipped below .300. ... She probably plays the slow roller better than anybody I’ve ever coached in softball. She plays it like a baseball player.”

WEST FORSYTH

Haley King (Soph., OF)

Hitting: .421 avg. in 64 AB, 27 H, 4 doubles, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 13 R, 6 BB, .517 OBP, 3 SB
Comments: King transferred to West after moving from Michigan. She hit the first out-of-the-park homer in Wolverine softball history this past season. Head coach Byron Orr says she has the potential to become a fulltime catcher later in her career.
Orr: “She’s got a strong arm. We knew she would probably hit some, but the real surprise was how well she hit. She really had some pop in her bat. ... She really came on for us and that was a big pleasant surprise.”

Kallie Martin  (Fr., P)

Hitting: .261 avg. in 65 AB, 17 H, 5 RBI, 10 R, 3 BB, .425 OBP, 7 SB
Pitching: 9-2 record, 66.33 IP, 1.69 ERA, 98 K, 11 CG, 3 shutouts
Comments: Martin would have been the Lady Wolverines’ starting shortstop, coach Byron Orr said, but instead turned into a force on the mound, pitching most of the team’s Region 7-AAA games.
Orr: “She’s really just a good overall softball player. ... As a freshman, she really threw the ball hard ... She could really be something good in the future.”

McKenzie Sloan (Jr., 1B)

Hitting: .382 avg. in 68 AB, 26 H, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 15 RBI, 18 R, 8 W, .475 OBP
Comments: Sloan is described by coach Byron Orr as a smooth-fielding first baseman and a big hitter. The coach says she could probably become a home run hitter with some added lift to her swing, but has been encouraged by the team to maintain her status as an effective line drive hitter.
Orr: “Overall she’s probably the most solid hitter we have. She doesn’t strike out much, she puts the ball in play, she can go to the opposite field between third and short well.”

NORTH FORSYTH

Lauren Shaw (Soph., CF)

Hitting: .274 avg. in 62 AB, 17 H, 4 doubles, 6 RBI, 3 R, 6 BB, .386 OBP, 1 SB

Lauren Velez (Sr., IF)

Hitting: .320 avg. in 53 AB, 16 H, 3 doubles, 9 RBI, 7 R, 5 BB, .400 OBP, 2 SB

Katie York (Fr., RF)

Hitting: .398 avg. in 68 AB, 27 H, 3 doubles, 2 RBI, 16 R, 8 BB, .579 OBP, 9 SB

Lady Raiders coach Bud Henderson could not be reached for comments.

LAMBERT

Allie Clason (Fr., SS)

Hitting: .333 avg. in 48 AB, 16 H, 4 doubles, 4 RBI, 7 R, 4 BB, .377 OBP
Comments: Clason stepped in at shortstop in her freshman year for the Lady Longhorns and also answered the bell to pitch a few innings after Tania Soto hurt her hand this season, according to co-head coach Dana Corr.
Corr: “She was a big offensive spark for us. She hit the ball really well. She was only a freshman, so we expect more from her.”

Tania Soto (Jr., IF)

.351 avg. in 37 AB, 13 H, 3 doubles, 4 RBI, 5 R, 13 BB, .510 OBP
Comments: Despite a tough inaugural season for the Lambert team, one thing was for sure: Soto gave it everything she had when she stepped onto the mound, according to co-head coach Dana Corr. She also put up respectable offensive stats for the first-year program.
Corr: “Tania Soto was our force this year. ... She pitched every game. She was just a competitor out there. she was tough as nails.”