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Sabrina Surber is Putnam County's top player
In her final year pitching for North Putnam's softball team, Sabrina Surber set a North Putnam single-season record with 206 strikeouts and her performance on the mound as well as at the plate have earned her 2015 Putnam County Softball Player of the Year honors.
Surber was a confidence booster for the Cougars. She only walked 28 batters while setting the pitching record and NPHS coach Benny Ault has said he was proud of the way his senior conducted herself all year.
"I think she had something to prove to herself and everybody else," Ault said. "She could be an elite pitcher. She was in a zone toward the end of the year. There were a lot of little things that she did, that others didn't catch."
The Banner Graphic Player of the Year is selected as the player making the most valuable contribution to her team's image and success and having the highest character both on and off the field.
Surber pitched her first no-hitter against Crawfordsville and Ault also says Surber's commitment to her fellowsCougars had grown this season and it played a part in her success as well as the team's.
"She didn't want to let her teammates down this year," Ault said. "It was bigger than what she had in the past. She played for her team this year. The leadership quality that she had this year versus the last three was just so much better. She played for her team as much as she played for herself."
While Sabrina was on the mound teams had to be aware of a variety of pitches. Surber earned a conference-high in wins and she also picked up two home runs this season and earned a team-high 14 doubles and 22 singles. Her .429 batting average was also tops for the Cougars and her 39 hits were the most of any Putnam County player.
Surber has said she doesn't have any plans to play softball after high school as she pursues a career in the medical field.
Every great pitcher needs a big hitter to match up against and Kimmy Winders of Cloverdale provided the swings and is the POY runner up.
Winders posted a team high .811 slugging percentage and a .424 batting average which came in handy and usually in crunch time for Cloverdale.
Winders had 27 runs and 30 hits to go along with her WCC-high six homers and 33 RBIs. Winders was in the running all year for Putnam County's top athlete and finished the year with 33 runs batted in which was the most in the county.
Greencastle, like last season, stuffed the ballot box with eligible players for the All-Putnam County team. The Tiger Cubs had the advantage of playing with some fantastic hitters and base runners and it led to some successful outings when the Tiger Cubs took the field.
Leading her team in home runs with five was Kenlee Johnson. She was the team's leadoff batter and Johnson also led the team in hits with 31 and runs scored with 27, which also tied for tops in the conference.
Johnson's .477 batting average was second on the team. The junior was the team's biggest threat at the plate and second biggest threat running the bases. She stole 14 bases this season and earned a .861 slugging percentage which were second and first in the conference respectively.
Running the bases with Johnson was teammate Regan Keller who led her team in RBIs with 24, hits with 29, doubles with 10, earning Keller a .426 batting average.
Keller proved that she was one of the county's best at the plate with a .661 slugging percentage and she played a major role near the top of the Tiger Cub lineup.
GHS will definitely be loaded for future years with players like Brynne Shuee on the roster. The freshman stepped into a bigger role following an injury to senior Courtney Adams and her .500 batting average was best on the team and fourth best in the WCC. Once Shuee was on base, she was a menace as she stole 12 bases which is third best in the conference. Her base running helped Shuee to her team's second-best 19 runs scored. Shuee was also one of the Tiger Cubs' best slugger with .678 while leading GHS in OBP with .569.
South Putnam's big hitters had their work cut out for them but never took it easy at the plate. This attitude was most evident with MaKenzi Myers. Her .528 batting average was second in the WCC and Myers posted a .849 slugging percentage, which placed her third in the WCC. She also led her team with 16 RBIs and 28 hits.
Joining her Eagle companion is Katie Hewitt. Last year's County Player of the Year may have experienced a tougher year by her own standards, but many players would love to post the kind of numbers that Hewitt managed.
Apart from smacking two home runs late in the season to give her team a chance in the sectional game against Cascade, she earned a .421 batting average with a .667 slugging percentage and only recorded four strikeouts on the season.
One slugger that CHS will be happy to see return will be Kelsey Helterbrand. The sophomore earned a slugging percentage of .611 and a batting average of .444. Helterbrand added a homer with 30 runs and only nine strikeouts.
Skyler Hensley was the top pitcher for GHS and was second-best in the WCC with 79 batters struck out and eight wins. Hensley's pitching throughout a game was usually a good barometer of how GHS as a team performed and the Tiger Cubs were happy to see Hensley on her game more often than not.
Honorable Mention
Most teams would be satisfied with Johnson stealing 14 on the season and Shuee taking 12. But GHS had one more slick baserunner who took the bragging rights as the top player in the WCC with 16 stolen bases.
Paige Bragg earned a .286 batting average with an on-base percentage of .385 and when she got on base she wasted no opportunities, taking 16 bases en route to ten runs on the season.
While many athletes on the All-County team will be returning Jessica Winders is one senior that CHS will be sad to see go. Winders improved her performance at the plate this season knocking three homers out of the park. Winders posted a .328 batting average with 28 hits.
Graduating from North Putnam yet earning an honorable on the All-County team is Morgan Albers. The senior earned a .288 batting average and a .488 slugging percentage while hitting two home runs for the Cougars.