Dickson County’s Brooklin Lee
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BROOKLIN LEE
Dickson Co., Sr., Pitcher
Why chosen: Lee led the Lady Cougars to their second Class AAA state title in three years, finishing 24-6 with a .74 ERA, 262 strikeouts, 14 shutouts and four no-hitters. She also knocked in 36 runs with four home runs and a .396 batting average.
Quote: “It was just very special seeing that the four seniors went out on a good note. That just really made everything 10 times better. It was a lot easier than we expected. We expected to at least play five or six games, but seeing as we got it done with just four was great. It was really amazing. We thought that we couldn’t do it, but we did.”
Family: Dad Derrick, mom Beth, sister Rebecca (13).
College plans: Belmont to study nursing.
Athletic background: “I started playing when I was 8 years old. I played middle school ball, and I also play travel ball.”
Favorite sport besides softball: Baseball
Best high school sports moment: “Winning state in softball my sophomore year.”
Favorite athlete: Bo Jackson
Favorite food: Chicken
Where do you see yourself in 10 years: I would like to have a house and a job. Maybe one or two kids.
Summer plans: I plan to play travel ball, go to the beach and hang out with friends.
FIRST TEAM
ALYSSA ARDEN, P, White House-Heritage, So.
Arden went 26-6 with four saves, 336 strikeouts, five no hitters and a perfect game while registering a .92 ERA in 1901/3 innings pitched in the regular season. She also batted .516 with 65 RBIs, 57 runs and 16 home runs to help lead the Lady Patriots to the Class AA state title game.
COURTNEY MILES, C, Friendship, Sr.
The Austin Peay signee picked up all-district and all-region regular-season honors by batting .516 with 42 RBIs and 13 home runs to help lead the Lady Commanders back to the DII-AA state finals.
LORYN SHERWOOD, INF, Stewarts Creek, So.
The North Alabama commitment batted .469 with 60 RBIs and 40 runs while crushing 21 home runs during the regular season on her way to picking up District 7-AAA offensive MVP honors.
CARLEY CARLISLE, INF, Hendersonville, Sr.,
Carlisle had a .348 average with 38 RBIs while pitching her way to a 26-7 record with a 1.26 ERA and 370 strikeouts in 168 innings in the regular season, earning District 9-AAA MVP honors in the process.
KATIE EAKES, INF, Wilson Central, Sr.
The North Alabama signee led the Lady Wildcats to the Region 5-AAA semifinals by batting .423 and driving in 47 RBIs with four home runs.
JENSEN MCELROY, INF, Siegel, Sr.
McElroy helped lead the Lady Stars to the Class AAA state title game, batting .426 in the regular season with four home runs and a team-leading 57 RBIs.
ALICIA VELTRI, OF, Northeast, Jr.
The District 10-AAA offensive MVP hit .481 with 44 RBIs, 35 runs and nine home runs while going 17-6 with a 1.93 ERA and 150 strikeouts.
MAKRAY ODOM, OF, Dickson Co., Sr.
Odom helped the Lady Cougars capture their second Class AAA state championship in the past three seasons by batting .590 with 66 runs, 46 RBIs and seven home runs. She also picked up five wins, including a no-hitter while pitching.
CELIE HUDSON, OF, Henry Co., Sr.
The Chattanooga signee and 10-AAA MVP batted .468 with 57 RBIs, 48 runs and 10 home runs while racking up 192 strikeouts and a .84 ERA behind a 27-4 record as Lady Patriots’ starter.
VERONICA WESTFALL, UTIL, Siegel, Sr.
Westfall led the Lady Stars to the Class AAA state championship game, batting .415 with 61 runs, 31 RBIs and six home runs in the regular season. She was even more impressive on the mound with a .75 ERA and 331 strikeouts on her way to a 38-4 record.
SECOND TEAM
P: Kayley Caplinger, DeKalb Co., Jr.
P: Courtney Petty, Friendship, Sr.
C: Kelsey Gray, Stewart Co., Sr.
INF: Peyton Wilson, Clarksville, Jr.
INF: Brianna Brady, Stewarts Creek, Jr.
INF: Ace Hanson, Hendersonville, Jr.
INF: Claire Smith, Wilson Central, Jr.
OF: Cailin Hannon, Centennial, Sr.
OF: Kacy Sullivan, Hume-Fogg, Sr.
OF: Kaylie McIllwain, Waverly Central, Sr.
UTIL: McKenzie Rose, Clarksville, Jr.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Dickson County coach Shane Buchanan
SHANE BUCHANAN, DICKSON CO.
Why chosen: He led the Lady Cougars to their fourth consecutive trip to the Class AAA state finals, and for the second time during that span captured a state championship. Dickson County capped a 42-7-1 season with a 6-3 win over Siegel in the state title game.
Quote: It was a great group, and we had some great memories. What a great way (for the seniors) to end their career. Each game (at state) was a challenge, but we just happened to be playing the best ball that we’ve played in a while.”