Conference champs rule 2009 all-GTNS softball squad

As Golden Triangle teams claimed both the north and south division Southeast Iowa Super Conference championships, it stands to reason that those two teams ? Pekin from the north and New London from the south ? led the 2009 all-GTNS team with four selections apiece.

While New London?s Bria Mears is just a freshman age-wise, her outstanding 2009 campaign was a picture of consistency from the mound that garnered her captain honors on this year?s all-GTNS team. Throwing all but six innings of the Tigers? season, she gathered a 30-5 record while sitting down 143 opposing batters compared to just 29 free bases by walks and hit opponents. Mears also eliminated the need for a designated hitter in a big way batting .402 with 30 RBIs.

Leading the squad from the third base coach?s box will be Pekin head coach Bryan Marlay ? a post he is familiar with after leading his Panther team to a 29-6 record. Marlay orchestrated a mid-season 15-game win streak and the 29 wins are 12 more than any other SEISC north team, but he didn?t do it without some help. Pitcher Mycaela Crouse, third-baseman Shelby Blakely and first baseman Brenda Fritchen are also all-GTNS selections.

Crouse was the Panther ace from game one and put together an impressive 22-5 record with a 1.17 ERA on the year leading Pekin to the conference crown. The junior also handled her offensive duties very well from her clean-up spot hitting .337.

While Crouse?s teammate Blakely sports a hefty batting average at .370 and 30 stolen bases on the year, she provided most of the value with her glove making play after play on the hot corner down third-base line. Blakely?s quick glove earned her a second-straight all-GTNS selection and led to strong throws that made their way to senior first baseman Brenda Fritchen ? Pekin?s final all-GTNS selection, who drove in 23 runs with a .342 average.

New London fills in the rest of the infield slots with Logan Chiri and Kaci Wagner. Chiri was the Tigers? lead off threat and second baseman batting .460 with a .534 on base percentage while striking out just five times the entire season. The threat didn?t end once she was away from the plate however, as the senior stole 42 bases and counted for 43 of the Tigers? runs.

Wagner was New London?s power threat, connecting on four home runs this year to break the Tigers? home run record with 11 career shots. Wagner also connected for three triples and 12 doubles while driving in 32 RBIs and scoring 40 runs with a .434 batting average. New London?s final representative, Ashley Blint, leads the 2009 outfield selections after roaming centerfield without a single error on the year. The senior batted .340 and drove in 14 runs.

Washington?s Lucy Libe and Cardinal?s Sarah Yeager ? two four-sport studs for their schools ? fill in the outfield. Libe did some damage to the Washington record books in her junior season as one of the most dangerous leadoff hitters in the area. The junior batted .366, tallied a school-record 56 hits this season, and once she was on base, stealing second was nearly automatic. She swiped a team-best 35 bases, and that number was only one away from tying the school record. She also wheeled around the bases to score a team-high 41 runs, which was three shy of the school record to give her the an all-GTNS selection for the third-straight year.

As if Yeager?s state championship in the 100-meter hurdles wasn?t enough to show off her speed, the Cardinal senior tracked down ball after ball from her centerfield post. The slap-hitter was also batted leadoff for her team as she sped down the line for 35 hits on the year batting at a .324 clip. Yeager will take her abilities to the Drake University track team later this year.

While playing in the ultra-competitive Southeast Conference, the Washington battery of Greta Smeins and Shelby Marie don?t have numbers to blow you away, but their leadership and ability to put up wins when it counted the most earned them spots on the all-GTNS team.

Smeins, who was named to her second-straight all-GTNS softball team, just keeps getting better as a pitcher. The junior went 16-12 this season with an earned run average of 1.80. The second team all-Southeast Conference selection fanned 186 batters and walked just 40 in 167 innings, and she performed her best during the Demons? run to the regional final. Smeins had complete-game shutout victories in Washington?s first two postseason games, striking out 16 batters and giving up just six hits in the two games. Even eventual state champion Clear Creek-Amana struggled to hit Smeins at times, and needed some nifty base running to score its six runs.

Washington senior Shelby Marie may have batted only .293 this season, but her amazing defensive and leadership abilities earned her a spot on the squad. Besides being a wall behind the plate, she also had the arm to throw out anyone who dared to take second and the range to catch any pop fly that didn?t make its way over the backstop. Marie was a five-year varsity player for the Demons, getting called up to the varsity in her eighth-grade year because of her excellent leadership abilities. Marie, a first team all-conference and all-district selection, was one of only two seniors on the Demon squad this year.

While New London edged Cardinal for the south division crown, the Comets happily took second place after a stellar 2009 campaign. From the two utility spots, pitcher Felisha Durflinger and eighth-grade catcher Lindsey Moore will supply plenty of power.

Durflinger?s seven home runs on the season was more than the team total of any of the other 14 Golden Triangle teams. The Comet clean-up hitter also racked up 10 doubles and 30 RBIs against a rock solid schedule that featured several Class 3A and 4A opponents. Durflinger also handled pitching duties putting together 15 victories and a 1.68 ERA with 109 strikeouts on the year.

Moore burst onto the prep scene in a big way in 2009 as the youngest member of the all-GTNS team. While catching for Durflinger, Moore was just one step behind her battery-mate blasting six home runs herself with a .350 average. Moore drove in 28 runs and all signs point to more of the same in the future as she looks toward a future with four more years in a Comet uniform ahead of her.

The 13 player all-GTNS team features six seniors, but all four two-time selections ? Smeins, Libe, Blakely and Crouse ? will be back in 2010. While New London loses three honorees to graduation, Pekin will return three and appears to be poised for another north division run next year.