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Demons lead big school softball list
Salazar captains team as just a freshman; Obermann picked as coach
The 2023 Southeast Conference softball season saw the rise of the Demons, as Washington competed for the SEC title before falling second to Burlington.
The Demons did finish the year ahead of Union area rivals Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant. The Demons were 24-13 overall and 11-3 in conference play. The Trojans were 13-15 and 8-6, and the Panthers were 5-25 and 1-14.
The Demons got the most recognition on the 2023 All-Union big school softball team, selected by the sports team of Andy Krutsinger and Hunter Moeller. The Demons earned seven players and one coach, including captain Leighton Salazar.
Fairfield earned four spots on the team. Mt. Pleasant took up two.
The team is underclassman dominated this season. Only Fairfield’s Coty Engle and Washington’s Haley Mitchell made it as seniors, and the lone junior is Washington’s Emery Walton.
Without further adieu, here is the 2023 All-Union big school softball team.
COACH: Ben Obermann, Washington
Obermann’s Demons won 24 games this year, the most the team has won since the 2013 season. Washington was alive in the SEC race until the last week of conference play, as Burlington finished the year two games ahead.
Washington was ranked at the end of the season, but found themselves up against a higher-ranked Assumption squad, which knocked Washington off in the regional semifinals, and made it all the way to the state title game.
Obermann’s Demons are well set up for next season. The talented Washington squad loses just one senior to graduation.
CAPTAIN: Leighton Salazar (9), Washington
Washington’s lead off hitter earns captain honors after getting on base at a staggering umber in 2023.
Salazar hit a ridiculous .550 this season. Her hits weren’t all singles either, as she finished the year with 13 doubles and three triples, and even scattered around 24 RBIs.
Salazar was an absolute menace on the bases, scoring 58 runs on the year, and stealing 24 bases.
PITCHER: Coty Engle (12), Fairfield
Engle has been a starter for the Trojan softball team for five years now, and she has become a perennial member of the All-Union list, rightfully so.
The Trojans’ ace did it again this season, sporting a 3.09 ERA and 103 strikeouts in the circle. She was also excellent at the plate, hitting .390 with five doubles and two triples, while scoring a team-high 30 runs.
PITCHER: Bella Salazar (10), Washington
While she didn’t beat out her little sister for captain’s honors, Bella Salazar had another fantastic year for the Demons.
Salazar finished the season with a 3.53 ERA, winning 16 games on the year for the Demons. She gave Washington a boost at the plate as well, hitting .227.
CATCHER: Lilly Bergren (10), Fairfield
Fairfield’s lineup had to replace quite a bit from last year’s regional finals team, and Lilly Bergren was one of the key Trojans to step up in 2023.
The sophomore catcher hit .270 this season with seven doubles, 15 RBIs, and one grand slam. Bergren promises to be one of the key factors in Fairfield getting back toward the top of the SEC standings.
INFIELD: Colbie Greiner (8), Washington
Colbie Greiner was a superstar for the Washington softball team in 2023. As just an eighth-grader, she shot up to be one of the best players in the conference.
Greiner not only hit .347 at the plate, but finished second on the team with 37 RBIs. She hit 10 doubles, one triples and five home runs, which tied for tops on the team.
In the circle, Greiner emerged as a strong arm for the Demons, finishing the year with a 3.39 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
INFIELD: Laney Norris (10), Fairfield
Another emerging bat for the Trojans, Laney Norris finished second on the team in hitting, with a .318 batting average in 2023.
Norris hit a team-high 26 singles, but also connected on two doubles. She finished third on the team with 14 RBIs by the end of the year.
INFIELD: Addison Clark (9), Mt. Pleasant
Mt. Pleasant didn’t get a ton of wins in the 2023 season, but one thing the Panthers did pull off was showing off a tough group of underclassmen, led by their freshman.
Clark hit .316 on the year, and served as the best Panther power bat. She had six doubles, two triples, two home runs and 18 RBIs on the season. Those 18 runs batted in tied for a team high.
INFIELD: Lauren Hinrichsen (10), Washington
Another strong bat in the lineup for the Demons came from sophomore Lauren Hinrichsen.
Hinrichsen hit .310 this season, one of four Demons to hit over .300. She tallied three doubles and knocked in 17 RBIs.
OUTFIELD: Ella Greiner (10), Washington
There aren’t many hitters as dangerous as Demon sophomore Ella Greiner. Greiner supplied a huge amount of power for Washington from the second spot in the lineup.
Greiner hit a scolding hot .475 this season. She had eight home runs, one triple, five home runs and a team-high 39 RBIs.
OUTFIELD: Olivia Hollander (10), Fairfield
Olivia Hollander didn’t hit much in 2022, despite playing a lot of games in the field. In 2023, she showed that her bat was nothing to scoff at.
Hollander hit .316 this season, which was third on the team. She finished the season with five doubles, two triples, one home run and a team-high 21 RBIs.
OUTFIELD: Kynlee White (9), Mr. Pleasant
Freshman Kynlee White served as a speedster at the top of the lineup for a growing Panther softball squad, and she got on base more than any other Mt. Pleasant hitter.
White hit .329 on the year, tallying a team-high 23 singles. She also had a double and a triple on the year, while coleading the team with 16 runs and pacing the squad with 15 stolen bases.
UTILITY: Haley Mitchell (12), Washington
The lone senior on the 2023 Washington softball team was Haley Mitchell, who supplied some nice power to the Demon lineup this year.
Mitchell hit .286 on the year. She hit four doubles on the year and knocked in 21 runs.
UTILITY: Emery Walton (11), Washington
There were five Demons who finished the season with 20 RBIs or more, and one of those was junior Emery Walton.
Walton added to a tough Demon outfield by hitting .259 on the season. She finished the year with five doubles and two triples, and knocked in 23 runs.
