Record-breaking seasons fuel 2010 All-GTNS softball team

The months of June and July went down as some of the best in school history for both Washington and Pekin, and it stands to reason the two lineups now dominate the 2010 All-Golden Triangle News Service softball team.

The Demons and Panthers combined for an astounding 58-17 record and fill 10 ? Pekin leading the way with six ? of the 14 All-GTNS slots.

Continuing the trend of one of the best seasons Washington fans have ever seen was do-it-all senior and All-GTNS captain Lucy Libe, who gathered more than enough individual accolades to go above and beyond the success she helped her team find. Now a four-time All-GTNS softball selection, she also found herself on All-GTNS volleyball and basketball teams her senior year.

While helping Washington to a 27-10 record, school records fell by the wayside, and she didn?t stop there. Libe shattered four Demon all-time bests ? two that she already owned ? and went on to set the all-time Southeast Conference mark for batting average in a season at .533 that was last set by Fort Madison?s Erica Martinez (.531) in 1999. The average was nearly 150 points higher than the school record Libe established in 2008 as she finishes her career at .368. Other school records set in 2010 include hits (65), on-base percentage (.571) and slugging percentage (.557) as well as peppering in 26 stolen bases and 40 runs scored ? all while playing in one of the toughest softball conferences in the state.

Pekin headman Bryan Marlay just edged Washington?s Angie Schrader for the coach?s slot due in large part to his team?s undefeated 18-game run through the SEISC north division and a 31-win season that ended one victory shy of the state tournament. Marlay managed a lineup that was clearly loaded with talent, and a rotation of three starting pitchers capable of getting a win on any given night.

Sophomore Mackenzie Laux turned out to be the most dominant on the staff and became un-hittable, quite literally, when her stuff was on. Laux finished with a total of four no-no?s on the season, which included one perfect game as she used her repertoire of six different pitches to fool batters and ended the year with a 0.65 ERA, 1.65 K?s per inning and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 284-45.

Those numbers speak for themselves, but the one opponent Laux couldn?t mow down was Mid-Prairie?s Olivia Lugar, who certainly saved her best for when it counted. Lugar, filling in an All-GTNS utility spot, won the head-to-head match-up with Laux with a 4-0 victory in the regional final to send her team to the state tournament ? the Golden Hawks? first since Lugar?s older sister, Hannah, took them there two years ago.

Lugar went 5-1 in postseason play that included regional upsets of No. 3 Wilton and No. 12 Pekin ? both three-hit shutouts ? with a 1.69 ERA. She was rewarded for her late-season efforts by being named to the Class 2A all-tournament team after pitching her team to a fifth-place finish.

Washington senior Greta Smeins also did plenty of work in the pitcher?s circle, which didn?t come as much of a surprise to the Demons. It is Smeins? third-straight All-GTNS selection at pitcher after her best season yet that included a 25-5 record, which bumps her career win total up to 62, a 1.85 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 161-33.

But even with all those staggering numbers, the most prolific pitcher on the 2010 All-GTNS squad may be Pekin?s Mycaela Crouse. Injury limited the utility selection to just four appearances in the pitcher?s circle, but three wins pushed her career sum to 101 to put her in one of the more elite clubs in Iowa softball history. The senior showed no signs of a bum arm from her first-base position or at the plate however, as she hit .349 and came around to score a team-high 45 runs. Crouse joins Libe as a four-time All-GTNS selection to conclude her decorated Panther career.

Crouse?s running-mate dating all the way back to her eighth-grade season is Pekin third baseman Shelby Blakely. The biggest asset Blakely brings to the table is her glove while playing the hot corner of the infield, but she?s also no slouch at the plate. Blakely turned in an impressive .459 on-base percentage helped out by a .357 batting average while also stealing a whopping 32 bases to merit her third All-GTNS selection.

Two more Panthers filled in the outfield slots as juniors Dominique Tolle and Kaitlin Spilman get their first taste of the All-GTNS squad. The pair represented the heart of the Panther batting order, and the RBI?s poured in. Tolle racked up a team-leading 44 runs batted in while Spilman came in right behind her with 33 to give plenty of support to Pekin?s dominant pitching staff. Tolle also laced four home runs and nine doubles while batting .347.

Washington second baseman Maddie Bohr is just a freshman playing her second season in a Demon uniform, but was counted on to get things started from her leadoff spot. If not for her teammate Libe, Bohr would have broken school records for batting average (.449) and on-base percentage at (.570). She did get her name in the book with an all-time best 25 walks.

Joining Bohr in the Demons? middle infield is senior shortstop Caitlin Fishback. The power hitter ripped 13 doubles and justified her No. 4 spot in the order with 45 RBI?s this summer. The mark adds to the string of Washington school records set in 2010, and it wasn?t even close as Fishback tore through the previous record of 35 that had stood since Jenny Pearson set it in 1998.

New London freshman Caitlin Chiri fills out the infield for the 2010 All-GTNS squad after batting leadoff, with good reason, for a Tiger team that had big shoes to fill coming off a tremendous 2009 season. The shortstop hit .368 with a .435 on-base percentage and tied for the team-lead in hits with 43.

Kaysee Grogan was the only senior on the field for a young New London team, and delivered with leadership as well as big numbers. From her catcher position, Grogan tallied a .961 fielding percentage, and when she was standing up she hit .443 and drove in 25 New London runs.

Rounding out the 2010 All-GTNS squad is outfield Sammi Goble ? the only Mount Pleasant Panther selected to the squad. While her team struggled through the Southeast Conference, the freshman is one reason to believe in a bright future for Mount Pleasant. Goble hit .336 while supplying a good glove in the outfield grass and also put in 93 innings in the pitcher?s circle when her team called upon her.

Goble is just one of seven All-GTNS selections that will be back on the field in 2011, which makes it easy to see that some of the scorching success teams found this summer may just be surpassed next year.

The 2010 All-GTNS softball team was selected by sports editors Carson Tigges of the Fairfield Ledger, Travis Brown of the Washington Evening Journal and Nathan Leete of the Mt. Pleasant News.