Sophomore Savannah Hutchins was named the high school softball team’s Most Valuable Player award during the Huskies’ annual awards dessert June 3.
Hutchins went 23-74 at the plate this season with a .311 batting average. She hit two doubles, a triple and a home run, collected 17 RBIs and scored 18 runs.
She pitched 68 1/3 innings in 17 games, striking out 75 batters while giving up 37 walks and 47 hits. She allowed 14 earned runs, to finish with a 1.434 earned run average.
Freshman Maddie Harris was named the team’s Most Improved Player.
Senior Sunhee Bitter was named Most Inspirational.
Bitter is someone “who does a lot of things behind the scenes,” said Coach Karyn Hartsook of Bitter. She is a positive example and helps the other girls with a number of things.
Hartsook presented the Coaches Award to junior Allison Miner, who “does whatever you ask,” she said.
This year was the second in which the team finished first in academics among all 4A teams, Hartsook said.
“Thank you, guys, for an amazing season,” Hartsook said. “Top eight’s not bad.”
But, Hartsook said, the team will be back and looking for two-time defending state champion La Grande next year.
The Huskies finished second in league behind Philomath and then reached the second round of state playoffs, losing 3-1 to La Grande, which went on to beat Junction City 9-2 and then defeat Henley 4-2 in a rematch to win the state championship for the second year in a row.
As a team, the Huskies batted a .337 average, scoring 199 runs and allowing 65 runs. The pitching staff had a collective earned run average of 1.678, allowing 56 walks and 102 hits while striking out 140 batters.
Three seniors, Marissa Kurtz, Sunhee Bitter and Sydney Mauer, earned their fourth softball letters.
First-year letter winners were freshmen Maddie Harris and Chloe Fairchild and juniors Samantha Virtue and Emily Brown.
Second-year letters went to sophomores Graci Zanona, Savannah Hutchins and Bailee Hartsook and junior Jasmine Carter.
Receiving third-year letters were juniors Allison Miner and Ashtyn Walker.