Introducing the 2022 Wichita Eagle high school softball All-Metro team
The Wichita Eagle announced its annual All-Metro softball team on Tuesday, recognizing some of the best high school players in the state of Kansas from the 2022 season.
The All-Metro first team features the top 13 players and the top coach from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties, based on statistics, team success, postseason recognition and area coaches’ feedback. Valley Center junior Maci George was named the Player of the Year after coming up clutch multiple times to lead the Hornets to their first state championship in program history.
Here is the full look at the teams:
Wichita Eagle All-Metro softball first team
Delaney Blakesley, Bluestem senior
Few, if any, pitchers were more dominant than Blakesley this season. The Bluestem senior had an 18-1 record in the circle, which included 11 shutouts, four no-hitters and three perfect games, and allowed just two earned runs in 107 innings pitched for a minuscule 0.17 ERA to go along with 188 strikeouts. The Hutchinson signee powered Bluestem to a 22-2 record and didn’t lose a game until the Class 2-1A state tournament. Blakesley was also the team’s go-to hitter in the lineup with a .588 batting average, .637 on-base percentage, 46 RBI and 34 runs scored to earn first team all-state honors in Class 2-1A.
“Delaney was someone who worked hard all offseason on her craft,” Bluestem coach Michelle Womacks said. “She really took her craft seriously, not just pitching, but also hitting and that’s what makes her so special. This was her best pitching year ever and she worked really hard on her energy and increasing her speed. But she also had good spin on the ball this year, which made her tough to hit because she had really good movement on her screwballs and curveballs. She set the bar pretty high for anyone who follows her.”
Kadence Brewster, Bishop Carroll senior
The Brewster twins were an integral part of Carroll’s undefeated state championship run last season and 55-1 record the last two seasons. Kadence served as the team’s ace in the circle for the second straight season and finished with a 14-1 record and 1.69 ERA to go along with a .542 batting average at the plate with a team-high 45 RBI, 42 runs scored and 25 extra-base hits. The Division II Oklahoma Christian signee is a 2-time All-Metro selection who earned first team all-City League and received second team all-state honors as a pitcher in Class 5A this season.
“Kadence just loves to pitch and she loves the pressure,” Carroll coach Steve Harshberger said. “A lot of kids say that, but she’s one who can actually perform under pressure and really thrives in the big moments and she’s proven that. And then hitting is the same thing. The twins hit three and four for us for two straight years and they both just understand the game and they’re such smart hitters.”
Kiley Brewster, Bishop Carroll senior
The versatility of Brewster was key in allowing Carroll to enter the state tournament with an undefeated record for the second straight season. She was an integral part in leading the Golden Eagles to a 55-1 record the last two seasons, including an undefeated Class 5A state championship run last season. Brewster started the season starting at third base, but sacrificed to help the team and moved to catcher for the majority of the season. The Division II Oklahoma Christian signee is a 2-time All-Metro pick and finished with a .533 batting average, 40 RBI, 35 runs scored and 18 extra-base hits this season to earn first team all-state honors at catcher in Class 5A.
“She was a great third baseman, but she stepped up for us and made the switch to catcher and was just great defensively there too,” Carroll coach Steve Harshberger said. “Giving up her strength and anyone would love to play the field compared to catch, but that sacrifice helped us in a big way and she did it all without a single complaint. I think being a catcher allowed her to see a pitch coming in and know what to look for so she could recognize it and that allowed her to swing for power, drive balls to the gap and also lay down a great drag bunt. That’s all pretty special.”
Maci George, Valley Center junior
If anyone deserves the nickname of “Ms. May,” it’s George, who delivered crucial hits throughout Valley Center’s run to its first state championship. The North Texas pledge finished 8-for-12 at the state tournament, including a grand slam in the semifinals and a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning of the the championship game to secure the Class 5A championship. George, a 2-time All-Metro pick now, finished the season with a .556 batting average, 10 home runs, 44 RBI and 27 extra-base hits, which earned her first team all-league and all-state honors at third base for a 23-2 Valley Center team.
“She is such a competitor. She doesn’t like to lose to anybody, even in practice when we’re just scrimmaging,” Valley Center coach Corey Jones said. “She just has that competitive nature and it’s all the time. It doesn’t matter if it’s against her friends or against her opponents. Even though she’s not a very big girl, she has some power and defensively she’s very solid and she’s just a great, all-around player.”
Hayley Gerberding, Clearwater senior
Clearwater knew it could count on Gerberding in the outfield and at the plate, as the senior delivered her best season yet to help the Indians win 22 games, a share of the AV-CTL Div. IV title and reach the Class 4A semifinals. The Allen County signee finished with a team-best .471 batting average, .559 on-base percentage and nine stolen bases. Gerberding was voted as the Co-Player of the Year in the AV-CTL Div. IV and also earned first team all-state recognition as an outfielder in Class 4A.
“Hayley has been a tremendous player for our program for four years now,” Clearwater coach Tyler Hampton said. “She makes all the routine plays and makes the spectacular plays in the outfield. She has worked hard to improve her hitting and it really showed this year. She has been an excellent player and leader for our program and I’m excited to see her play at the next level.”
Morgan Haupt, Derby senior
Haupt was the fiery presence in the circle that helped lead Derby to a 21-4 record, a Class 6A regional championship and third-place finish at the state tournament. The senior had a 12-3 record as Derby’s ace, finishing the season with a 1.96 ERA and 105 strikeouts. The Division III University of the Ozarks (Ark.) signee earned first team all-league in AV-CTL Div. I and was also voted as a first team all-state pitcher in Class 6A.
“She’s very small, but we like to call her ‘small but mighty,’” Derby coach Christy Weve said. “She has worked so hard, especially this last year where she worked so hard to develop this unbelievable change up. She was very good at mixing up her speeds and hitting her spots and she’s developed so much over these last few years. We knew every time she was out there, she was going to leave everything she had.”
Lucy Hooper, Valley Center junior
She might play the same position at the same elite level as her father, Kevin, a former Wichita State standout who reached the majors, but Lucy is carving out her own legacy. No shortstop in Kansas fielded the position better or more smoothly than Hooper, who finished the season hitting .500 at the plate with 45 runs scored, 16 stolen bases and 20 RBI batting out of the lead-off spot for a 23-2 Valley Center team that won the Class 5A state championship. Hooper, who is attracting Division I interest, was named Player of the Year in the AV-CTL Div. II and also earned first team all-state honors while leading the Hornets to their first state title in program history.
“You talk to anyone and the first thing they’ll notice about Lucy is her defense,” Valley Center coach Corey Jones said. “She is so tough up the middle. We’ve turned so many double plays because of her. She can cover so much ground and take away base hit after base hit. She’s a pitcher’s best friend. And then at the plate, she bats lead off for us and does a great job there. She’s just an outstanding player.”
Korri Lies, Cheney senior
Lies wrapped up an outstanding career at Cheney, where she became a 2-time All-Metro pick at pitcher and finished with a 40-3 record with more than 360 strikeouts in three seasons. She was the ace in the circle for last year’s state championship team at Cheney and while the Cardinals had to settle for a 19-win season without a state berth this season, Lies was spectacular once again with an 11-2 record, 1.70 ERA and 100 strikeouts to once again earn first team status in the Central Plains League and first team all-state in Class 3A. The Hutchinson signee also delivered her best season at the plate, batting .658 with 35 runs scored, 32 RBI, 16 extra-base hits and 20 stolen bases.
“She was a rock for us pitching and then hitting-wise, she ended up having her best hitting year of her career and that’s what really stood out to me,” Cheney coach Matt Johnson said. “She really, really upped her game this season and that’s tough to do when you’re the 3A Player of the Year as a junior and you come back and everyone is gunning for you. She still had a really good year and I’m so proud of everything she’s done for us. She’s one that I’ll never be able to replace.”
Tegan Livesay, Newton junior
No pitcher improved more from last season than Livesay, who elevated her game as a good No. 1 to one of the best aces in the entire state. Her presence in the circle was a major reason why Newton was able to finish with a 21-4 record, win a Class 5A regional championship and advance to the semifinals of the state tournament. Livesay, who is beginning to attract Division I attention, was as dominant as they come, finishing the season with an 18-2 record, an 1.22 ERA, six shutouts, two no-hitters and 265 strikeouts compared to just 33 walks. Her only two losses came at the state tournament, a 1-0 loss where she pitched a one-hitter and an extra-innings loss where she pitched a shutout in regulation. Livesay, who also had a .455 batting average with 11 home runs, was voted the Player of the Year in AV-CTL Div. I and a first team all-state pitcher in Class 5A.
“Tegan throws like the girls you see on TV in the College World Series,” Newton coach Danny Park said. “She is just a shut-down type of pitcher who works so hard. She put in so much work from last year to this year and it showed. She has a lot of movement on her pitches and she’s just a very hard-throwing pitcher who is very methodical in her approach and just doesn’t let up.”
Addie Ross, Andale-Garden Plain junior
While Andale-Garden Plain had a handful of standouts who helped the team finish with a 20-3 record and another trip back to the state tournament, Ross was the team’s biggest hitting machine. The junior outfielder finished with a .538 batting average and .602 on-base percentage to go along with 37 runs scored and 33 RBI. Ross also hit safely in 22 of 23 games for Andale-Garden Plain on top of playing standout defense in center field, which earned her first team all-league in AV-CTL Div. IV and first team all-state in Class 4A.
“Addie is just one of those girls who worked extremely hard on her game and it paid off,” Andale-Garden Plain coach Chuck Schrader said. “She showed so much improvement from her sophomore year to her junior year and I know she wants to play at the next level and this season was a big success. She can do it all at the plate. She can hit for average, she can hit for power and the big thing she added this year was being able to hit to all fields. She was our offensive catalyst this season and I’m looking forward to what she can do in her senior year.”
Audry Rumsey, Eisenhower junior
Eisenhower ended No. 1 seed Bishop Carroll’s 55-game winning streak and quest for a second straight championship, then capped off an 18-win season with a third-place finish at the Class 5A state tournament. Not bad for a No. 8 seed. While Eisenhower had several players rise to the occasion in the postseason, Rumsey was at the heart of it all. Not only was the junior a leader in the circle for the Tigers all season, finishing with a 7-3 record and 2.71 ERA, she also led the team in hitting (.488 batting average) with seven home runs and 26 RBI. Rumsey earned first team all-league in AV-CTL Div. II as a pitcher and also received honorable mention all-state honors as a pitcher in Class 5A.
“She is very dedicated to softball and spends a lot of time year-round getting a lot of reps and making herself better,” Eisenhower coach Amber Brunswig said. “You could tell the time she puts in by how it paid off this season. She’s just a very tough out at the plate. You can give her inside, give her outside, she’s going to make the adjustment and put the ball in play. And then she was a great leader for our pitching staff and was a very good help with that this season.”
Sykora Smith, Valley Center junior
There might not be a better junior class on any team in the state, as Valley Center’s class of 2023 earned three nods alone on the All-Metro team. Smith was the go-to pitcher for Valley Center and she came up big in the state championship game, pitching an eight-inning, complete game to help the Hornets win the Class 5A title — the first state title in program history. When she wasn’t dominant in the circle (her 11-1 record and 1.27 ERA earned her Pitcher of the Year honors in the AV-CTL Div. II), the Northern Iowa commit filled gaps wherever the Hornets needed her, whether it was at first base or in the outfield, while hitting .398 with 16 extra-base hits and five home runs to earn first team all-state status.
“What makes her so special is that she could play any position we needed her to play for us,” Valley Center coach Corey Jones said. “She pitched 12 games for us and played first base, shortstop and right field in the other games. That was such a nice luxury being able to bring her in and be able to play her all over the field. That was a key to us being as good as we were.”
Caiya Stucky, Northwest senior
As the only senior on Northwest, Stucky rose to the occasion in her final season to deliver one of best wins in program history to knock off No. 2 seed SM Northwest on its home field at the Class 6A state tournament. The Grizzlies won the game 1-0 to reach the semifinals with Stucky in the circle pitching a complete-game shutout with six strikeouts and no walks. Not only did she finish with a 10-2 record as a pitcher, but Stucky split time at first base and outfield and hit the 3-hole for the Grizzlies and led the team with 34 RBI to go along with a .432 batting average, .586 on-base percentage, 28 runs scored and 11 extra-base hits. Stucky, who will play volleyball and softball at Fort Hays State, earned first team all-City League as a pitcher and earned first team all-state honors in Class 6A as an outfielder.
“She was our only senior this year and the girls really listened to her, responded to her and respected her,” Northwest coach Cody Stucky said. “She pitched the game of her life against SM Northwest. If we play them 10 times, we may not ever beat them again, but everything fell in place that game and we beat them. She did a great job of mixing up her speeds that game. She’s not going to blow you away, but her change-up was absolutely money that game. (Catcher) Ava Mullins called a great game behind the plate and they just couldn’t figure out Caiya’s change-up. It was just one of those days where everything lined up.”
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Corey Jones, Valley Center coach
There was never a question of if Valley Center had the talent to win a state championship, but the Hornets had never been there before. After a 3-2 start to the season, Jones pulled all the right strings and Valley Center’s loaded junior class powered the Hornets to 20 straight wins, which included the first state championship in program history and the school’s first girls team state title in 44 years. Jones preached defense all season and the Hornets were at their best when it mattered most, allowing just a total of seven runs during its final 12 games of the season. After knocking on the door for so many years, Jones etched his name in history in his 16th season in the program.
“Our girls will have their names and picture in the school forever now,” Jones said. “I’m so happy for them because this group deserves it. I told them before the game, ‘You’re as good as anyone and you deserve to be here’ and they went out and proved it.”
All-Metro second team
Brodie Christensen, Andover freshman outfielder
Laci Dryden, Goddard senior outfielder
Kendall Forbes, Bishop Carroll junior infielder
Karlee Ford, Eisenhower sophomore utility
Kylie Forney, Andover senior utility
Karli George, Eisenhower freshman pitcher
Raegan Jackson, Derby freshman infielder
Nevaeh Lopez, Northwest junior utility
Trinity Kuntz, Derby junior catcher
Alexis Mastin, Eisenhower senior catcher
Eve Morris, Bishop Carroll senior outfielder
Alyssa Mude, Andale-Garden Plain senior pitcher
Madison Nightingale, Andale-Garden Plain junior infielder
Olivia Sandoval, Newton senior infielder
Kyndall Stine, Heights junior outfielder
Tori Turner, Valley Center junior pitcher
Bailey Way, Andover senior infielder
Brooklyn Wewe, Cheney senior infielder
All-Metro third team
Chloe Bartlett, Maize senior utility
Kaylee Davis, Andover Central freshman pitcher
Hannah Decker, Andale-Garden Plain junior pitcher
Rylee Frager, Derby junior infielder
Kayleigh Herdman, Clearwater senior infielder
Annie Kealey, Heights senior infielder
Natalie Klenda, Goddard sophomore pitcher
Mykah Klump, Valley Center junior outfielder
Addison Mackey, Mulvane sophomore infielder
Peyton McCormick, Cheney sophomore outfielder
Lauren McNaught, Eisenhower junior outfielder
Lynsee Olbrey, Flinthills senior utility
Madison Phipps, Mulvane sophomore catcher
Sophie Reyes, Bluestem sophomore outfielder
Mereith Robinson, Bishop Carroll senior utility
Avery Silsby, Northwest junior infielder
Gabrielle Stauffer, Campus sophomore utility
Audrey Steinert, Derby senior infielder
Elizabeth Tjaden, Clearwater sophomore infielder
Hannah Weber, Eisenhower senior infielder
Adie White, Circle senior catcher
Brecken Whitney, Clearwater junior pitcher
Tess Winter, Clearwater senior pitcher
C.J. Wolgamuth, Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore infielder
Camrynn Yardley, Rose Hill junior outfielder
Kaci Young, Halstead freshman pitcher
This story was originally published June 28, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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