Despite missing a portion of the season with a wrist injury, Houston sophomore Taylor Franklin was named to the all-region and all-district softball teams.
Franklin was joined on the all-district team by teammates Maddie Vandiver and Kayla Kelley. Freshman Olivia Woosley was named honorable mention all-district.
Franklin, a shortstop, hit a team-best .574 and scored a school-record 35 times. She led the team in home runs (three), RBIs (28), doubles (eight) and on-base percentage (.672) and ranked second in steals (29).
She compiled those numbers despite missing four games.
“I tell people she is the most athletic girl in the school,” Lady Tigers coach Willy Walker said. “She doesn’t do everything fundamentally correct, but her athleticism makes up for it.”
Kelley, a junior, shuffled between first base and the pitching mound. By the end of the season, she was pitching a majority of each game. No matter where she played defensively, Kelley was strong offensively. The junior batted .507 with a team-high 30 hits and 26 RBIs.
“She is the hardest hitter we have on the team,” Walker said. “She doesn’t have many walks because she picks out her pitch and puts it in play.”
Vandiver, a sophomore second baseman, was pesky to opponents with her speed. She hit .455 and stole a school-record 30 bases. She ranked season on the team with 32 runs and third with 30 hits.
“Her speed base to base is very fast,” Walker said. “She is very tough to throw out when she gets a good jump.”
Woosley, a freshman, earned the starting spot at third base and by the end of the season was batting clean-up. She hit .439 with 25 hits, 23 runs, 19 RBIs and 16 steals.
“I couldn’t have asked for a freshman to come in, play third base and do a better job than she did,” Walker said.