Another solid year

The St. Mary’s Colgan softball team headlined another solid year for Crawford County teams with an appearance in the Class 3A state tournament.

Colgan, under first-year head coach Abby Farabi, improved from 9-12 last year to 17-7 and regional champions. The Panthers overcame a five-game losing streak after starting 13-1 and won its final regular season game against Girard before winning regional games against Galena, No. 2 seed Frontenac and No. 1 seed Humboldt.

Frontenac blitzed its way through nearly all its season until a loss in the final game of the regular season against Southeast. The Raiders won their first 19 games, including two on the night of three games against Baxter Springs and Southeast. Frontenac went 20-2 and 13-1 in the Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League, winning an outright league title.

Girard finished its season 17-6, catching fire after a 2-4 start before running into a buzzsaw Labette County squad in the regional final.

Pittsburg doubled its win total from 2011, Southeast became the first team to beat Frontenac and Northeast made the Class 2-1A regional semifinals.

2012 Morning Sun All-County Team
Pitcher
Morgan Gilmore, Colgan
If there was one player who elevated her game time and time again this season, it was Gilmore.
She led Colgan to state on the strength of a 19-strikeout performance against undefeated Humboldt in the Class 3A regional final — one K shy of the state record for a seven-inning game. In the quarterfinals, Gilmore hit a walk-off three-run home run to advance Colgan past No. 6 seed Galena. She also hit a two-run shot against Humboldt.
Earlier in the season, during a nine-inning contest against Jasper (Mo.), Gilmore struck out 18 batters or two batters per inning. She fanned three in the first, three in the third, three in the sixth and struck out at least one in every inning. Gilmore outdueled Autumn Frickenschmidt in a 4-3 Colgan win.
Gilmore struck out 12 in her final high school game against Anthony-Harper-Chaparral in the state tournament.
A dual-purpose power player, Gilmore struck out over 200 batters and hit six home runs at the plate to help guide a young team on the rise to state.

Catcher
Sam Bonner, Frontenac
Bonner enjoyed a solid regular season at the plate for the Raiders, hitting .459 with 27 runs scored and 18 RBI, as well as a .500 on-base percentage and .689 slugging percentage in 20 games.

First baseman
Nayna Fields, Frontenac
Of course, nothing seems unorthodox about a left-handed first baseman who leads a team in batting average, runs scored, hits, extra-base hits and RBI.
However, Fields leads off in the Frontenac lineup and produced a .522 batting average, 37 runs scored, 35 hits, 15 extra-base hits and 30 RBI through 20 games of the season.
Multiple RBI games helped Fields log her rather extraordinary numbers: four against Liberal in the season opener, three against Riverton, four against Girard, three against Baxter Springs, five against Erie and three once more against Baxter Springs.

Second baseman
Haley Wilson, Frontenac
Wilson hit .372 with six doubles, one triple and 12 RBI during her sophomore year, her first year in the everyday lineup. Wilson batted only .167 her freshman year with three hits in 18 official at-bats.

Third baseman
Rachel Amershek, Frontenac
An All-County selection for her second time, this sophomore batted .404 with  25 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and 25 RBI after 20 games. Amershek had seven multi-RBI games, including four RBI against Liberal and three against Galena and Colgan.

Shortstop
Danielle McBride, Frontenac
An All-County selection last year at utility player, McBride earned the nod at shortstop this year due to a .426 batting average, 26 runs scored and 20 RBI after 20 games.

Outfield
Jennifer Long, Frontenac
One of three center fielders picked in the All-County outfield and a return selection, Long hit .418 with two home runs and 18 RBI along with five doubles and two triples in 20 games. Long ranked third on the Raiders in runs scored with 32 entering regionals.

Hope McLeod, Girard
A return selection to the All-County outfield along with Long, McLeod was one of three returning starters on a young Girard team which started its year 2-4 after being swept at home by Frontenac and finished its season 17-6 with a loss to Labette County in the Class 4A regional final. At one point, Girard had an 11-game winning streak and McLeod proved a vital factor with her speed at the top of the order and in the heart of the outfield.

Tori Colvin, Southeast
The lone first-time All-County selection in the outfield, Colvin batted .420 for the Lancers with six doubles, two triples and 14 RBI. She added 15 runs scored and nine stolen bases from her leadoff position and head coach Mike Bowman said that Colvin made several highlight-reel caliber catches out in center over the course of the 2012 season.

Utility Player
Megan Burdick, Pittsburg
A senior leader on a Pittsburg squad which doubled its win total from 4 in 2011 to 8 in 2012, Burdick earned a first-team All-Southeast Kansas League selection courtesy numbers like a .492 batting average, 20 singles, six doubles and nine RBI, as well as 12 stolen bases. Burdick and junior shortstop Andie Casper stole a combined 25 bases.

Others Considered: Lindsey Gorham, Frontenac; Katelyn Flood, Colgan; Amy Martin, Southeast; Madison Smith, Girard; Shiloh Blockburger, Southeast; Kenzi Tims, Northeast; Jordan Davied, Girard; Alaura Short, Pittsburg; Andie Casper, Pittsburg; Tristan Broce, Girard; Katie Kolarik, Colgan; Taylor Bolinger, Colgan; Lizzy Willis, Pittsburg; Libby Warrick, Frontenac; Kasey Ruark, Girard; Amanda McBride, Colgan; Chelsea Williams, Pittsburg.

2012 MORNING SUN ALL-COUNTY SOFTBALL TEAM
P: Morgan Gilmore, Colgan
C: Sam Bonner, Frontenac
1B: Nayna Fields, Frontenac
2B: Haley Wilson, Frontenac
3B: Rachel Amershek, Frontenac
SS: Danielle McBride, Frontenac
OF: Jennifer Long, Frontenac
OF: Hope McLeod, Girard
OF: Tori Colvin, Southeast
Utility: Megan Burdick, Pittsburg