2012 All-Middle Border Conference softball team announced

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Recognition in the form of All-Middle Border Conference honors were awarded to local softball players last week.

New Richmond’s softball team had four players named to the 2012 All-MBC team and Somerset had three players receive all-conference honors. New Richmond finished tied for third place with a 9-5 conference record. Somerset took seventh place in the conference with a 3-11 record.

First team honors went to New Richmond’s Paige Charland and Somerset’s Bethany Starry, both seniors. New Richmond had a pair placed on the All-MBC second team: senior Ashley Langer and freshman Ebony Campbell. Honorable mention selections were New Richmond’s Sydney Kannel and Somerset’s Carley Seibel and Sami Martell.

New Richmond

Charland took over at catcher this season and was one of the best defensive backstops around, throwing out six of eight runners who tried to steal bases. She did this despite playing much of the season with her left shoulder in a sling due to an injury during the hockey season. Charland batted .275 this season with 14 runs scored.

“She did an excellent job calling the game and with her leadership behind the plate,” said Tiger coach Becky Ahlbrecht.

Langer had the best year of her four-year varsity career, finishing with a 9-5 record and a 3.28 earned run average as the Tiger pitcher. She also made a much bigger impact this season with her bat. She hit .304 and had two game-winning hits.

Campbell burst onto the scene, hitting .511 with a .574 slugging percentage. As the Tiger shortstop, she made just two errors.

Kannel held down the third base role for her second season and played excellent defense. She and Campbell combined to make it difficult for opponents to pull hits through the infield. Kannel also battled .302.

The Tigers announced their team awards on Sunday. Here are the recipients:

Most Valuable: Paige Charland

Most Improved: Ellie Emerson

Golden Glove: Sydney Kannel

Tiger Award: Jordan Pastorius

Rookie of the Year: Ebony Campbell

Somerset

The respect for Starry around the conference was shown in the All-MBC voting. Even though she couldn’t pitch for half of the season because of an arm injury, she was still voted onto the first team. Starry was the Spartans’ leading hitter. When she was healthy, she ranked among the best pitchers in the conference.

Seibel was the vocal leader for the Spartans. As the team struggled in the second half of the season, she remained an upbeat presence that kept the team on an even keel. She was also a top defensive first baseman.

Martell is one of the finest defensive outfielders in the MBC, with great range and the ability to read the ball’s direction as it leaves the bat. Coach Cory Lindenberg switched her to a left-handed slap hitter during the season with excellent results.

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