All-MED softball team is announced

ALL-MED SOFTBALL RELEASED
By JERRY SCOTT/Staff

The Mountain Empire District has announced its All-District selections for the 2008 softball season. The voting was conducted by the MED head coaches at their annual end of season coaches meeting. The results were announced at the conclusion of the tournament final on May 22.
As expected, regular season champion Grayson County swept the player and coach of the year honors. Blue Devils third baseman picked up her second straight player of the year award and Grayson County coach Zach Dotson was named as coach of the year.
The Blue Devils also landed three more players on the All-MED first team. Those included pitcher Morgan Thorne, first baseman Megan Funk, and outfielder Joyelle Combs.
Rounding out the selections were pitcher Janisa Lawson of Galax, catcher Bethany Shupe of Pocahontas, second baseman Drew Cardwell of Galax, shortstop Cari Neal of Bland County, outfielders Jessica Coburn of Bland County and Paige Quesenberry of Fort Chiswell, designated hitter Megan Testerman of Galax, and utility player Christina Shockley of Fort Chiswell.
Bland County’s Neal anchored the Bears infield in 2008 and was very valuable as a leadoff hitter for Rich Hankins’ 11-8 club. She collected 20 hits in 53 at-bats for a .377 average. She drove in four runs and also stole 13 bases.
Coburn hit two homers for the Bears in 2008, batting .288 with 17 hits in 59 at-bats. She drove in 14 runs and was a steady outfielder for Bland County.
Bland County catcher Laurel Hankins headed the second team unit after getting 38 hits in 65 at-bats for a .585 batting average with 30 runs batted in. She finished second in the 2007 All-MED balloting but was snubbed for the first team in 2008 voting.
Joining Hankins on the second team were pitchers Adrian Sykes of Galax and Courtney Ball of Narrows, first baseman Kellie Davis of Narrows, second baseman Caitlin Anderson of Grayson County, third baseman Morgan Brizendine of Bland County, shortstop Brittany Pinnix of Fort Chiswell, outfielders Caci Higgins of Galax, Crystal Dickens of Pocahontas, and Kayla Spurlin of Grayson County, and designated hitter Kori Mabry of Fort Chiswell.
Fifteen additional players were named honorable mention and those included Grayson County’s Cortney Halsey and Tina Vaughan, Bland County’s Danielle May, Galax’s Dee Walker and Samantha Amburgey, Narrows’ Cameron Snidow, Shana Blankenship, Abby Davis, and Brittany Kast, Fort Chiswell’s Jesse Ogle, Amanda Montgomery, and Amanda Taylor, and Pocahontas’ Stephanie Webb, Karrie Shupe, and Brittany Thomas.