Croy first team, Tolson and Richman second team as all-state softball selections from THS

The Missouri softball Class 2 all-state first and second teams have been released, with the Grand River Conference and District 15 champion Trenton Lady Bulldogs well represented by the team’s sophomore battery and veteran first baseman receiving the postseason honors.

Trenton’s only first-team all-stater is sophomore catcher Salem Croy, who showed continued improvement in both her power game (six home runs) and consistent contact, quickly becoming a force in the #3 hole of the Trenton lineup.  Croy is joined by Bowling Green sophomore Gabi Deters and Centralia senior (and future Arkansas Razorback) Nicole Duncan at the catcher position.

The team that knocked Trenton out of the playoffs for the second straight year, Lathrop, had three first-team selections, in sophomore pitcher Brooke Huitt, senior infielder Maddy Mann, and junior outfielder Jacque Gentzell.  Huitt is joined on the first-team pitching staff by future Alabama Crimson Tide pitcher Madison Preston from state champion Centralia, Jefferson senior Sarah Handrahan, and Sherwood senior Abby Atkin.

Joining Mann in the first-team infield is Montgomery High School junior Anna Ford, Blair Oaks junior Sydney White, Centralia junior Jaymi Freeman, Doniphan junior Paige Eddington, and Jefferson freshman Abi Chipps.

The first-team outfield, joining Lathrop’s Gentzell, are Pleasant Hope senior Ellie Lane, Sherwood senior Lynnlee Parrott, and Centralia junior Katelyn Rakers.  

Chandler Hicks, a senior from Belle High School, was named first-team all-state as the utility player.

Four pitchers were named Class 2 all-state, highlighted locally by Trenton High School sophomore right-hander Ainsley Tolson, who earned the ace pitcher spot for the Lady Bulldogs in August camp, then put up a fantastic season that included more than 200 strikeouts, and an ERA of under 1.  Tolson is joined by three other sophomores on the second team, in Bowling Green’s Sarah Harness, New Bloomfield’s MaKaylee Beck, and Monroe City’s McKenzie West.

Trenton High School senior first baseman Whitley Richman finishes her Lady Bulldog softball career as a Class 2 second-team all-stater, following a fall campaign that saw the right-handed hitter anchor the Trenton lineup from the cleanup spot, in addition to solid defensive work on the right side of the Trenton infield.  Richman is one of three seniors in the second-team infield, joined by Linn High School’s Hayley Dorton and Seneca’s Payton Clouse.  The three other infielders in the group are Bowling Green junior Anah Noble, Knob Noster’s Jessica Sader, and Kelly’s Alyssa Moore.

The second-team all-state catchers are Knob Noster sophomore Zoey Hodson and Kelly junior Marissa Worth.  The outfield is made up of Cuba sophomore Kristyn England, Kelly junior Hailey Noon, Louisiana junior Raelee Burse, and Lexington junior Cori Bear.  Lexington’s Alex Miller is the all-state second team selection at utility.