After dominating play in the Mid-Eastern Conference, Eastern Hancock’s softball team was the leader in selections for the All-MEC softball team, released earlier this week.
Eastern Hancock spent much of the season ranked in the state’s Class 2A Top 10 poll and won the conference with a 7-0 record. They were 21-7 overall.
The Royals have won 24 straight conference games. Their last loss in league play was a 5-4 decision against Wapahani on May 10, 2019. They have had three straight undefeated MEC seasons, going 23-0 and outscoring opponents 306-18.
In 2023, they outscored league foes 91-9.
Five team members were named all-conference, senior outfielder Emma Bolding, junior shortstop Sammie Bolding, senior catcher Kaylee Kline, senior pitcher Madison Stephens and junior outfielder Brooklyn Willis.
Emma Bolding, the Royals right fielder, was recently named academic all-state by the Softball Coaches Association of Indiana. She was also an SCAI 1A/2A second team all-state choice. She hit .427 and had 11 home runs 36 RBIs, eight doubles and 31 runs scored. She will continue her academic and athletic career at Saginaw Valley State University, an NCAA Division II program in University Center, Mich.
Sammie Bolding was an SCAI 1A/2A first team selection for the second straight year. A junior, she hit .531 with 15 home runs and had 44 RBIs. She stole 29 bases and scored 48 runs. Sammie Bolding hit six doubles and two triples and had 43 hits.
Kline, a third team all-state choice, hit four home runs in three sectional games, and finished the season with nine home runs. She hit .472 and drove in 39. Kline also had eight doubles. She has committed to Danville (Ill.) Area Community College.
Stephens, who has also committed to Danville, was 13-1 with a 2.55 earned run average. In 98 2/3 innings pitched, she struck out 138 and walked only 25. She threw a no-hitter in a 9-0 win over Northeastern in a semifinal game of the Union County Sectional. She had double-digits in strikeouts five times, twice fanning 12 opponents.
Willis, a junior starter in center field and University of Indianapolis commitment, was also a second team all-state selection. She hit .569 for the Royals with seven home runs, 10 doubles and 10 stolen bases. She drove in 26 runs.
Other MEC selections included, Shenandoah – Allyssa Allen, Elise Boyd, Tarran Mills, Emma Whittenburg; Cowan – Miranda Bowling, Ayronna Bynum, McKenna Minton, Tatum Rickert; Wapahani – Abi Cross, Zoey Koger, Lauren Luce; Wes-Del – Kenzi Anderson, Kenzie Starks, Bailee West; Daleville – Cali Pattengale, Valyn Pattengale; Monroe Central – Tessa Chesher, Whitley Martin; Randolph Southern – Gracie Isenbarger, Kayan Younger.
