By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
Jadyn Foster has her mother Jennifer to thank for getting her to think about pitching when she was in fifth grade. Up until that point Foster had played mostly as an infielder, mainly at shortstop.
But one conversation with her mother got her to thinking, and the rest is history – quite literally – for Foster.
“One night my mom was like ‘You should start pitching because Sand Rock might need it sometime,’” Foster recalled. “I was like ‘OK.’ I saw the team needed me to keep pitching and I kept practicing, going to lessons, just working at it. It worked out I guess.”
It more than just worked out for Foster and Sand Rock. Pitching has become a role in which she has dominated.
Last season, Foster finished 31-5 with a save in 185 innings with 349 strikeouts and a 1.10 ERA in the circle, helping Sand Rock earn another East Regional berth in Albertville.
Foster also proved to have plenty of power at the plate too. She batted .463 with 17 home runs, 13 doubles, six triples, 21 walks, 21 stolen bases, 74 runs and 71 RBIs in leading the Lady Wildcats to a school-record 41-10 season, capping a six-year varsity journey as one of the most decorated softball players in Sand Rock history.
“You just knew by watching her play, the way she carried herself and her work ethic, she had that ‘it’ factor,” Sand Rock coach Josh Bates said. “Coming into seventh grade, we really didn’t have a lot of pitching and she knew she was going to have to carry the load. That was our first year to go to the state tournament in 2018. She did a great job filling a big role as a seventh grader as a 13-year-old.”
The Alabama Sports Writers Association has taken notice of Foster throughout her career with all-state selections. This year, however, the committee selected Foster as their Class 2A Pitcher of the Year.
In all, 13 area softball players (5 first team, 5 second team, 3 honorable mention) were recognized on the ASWA all-state softball teams.
Piedmont’s Rachel Smith, who led the Lady Bulldogs to 39 wins and their third consecutive state tournament appearance last season, earned Class 3A Coach of the Year.
Joining Foster from Sand Rock on the Class 2A first team is senior third baseman/pitcher EllaGrace Hood, who earned a utility spot. Hood batted .487 with 12 doubles, five home runs, four triples, 25 walks, 26 runs and 34 RBIs. She was also 9-3 in the circle with 98 strikeouts and a 2.19 ERA in 70 2/3 innings.
Junior shortstop/second baseman Katelyn StClair earned a second-team spot at designated hitter. She batted .383 with 14 doubles, five home runs, four triples, 19 walks, 57 runs and 36 RBIs.
Joining Smith from Piedmont on the 3A all-state teams is her daughter, junior Savannah Smith, who earned a first-team spot on the infield and senior outfielder Jenna Calvert. Senior Emma Grace Todd took one of the second team pitching spots.
Savanna Smith batted .458 with 18 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 20 walks, 20-of-20 stolen bases, 48 runs and 40 RBIs. Calvert collected a .377 batting average with 11 doubles, a pair of triples, a home run, 11 walks, 26 runs and 47 RBIs. Todd tallied an 18-10 record with a save in 154 2/3 innings. She had a 2.85 ERA with 146 strikeouts.
Cedar Bluff and Spring Garden both had three players recognized on the Class 1A teams.
For Cedar Bluff, senior shortstop Mattie Payne picked up a first-team infield spot. Senior Reece Patterson took a second team pitching spot, and senior Natalie Baty earned an honorable mention at utility.
Payne, a shortstop, batted .525 with 23 doubles, nine home runs, a pair of triples, 17 walks, 62 runs and 46 RBIs for the Lady Tigers last season.
Patterson posted a 16-9 record in the circle in 137 2/3 innings with 130 strikeouts and a 2.14 ERA. She also batted .533 with nine doubles, three triples, two home runs, 24 walks, 39 runs and 43 RBIs.
Baty, who pitched and played at first base, compiled a 10-10 record with a save in 103 innings. She also struck out 114 batters and had a 4.35 ERA. At the plate, Baty batted .426 with 16 doubles, five home runs, 18 walks, 53 runs and 33 RBIs.
Spring Garden had a pair of second-team selections in sophomore infielder Helena Ingram and senior outfielder Kayley Kirk. The Lady Panthers also had an honorable mention utility player in sophomore pitcher/outfielder Avery Steward.
Ingram, who plays at shortstop, batted .456 with nine doubles, six triples, two home runs, nine walks, 30 runs and 32 RBIs. Kirk collected a .425 average with 10 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 23 walks, 35 runs and 31 RBIs. Steward went 20-10 in the circle with 102 strikeouts and a 3.11 ERA in over 153 innings. She also batted .364 with seven doubles, three triples, two home runs, 12 walks, 36 runs and 16 RBIs.
In Class 4A, Cherokee County had an honorable mention in junior outfielder Abby Lea. Lea batted .415 with 12 doubles, seven triples, 20 walks, 47 runs and 31 RBIs.
The complete all-state teams can be found on the WEIS Radio website.