Lady Reds place four All-District again

For the second consecutive year, the Clinton softball team had four players receive All-District honors, including two of those four getting named to the All-Region Team as well.
Senior second baseman Riley Bryson and senior first baseman Sharise Whitney headlined the Lady Reds, earning both honors. Bryson was named First-Team middle infielder for Region 3, and Whitney was named First-Team corner infielder for Region 3. 
Bryson was then named Second Baseman of the Year for District 4A-2, while Whitney picked up All-District Utility honors for her play. Junior catcher Kennedy Meacham and sophomore shortstop Loren Coleman finalized the four Lady Reds named all district. Both made this list for the second straight year as well. Meacham and Coleman yielded All-District Honorable Mention awards.
Clinton head softball coach Lisa Moss said the awards were given out for a couple of reasons.
“It’s a testament to how hard the girls have worked and how the program has grown over the last three years,” she said. 
Starting off with the seniors, Whitney improved her presence at the plate and her bat with hours in the cages during the offseason. She finished third on the team in on-base percentage (.453), average (.382) and hits (29). At first base, she recorded just nine errors in the team’s 31 games this year.
“Sharise is the silent one,” Moss said. “You may think, ‘Man, Sharise hasn’t hit the ball lately,’ but you go and look at the stats and she’s hitting almost .400. She comes up with a big hit when you need it. 
“For a big part of the season, she was hitting in the four-hole for us. To see how she’s grown over the last year was great. At first base, she was solid. A lot of plays are at first base, so there’s a lot of chances for errors. She had a good fielding percentage, and she’s a big target over there at 6-feet tall.”
Bryson had her best season as a Lady Red as well. She led the team in OBP. (.535), AVG. (.453), hits (39), doubles (nine) and home runs (two). After missing much of her junior season, she returned with a much more powerful bat, and a highly-reliable glove to get Second Baseman of the Year.
“We’re going to miss Riley,” Moss said. “She’s one of those kids you can put her anywhere. This year she showed she could hit with power. She’s a good player to have in your arsenal – one that can do anything. She was big for us at second base. She made lots of big plays.”
Meacham and Coleman continue their solid careers. They both earned All-District Honorable Mentions last year as well, so the district knows how talented they are. Meacham caught every single inning for the Lady Reds and only allowed nine passed balls on the year. Moss said her hitting took a step back, but she made up for it as a stone wall behind the plate.
This year, Coleman hit .390 at the plate and got on base at a .449 clip, both higher than her 2017 numbers. She also added 45.2 innings in the circle with a 3.985 earned run average. Moss added that she’s a great utility player for the team and looks forward to using her skillset in the spring.
She finalized her comments, saying they’ll miss the two seniors, but she’s excited to have seven starters back for next year.