Van Buren's Martin, Sharp earn top honors in all-BVC softball

Following a best-ever season, Van Buren added more accolades to its 2022 softball resume with Stacy Sharp and Madison Martin earning top honors in the Blanchard Valley Conference all-league selections. Sharp guided Van Buren to an 8-0 league record, 25-2 overall mark and a first-ever trip to the regional tournament in being named BVC Coach of the year. Martin, a standout at the plate (.534, 11 doubles, 31 RBI) and in the pitching circle (1.89 ERA, 101 strikeouts) for the Black Knights, was the 2022 BVC Player of the Year. Martin earned player of the year honors with impressive numbers inside the circle and at the plate. The junior right-hander won 16 of her 18 starts, posting a 2.45 earned run average and striking out 156 batters in 122.2 innings. Offensively, she batted .575 with 19 doubles, seven home runs, an on-base percentage of .618 and a slugging percentage of 1.034. Martin scored 32 runs and drove in 55. Joining Martin on the all-BVC first team were Van Buren teammates Emily Stall and Isabelle Miller. Miller hit .521, scored 45 runs, collected 18 RBI and led the Knights with 16 stolen bases. Stall batted .388 with 18 runs scored and 30 RBI. BVC runner-up Riverdale (22-3, 7-1 BVC) and third-place Liberty-Benton (18-5, 6-2 BVC) both had a number of players on the all-league first team. Representing Riverdale were senior Alison Donaugh, junior Brenna Farmer and freshman Addie Farmer. Brenna Farmer, a junior infielder, batted .692 with 11 doubles, nine triples and nine home runs. She had a 1.410 slugging percentage, scored 68 runs and drove in 41. Donaugh was 17-2 with one save, struck out 191 batters and issued just 12 walks in 118.1 innings. She also batted .598 with three homers and 51 RBI. Addie Farmer hit .458 with a home run and 40 RBI. L-B first-teamers were Kiya Benschoter, who led the BVC in wins (14) and strikeouts (152) while also hitting four homers and collecting 32 RBI, Jordan Snider (.518, 24 RBI) and Cindy Durliat (.491, 22 RBI) – all seniors – and junior Chloe Dorn (.500, 35 runs). Arcadia was 14-12 overall and 5-3 in the BVC and had three all-league players in Lenci Rodriguez, Emily Rank and Jordyn Tong. A senior catcher, Rodriguez batted .519 with two home runs, 14 doubles, and 32 RBI. Solid defensively as well, Rodriguez gunned down 12 base runners trying to steal second and picked another 10 players off base. Tong batted .477 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. She also went 10-5 inside the pitchers circle with a 3.81 ERA and 127 strikeouts. Rank, a junior, hit .477, belted nine home runs and had a team-high 41 RBI. Completing the all-BVC first team is North Baltimore's Maddy Westgate. Earning second-team all-BVC honors are Van Buren's Bailey Lance (.360, 34 runs, 18 RBI) and Jaxon Young (.384, 3 HR, 23 RBI), Riverdale's Lainie Howard (28 runs), North Baltimore's Ari Loera and Cassadie Jacobs, McComb's Kaly McCullough and Kayla Frater, Arcadia's Lily Mundy (3 HR, 24 runs), and Vanlue's Mara Simon (3.85 ERA, 83 Ks) and Olivia Secord (.450). 2022 All-BVC Softball FIRST TEAM VAN BUREN – Isabelle Miller, Jr.; Madison Martin, Jr.; Emily Stall, Sr. RIVERDALE – Alison Donaugh, Sr.; Brenna Farmer, Jr.; Addi Farmer, Fr. LIBERTY-BENTON – Chloe Dorn, Jr.; Kiya Benschoter, Sr.; Jordan Snider, Sr.; Cindy Durliat, Sr. ARCADIA – Lenci Rodriguez, Sr.; Emily Rank, Jr.; Jordyn Tong, Soph. NORTH BALTIMORE – Maddy Westgate. PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Madison Martin, Van Buren. COACH OF THE YEAR: Stacy Sharp, Van Buren. SECOND TEAM VAN BUREN – Bailey Lance, Fr.; Jaxon Young, Fr. RIVERDALE – Lainie Howell, Sr. ARCADIA – Lily Mundy. Soph. NORTH BALTIMORE – Ari Loera, Jr.; Cassadie Jacobs, Sr. MCCOMB – Kaly McCullough, sr.; Kayla Frater, Sr. VANLUE – Mara Simon, Soph.; Olivia Secord, Fr. HONORABLE MENTION VAN BUREN – Shelbee Atchison, Anna Durliat. RIVERDALE – Madison Guckes, Brookelyn Walter. LIBERTY-BENTON – Lauren Gerken, Kaytlin Erdeljac. ARCADIA – Olivia Yoakam, Courtney Burnett. ARLINGTON – Kyle Jolliff, Madison Russell. CORY-RAWSON – Kaylee Sanchez, Madelyn Duffman. MCCOMB – Angel Sterrett, Grace Hassan. NORTH BALTIMORE – Meredith Buchanan, Cadence Andrich. VANLUE – Lydia Miller, Sydney King.