2018 Softball Finalists

Sydney Walker

The three-year starting shortstop was a key piece of the Red Devils’ state-bound squad in the fall. She hit .514 with 40 RBIs and 36 runs scored, along with 11 doubles and a team-high 11 home runs on her way to first-team all-state recognition.

Hailey Noon

Noon was the best hitter on a Hawks team that made a run to state. The senior outfielder hit .500 on the season with 39 RBIs and 37 runs scored, with a team-best 11 doubles and five triples, along with five home runs and 13 stolen bases. She was a Class 2 All-State first-team pick.

Madison Landeros

A three-time Semoball Awards finalist, Landeros wrapped up an impressive high school career by leading a new-look Bulldogs side to a Class 4 state runner-up finish. In addition to providing defense at shortstop, she hit .457 with 44 runs scored and 30 driven in, knocking 16 doubles. The four-year starter garnered another Class 3 All-State nod.

Hailey Kutz

Kutz came out of nowhere to be one of the most dominant pitchers in the state. Thrown into a huge role due to injuries on the pitching staff, the freshman took to her first varsity season like a duck to water, going 20-2 with a 0.22 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 135 2/3 innings of work. She walked just 27 batters all season. In the biggest moments, she came through, shutting down a talented Hillsboro side in a sectional game and striking out 14 batters in a state semifinal.

Kaileigh Dirden

A year after battling through injury, the junior is back for a second Semoball Awards finalist selection after a spring in which she looked like her old self. Dirden hit .593 with 39 RBIs and a 1.28 slugging percentage, thanks to six doubles, two triples and nine home runs. She also carried the load in the pitching circle, going 15-2 with a 1.77 ERA and 144 strikeouts to just 20 walks. She was the conference player of the year.

Lana Reed

After a one-year hiatus, the senior catcher returns to the Semoball Awards mix for her final season. Reed had the highest batting average in Southeast Missouri at .645 and drove in 35 runs for the 21-5 Green Wave, while hitting eight doubles and 10 home runs to earn all-state recognition.

Alyson Marcum

Marcum set the tone for a brilliant Bernie career, setting a state record by hitting .750 this spring. She drove in 55 RBIS and posted a state-record .819 on-base percentage, also hitting 13 home runs. The Mules also asked Marcum to lead the way with her pitching, and she went 15-1 with a 1.21 ERA and 136 strikeouts. She was named second-team all-state and was the Stoddard County Activities Association Player of the Year.

Paige Eddington

Eddington lifted the Donnettes to a breakthrough season, as they went 18-5 and reached a Class 2 sectional in the fall. She led the way with a .641 batting average and a Southeast Missouri-best 62 RBIs and 76 runs scored; she reached base at a .730 clip. Eddington hit for power as well, with 17 doubles, six triples and 14 home runs, while stealing 43 bases. She holds all but one Doniphan record and became the first in program history to have her jersey retired.

Shelby Sievers

Sievers’ record speaks for itself, as she appears for a third consecutive year as a Semoball Awards softball finalist. The multi-sport standout paced Poplar Bluff with 37 RBIs while hitting .448 with a team-high 13 doubles and eight home runs. In the pitching circle, she went 9-4 with a 2.14 ERA for the 21-8 Mules.

Callee Pickrell

Previously a finalist in girls basketball, Pickrell gets her first Semoball Awards nod in softball. This past fall she led the Eagles with a .514 batting average and 35 RBIs, posting a .779 on-base percentage — she struck out just one time all season. Pickrell hit 10 doubles, two triples and six home runs.