Four underclassmen, including three sophomores, joined El Reno High School's lone senior starters on the 2009 All-Suburban Conference softball squad.
El Reno's six picks on the first or second teams was an honor, said head coach Lynetta Keller, since the Indians finished fifth in the league race, but were one of three squads to make their respective state tournaments.
“We have one of the toughest conferences in the state,” Keller said. “We have so many hard competitive teams and that makes it hard to pick over so many girls. This is not a water-downed honor.”
El Reno had three players, all underclassmen, named to the first team. Junior Maddie Stein was tabbed as a third baseman after making 12 putouts and 14 assists with three errors, two of which were fielding, and over 61 innings of league action – for a .867 fielding percentage.
Stein carried a .484 batting average in nine league games, scoring 11 runs and belting out 15 base hits. Her 13 singles, three doubles and a triple drove in three runs.
Sophomore Tosha White made the first team as a utility player, while classmate Sydney Dow was named as a pitcher.
White had one error in 52 innings of play for a .875 fielding percentage, making five putouts and two assists. At the plate she had four base hits, including a double, while scoring four runs and driving home two.
Dow earned her second straight first-team nomination after carrying a 1.91 earned run average over 46.6 innings. She allowed 32 hits and 18 runs, while striking out 11 batters. She sported a 5-2 record.
Dow had a .900 fielding percentage with three putouts and 15 assists.
With a bat in her hands, Dow led the team in conference play with a .538 average, posting 14 hits and 11 runs in 26 at bats. She had five extra base hits, including a home run, to drive in seven runs – also a team high.
“Most of the players on the all-conference team are juniors and seniors,” Keller said. “It's a big honor for our sophomores to get on the all-conference team.”
Both El Reno seniors were named to the second team, with Connor Bushyhead taking the second base slot and Destinee Foust the catcher position. Foust was a casualty of grade, with senior plate minders from Harrah and Chickasha finishing ahead of her in voting.
Bushyhead carried a .913 fielding percentage in conference games, making 12 putouts and nine assists with only two errors. Foust had 60 putouts over the same nine-game span, picking off one of the three runners who tested her arm.
From the plate, Foust batted .440 with 11 hits in 25 trips. She logged eight singles, two doubles and a triple to drive in six runs. Bushyhead batted .448 in league games, posting 13 hits in 29 plate appearances. Her 11 singles and two doubles drove in four runs.
Joining the upperclassmen was sophomore outfielder Sarah Mabry as a utility player. The center fielder made seven putouts and four assists against one throwing error en route to a .917 fielding percentage.
Mabry scored three runs and logged four hits in league play and drove in three runs.