The Observer’s 2023 high school softball preview

The Charlotte area had three state champions, two runners-up, and a quarterfinalist in last year’s high school playoffs, and the region looks to continue as a softball power again this spring.

The defending 4A private school state champ, Charlotte Christian, has most of its key players back. Ditto for West Stanly (2A) and South Stanly (1A), who captured public school state titles.

Runners-up Cannon School (4A private) and Hickory Grove Christian (3A private) are loaded again, and Marvin Ridge, which reached the 4A public school quarterfinals, returns a standout starting pitcher and several other players.

Here’s a highlight on what to expect this spring:

Teams to watch

Alexander Central: It wouldn’t be softball season with the Wildcats on this “teams to watch” list. A pair of juniors, C Kirstyn Herman (.422 batting average, 11 doubles) and 2B-SS Kenzie Church (.372, nine homers) lead the way, and there’s an excellent freshman class arriving.

Butler: Six senior starters are back for coach Jim Marsh’s team, led by senior Sydney Reynolds (.482 batting average). The Bulldogs picked up standout P/IF Abi Sawyers, a transfer from Queens Grant Charter.

Cannon School: The Cougars are unfortunate enough to be in the same conference with powerhouse Charlotte Christian, but Cannon School will challenge the Knights. Eight starters are back for coach Kirstin Maves’ team, led by senior SS Brie Bidole (Virginia commit), who hit .475 last season; and the junior pitcher-catcher combination of Maddie Sturgill (105 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched) and Kenzie Sturgill (.360, 27 runs scored).

Charlotte Christian: The two-time defending 4A private school state champs are ready for a three-peat, led by sophomores Anna Hinde (see “Players to Watch” below) and Sydney Francois, an all-state 2B who hit .500 with 27 RBI and 18 stolen bases last season.

East Lincoln: East Lincoln is good in every sports, it seems, and that includes softball. The Mustangs are 40-3 over the last two seasons and are “the standard we are all chasing,” said David Riddle, coach of the North Iredell team that could chase East Lincoln this spring. Senior Betsy Eatmon (.625, 45 hits, 11 homers) and junior Tatum Martin (.484) lead the Mustangs.

Hickory Grove Christian: The Lions finished second in the 3A playoffs last season and will be strong again, led by all-stater seniors Cameron Fisher and Taryn Baucom. Fisher batted .506 and had 106 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched. Baucom hit .470 with 31 RBI.

Hickory Ridge: Senior P Anna Dew (Elon commit) was 13-3 with a 1.46 ERA last season, but coach Justin Davies’ team has two other strong pitchers, plus senior SS Grace Bechtol (Radford commit), who hit .566 with 42 runs and 20 stolen bases.

Marvin Ridge: Five seniors are gone, but coach Linda McGovern welcomes back senior SS Riya Patel, a four year starter who holds several school records; junior OF Anna McGowan (N.C. State commit), who hit 14 home runs in 38 games; and sophomore P Anna Phifer, who was 12-2 last season. Add in several standout sophomores, the Mavericks are loaded.

Providence: Seniors Berkeley Whitten (16 homers, 42 RBI) and Ava Goodrich (.390, 12 doubles) pace a team that reached Round 3 of the 4A playoffs last season.

South Mecklenburg: The Sabres reached the 4A quarterfinals last season, and a big reason for that was P Taylor Barlow, who is back for her senior season, with a new head coach, Emily Turybury. The Sabres will face a challenge, however, from Myers Park, led by OF Amy Lautenschlager.

South Stanly: Eight starters, including five all-staters, return for the Bulls. Senior P/1B Mattie Poulos hit .485 with 16 home runs, and SS Kassie Smith batted .411. South Stanly looks primed for a run at another state championship.

Stuart Cramer: The Storm went 20-4 last season and could have enough to replace Crest at the top of the Big South 3A standings. Senior Payton Conroy (Michigan State commit) holds single-season and career home run records.

West Stanly: P Lily Huneycutt (27-3, 1.51 ERA) is the base for this strong program, but the offensive leader is senior SS Teagan Ritchie, who hit a school-record 18 home runs last spring. And junior 2B Kristen Smith led the state in hits (58).

Players to watch

Kadie Becker (South Caldwell): Becker, a senior who has committed to Charlotte next season, earned all-state honors last spring.

Brie Biddle (Cannon School): Biddle is a Virginia commit, coming off a season with a .475 batting average and 30 runs scored.

Anna Dew (Hickory Ridge): An Elon commit, Dew was pitcher of the year in the Southwestern 4A Conference two years ago and the Greater Metro 4 4A last spring.

Skye Harrington (Piedmont): She earned Southern Carolina 4A Player of the Year honors last spring, with 17 doubles and 35 RBI.

Anna Hinde (Charlotte Christian): She is among the nation’s top sophomores, according to several rating services. Hinde batted .606 last season, with 13 homers, 41 RBI, and no strikeouts in 82 at-bats.

Gracie Hollingsworth (Union Academy): An Evansville commit, Hollingsworth had a 1.67 ERA on the mound and batted .429 with nine home runs.

Camryn Martin (Anson County): A North Carolina commit, Martin hit .437 with 11 homers and 33 RBI last season.

Anna Partridge (Hough): An outfielder, she hit .581 with 36 hits and 32 RBI last season.

Teagan Ritchie (West Stanly): A senior shortstop, Ritchie hit 18 home runs in 2022 – among the most in a single season ever for a player in North Carolina.

Sayge Strange (Burns): Strange, committed to Brevard next season, was 17-4 last spring and batted .435.

Notes

▪ Watch South Caldwell this season. The Spartans were 15-4 last season, and three of those losses came to teams ranked No. 1 or 2.

▪ You want stiff competition? Try the Greater Metro 4 4A Conference, where six of the seven teams qualified for the playoffs last season. Mooresville, Hickory Ridge and Lake Norman were ranked in the top 10.

▪ In the 1A ranks, Draughn might be ready for a breakthrough. The Wildcats lost only two starters and return all-staters Maddie Crouch and Katie Cozart.

▪ There is no such thing as a sport that combines softball and volleyball, but if there were, West Rowan coach Jimmy Greene said his team “would be world champs.” Key players on the softball team were leaders on a volleyball squad that went 22-5 last fall.

▪ A number of last season’s top teams, including Charlotte Christian and Lincoln Charter, won with plenty of freshmen and sophomores. Cuthbertson and Bunker Hill will play teams loaded with ninth- and 10th-graders this spring.

▪ While 4A schools dominate the Mecklenburg County scene, there is a 1A softball power in the county. Queen’s Grant Charter is favored to repeat as champion in the Metro 8 1A and has gone 27-18 in three years under head coach Don Nicholas. Senior Reagan Cowick, who batted .557 with 34 hits and 23 RBI last season, leads the way.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 5:30 AM with the headline "The Observer’s 2023 high school softball preview."