Weddington’s Joella Thomas, a state champ, headlines 2026 All-Observer softball team
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- Weddington pitcher Joella Thomas was The Charlotte Observer player of the year.
- Thomas, a Lenoir‑Rhyne signee, recorded an N.C.‑best 305 strikeouts and 23 walks.
- Providence coach Micah Kinnaird won Observer coach of the year after leading Providence.
Weddington High pitcher Joella Thomas headlines the 2026 All-Observer softball team.
Thomas, a Lenoir-Rhyne signee, is The Charlotte Observer player of the year after finishing 27-0 with an 0.875 ERA. A Lenoir-Rhyne signee, Thomas had an N.C.-best 305 strikeouts and 23 walks. In the state finals, Thomas pitched back-to-back shutouts, and for her career, Thomas had 818 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.15.
Providence High’s Micah Kinnaird is The Observer’s coach of the year. Kinnaird led the Panthers to the first state title in school history and the first state public school title by a Mecklenburg County team in 18 years. Providence’s 59 home runs is a new N.C. team record.
First team
P: Joella Thomas, Weddington, Sr.: The Lenoir-Rhyne signee led Weddington to an N.C. 7A state title after finishing 27-0 with an 0.75 ERA. Thomas was MVP of the state finals.
P: Emery Jensen, Pine Lake Prep, Jr.: Jensen’s 0.46 ERA was third-best in the state. She was 10-3 with 220 strikeouts in 92 innings and walked 22. Her strikeouts were 13th best in the state. On offense, she hit a team-best .466 to go with four home runs, 12 doubles and 28 RBIs.
C: Avery Houseton, Covenant Day, Sr.: Charlotte 49ers’ recruit led her team to its first private school state title, hitting .654 from the plate with 14 home runs, 14 doubles and 70 RBIs. She had a .992 fielding average with 119 putouts.
INF: Alaina Griffin, Metrolina Christian, Sr.: Griffin led her team to the NCISAA state semifinals and made all-state for the sixth straight season. She hit .514 with 8 home runs, 48 RBIs and had 19 stolen bases. She holds school records for runs scored (200), stolen bases (87) and home runs (23).
INF: CJ Haines, South Iredell, Soph: Haines hit .472 with 11 doubles, nine home runs and 52 RBIs. She had an .847 fielding average.
INF: Reagan Martin, Ardrey Kell, Soph: Martin hit .517 with 12 home runs and 57 RBIs. She had a perfect fielding percentage.
INF: Camryn O’Connor, Providence, Soph.: Named state finals MVP in 8A, O’Connor hit. 360 with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs.
INF: Kaylin Pardo, West Lincoln, Jr.: Pardo, a first baseman, was conference player of the year after hitting .675 with 8 home runs, 8 doubles and 46 RBIs. She made one error all season.
C/INF: Olivia Wakem, Providence, Jr.: Wakem’s 51 RBIs ranked No. 10 in the state. She hit .415 with 10 home runs and had a .942 fielding average.
OF: Phoenix Scott, Providence, Soph.: Scott hit .476 with 30 RBIs, 16 doubles and 10 home runs. She had a .944 fielding average plus 17 stolen bases.
OF: Avery Evans, Lake Norman, Sr.: Evans hit .451 with 19 RBIs and led The Observer’s coverage area with 40 stolen bases. She didn’t make an error all season and had a perfect fielding average.
OF: Savannah Coln, Mount Pleasant, Sr.: Coln hit .541 with 7 home runs, 44 RBIs, plus 7 doubles and 5 triples. Coln stole nine bases and had an .953 fielding average.
U: Kyera Combs, Lake Norman, Sr.: Georgia Southern recruit hit .412 with 35 RBIs, 8 HR and had a .984 fielding average.
U: Rachel Lyons, Providence Day, Sr: Lyons is a three-time all-conference and all-state pick who has a school-record 806 career strikeouts. This season, she hit .426 with 7 home runs, 8 doubles and 5 triples. As a pitcher, she had 13 wins for a state semifinalist plus 231 strikeouts and a 2.4 ERA.
U: Sophie Stugar, Providence, Soph: Stugar helped lead Providence to the N.C. 8A state championship after striking out 120 batters in 106.1 innings. She had an 0.99 ERA. Offensively, Stugar, who played third base and shortstop, hit .452 with 43 RBIs and 11 home runs.
Second Team
P: Hayley Ellis, Northwest Cabarrus, Sr.
P: Geneva Gervais, East Mecklenburg, Sr.
P: Madison Reames, North Lincoln, Sr.
C: Addy Morehead, Bessemer City, Soph.
C: Addison Myers, South Iredell, Soph.
INF: Payton Elwell, Hough, Sr.
INF: Lana Hanson, Gaston Christian, Soph.
INF: Ella Pursley, Bessemer City, Sr.
INF: Madison Norris, South Mecklenburg, Jr.
INF: Destiny Stowe, South Point, Fr.
INF: Nicole Strickland-Mitchell, Queen’s Grant, Sr.
INF: Layla Wagner, Cannon School, Jr.
OF: Katherine Joiner, Providence, Sr.
OF: Lily Johnson, Highland Tech, Fr.
OF: CJ Ashlock, Metrolina Christian, Soph.
OF: Barrett Williams, North Iredell, Sr.
U: Ashlyn Pressley, Piedmont, Sr.
U: Madden Glossner, Charlotte Catholic, Sr.
U: Haley Rezy, Central Cabarrus, Sr.
