Softball Conundrums, Pt. IV…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Your Big All-City Player of the Year, Edmond Santa Fe's Sierra Bronkey.
Every year brings about a different challenge when it comes to All-City teams. Sometimes it’s what separates the first from the second team. Sometimes it’s the player of the year.
Regardless, it’s never easy and something I will always, always stress out about. This year was no different when it came to the Big and Little All-City softball teams.
My biggest challenge: LAC Player of the Year. If you read Wednesday’s paper, you know I went with Purcell sophomore pitcher Kayla Wyatt.
Her body of work is incredible. She threw 186 innings, allowing a mere 13 earned runs. She struck out 276 with just 36 walks. Oh yeah, and she was 28-3.
Your Little All-City Player of the Year, Kayla Wyatt of Purcell.
And in this corner, we have Blanchard sophomore stud Leslie Miller. She did a lot of everything in helping the Lions to the 4A championship.
She hit .446 with 33 RBIs and 27 runs scored. She struck out 202 batters and was 12-5.
What to do, what to do? I don’t believe in co-players of the year, so I threw that out the window.
I looked at it as if there was a State Tournament MVP that goes to Miller. But encompassing the entire season, Wyatt gets the edge.
Said one anonymous coach: “You can’t go wrong with either choice, but I’m glad I don’t have to make this type of decision (laughs).”
Purcell was 20-1 against top 20 teams this year and beat so many of the top teams in 4A-6A. Wyatt had to bring it EVERY single game. And she did.
I won’t harp too much on the loss to Caney Valley in the state championship because anyone who watched that game knows it wasn’t because of Wyatt that the Dragons didn’t hoist the trophy.
Basically, she earned it throughout the season and never did anything to lose it.
The fun part (or agonizing situation for me) is that both are sophomores and might be duking it out the next two years for the honor. Miller had a phenomenal season. Repeat, phenomenal. And I have no doubt she’s going to be in the conversation the next two years. Congrats to both girls.
For Big All-City, I will fight you to the death on the naming of Sierra Bronkey from Edmond Santa Fe. Well, that’s a little strong, but there isn’t anything anybody could tell me to sway me from this selection.
Mustang and Yukon had phenomenal teams, but Bronkey really set herself apart from the rest of the field.
No coach disagreed with my assessment, which makes me believe I got this one right.
For the first-team selections for BAC, go here. For LAC, go here.
For the full list of everyone who made the team or was mentioned for BAC, go here. For LAC, go here.
Thanks to all the coaches for their input and cooperation. I’ll see ya in the spring for the slow-pitch season.
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