New Plymouth girls earn WIC accolades
By RAY RODRIGUEZ - ARGUS OBSERVER
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 12:49 PM PDT
NEW PLYMOUTH - The New Plymouth softball team struggled early on in 2007, but salvaged a late season rally to make an appearance at the 2A state tournament at Sundance Park in Homedale.
The Pilgrims won one game and were eliminated after losing 8-0 to West Jefferson in consolation round action, ending the with a record of 15-13. New Plymouth finished second in district play, with a thrilling come-from-behind win over Parma, and finished third in Western Idaho Conference action.
For their efforts, the Pilgrims had five players named as the Western Idaho Conference’s all-conference selections.
Alisha Shipman was named to the first team and teammates Macee Cole and Shianne Edmunson were named to the second team. Sophomore second baseman Maddie Cutts and senior Brette Hoch rounded out the Pilgrim selections with honorable mention honors.
New Plymouth’s leadoff hitter and third baseman Shipman hit .333 and pounded out 28 hits on the season. Shipman scored 26 runs, received 24 walks and stole 11 bases.
“She always got the game going for us,” New Plymouth head coach Troy Knapp said. “It didn’t matter if she drew a bases on balls or she got a tough hit. She’s one of those girls that will do anything that you ask her to.”
New Plymouth’s Cole, a junior, hit .322 on the season, scored a team-high 29 runs and swiped a team-high 26 bases.
“She is a great all-around player,” Knapp said. “The only thing negative I can say about her is that she has no idea how good she can be. She is going to be a very good one. We always depended on her on game day and she’s always there for us. She is always doing something good for the team.”
Cleanup hitter Shianne Edmunson led the team with 28 RBIs, scored 21 runs and stole 23 bases, while batting .298 on the season.
Sophomore Maddie Cutts was named as honorable mention and senior teammate Brette Hoch also chalked up an honorable mention for her solid play throughout the season.
“She (Hoch) is what I hope all the other girls strive to be,” Knapp said. “She does whatever the team needed her to do. Early on we asked her to run bases. It could have been once or it could have five time, but she did it and did it well. This year she was asked to move from third base to the outfield and she did it without batting an eye. She’s definitely a team-first player.”
Parma’s freshman duo of pitcher Alissa Bowman and Ariel De La Garza were named to the first team, while teammates Lacey LaPierre and Becca Leavitt earned spots on the second team. Parma senior Megan Jemmett and Junior Kyra Maples rounded out the Panthers’ selections with a spot on the honorable mention list.
