Softball coaches in the Second Region have tapped Henderson County as the 2021 preseason favorite ahead of Lyon County and Christian County.
Madisonville and Webster County rounded out the preseason top five. Crittenden County and Union County also received votes.
Henderson County went 26-8 in 2019 in reaching the region semifinals. They had five players who lost their senior seasons to COVID-1 last spring but still return junior Kaytlan Kemp, who has committed to Western Kentucky after batting .420 as a freshman with 36 stolen bases.
Also back are senior Chiara Suggs [.393, 6 HR, 34 RBI] and junior Mallorie Stone [.337, 3 HR, 21 RBI].
In the circle, the Lady Colonels return a pair of pitchers who split time in 2019. Junior Kelsie Hill was 13-3 with a 1.10 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 108 innings. Junior Madi Stone was 10-5 with a 2.89 ERA.
Lyon County was 26-13 during an emotional 2019 season that saw them advance to the school’s first-ever region championship game where they lost to Madisonville.
The Lady Lyons return a pair of Division I signees in Calista Collins [Rutgers] and Sydney Melton [SEMO}. Lyon had two senior starters that didn’t take the field in 2020 due to COVID-19. Lyon County has seven seniors on its 2021 roster.
Collins earned First Team Class A All-State honors after hitting .566 as a sophomore. She belted 15 home runs and drove in 54 runs while playing shortstop for the Lady Lyons. Her 15 homers were second-most in the region.
One of the top catchers in the region, Melton hit .432 as a sophomore with eight home runs and 33 RBIs. She had 18 extra-base hits and scored a team-high 46 runs. She struck out only four times in 128 plate appearances.
Conger hit .321 with five home runs and 34 runs batted in. 21 of her 34 hits went for extra bases. In the circle, she was 11-3 with a 3.22 ERA and two saves. She struck out 105 batters in 100 innings.
Christian County was 28-9 in 2019 before being no-hit by Henderson County’s Kelsie Hill in the region tourney opener. The Lady Colonels graduated three seniors following what was supposed to be Sheri Hancock’s first season as head coach in 2020.
The Lady Colonels return a good mix of youth and experience. Junior Pickle Winkler was voted the preseason region player of the year. The Louisville commit hit .424 as a freshman with 2 home runs and 22 RBIs. She also had 30 stolen bases.
Also back for the Lady Colonels are senior Reni Shemwell, who clobbered 13 home runs and drove in 42 runs while hitting .337 as a sophomore, and senior Tenley Gilbert, who signed with Frontier College after batting .330 with four homers and 25 RBIs.
Madisonville is the defending region champion but lost seven seniors from its 24-10 team in 2019 and graduated twins Lindsey and Courtney Peyton last year.
The Lady Maroons return Zoe Davis, who hit .375 in 2019, and Amber Osborne, who hit .314 with three homers and 26 RBIs.
Webster County rounds out the top five. The Lady Trojans graduated a total of nine players over the last two years after putting up a 27-11 record in 2019. Gracie Thomas, who hit. 331 as a freshman, returns for first-year coach Jacqueline Roof.
Crittenden County [16-14] and Union County [5-20] also received votes from the region’s coaches.