Salem CC shortstop Region XIX Division II Player of the Year, three other Mighty Oaks players named to all-region team; will be updated
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Salem CC shortstop Ella Hayes was named Region XIX Division II Player of the Year and was among four Mighty Oaks softball players named to the all-region team.
Sophomore Karyn Trice was a first-team outfielder, while sophomore pitcher Morgan Mecham and sophomore catcher Vaye Savage were second-team picks.
“It’s very exciting,” Hayes said. “I am very honored and I’m just super glad I got to play with these girls and it gave me the opportunity to earn this award because without them there is no reward to be earned.”
Hayes, a freshman from Kansas City, “performed at the plate better than I thought I would.” She led all of Region XIX in batting (.595) – just missing her goal of hitting .600 for the season – was second in Division II slugging (1.000), tied for second in RBIs (61) – more than doubling her goal – and tied for third in homers (9). She was second nationally in Division II batting, second in on-base percentage (.646) and 12th in slugging.
During the Oaks’ school-record 19-game winning streak she batted .667 (36-for-54) with 43 RBIs. She struck out only once in 147 total plate appearances.
“I had a decent season but I personally think I could have performed better and helped out my team a little more,” she said. “There were a couple things that I should have been better at in my opinion, but overall I did what I could for the most part and I still had my team to back me up and everything when I wasn’t producing when I should have.”
Her consistency was the key. She was held hitless in only nine games. She had 22 multi-hit games, including 15 of three hits or more, had hitting streaks of 10 and six games (twice), and an RBI streak of seven straight games.
“She definitely had a tremendous year,” Mighty Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “She dominated offensively for sure; her numbers speak for themselves. She put in a lot of work. She definitely earned it. It was definitely nice to see … We definitely found a gem.”
Trice was the Mighty Oaks’ second-leading hitter (.460) and was a threat to turn any single or walk into a double. She was 20-for-20 stealing bases, tops in Region XIX Division II.
Savage hit .364 with eight homers and 45 RBIs. Mecham was 16-5 in the circle with 2.49 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 104 innings. At one stretch in the season she allowed just two earned runs over 34 2/3 innings with five shutouts.
“It talks to their hard work and the dedication they put in,” Rodriguez said. “The region is full of a lot of good talent, so to come up and be a part of it in their respective location is really good.
“Morgan had an incredible year this year and an incredible career, so it’s nice to see that recognition. The same with Vaye, seeing all the stuff she’s done and the hard work she’s put in, and Karyn as well. Karyn is a dual threat on the bases, hitting, covers a lot of ground in the outfield. They all earned their right and put in a lot of work just to be nominated for that, so it’s really nice to see.”
The year Hayes had attracted attention beyond South Jersey and Region XIX. She has a lot of interest from Division II schools back home, received an offer from Binghamton Wednesday, will continuing reaching out to Rutgers and will be visiting Emporia State when she gets home. She has a meeting set with Rodriguez Friday to discuss her future.
Rodriguez said Hayes “definitely has earned the lot of good eyeballs that are going to be looking her way,” but reiterated his desire to have her return.
“There’s no doubt we would love to have her back,” he said.
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