Clockwise, from top left: W.F. West’s Ali Graham, Morton-White Pass’ Darian Atkinson, Napavine’s Grace Hamre, Napavine’s Karlee Bornstein, Adna’s Cheyenne Gilbertson, Adna’s Shanay Dotson, Pe Ell’s Kayla Capps, Centralia’s Mackenzie Wasson, Rochester’s Sierra Seymour, W.F. West’s Jessica McKay, Morton-White Pass’s Ashley Kelly, Rochester’s Jessica Glacken, W.F. West’s Mattie Boucher, and, in the center, Napavine’s Mackenzie Olson. Photo illustration by Pete Caster.
Mackenzie Olson took just one game to show that Napavine was serious about the 2014 State 2B Softball Tournament. Olson struck out 10 against two-time state runner up Northwest Christian in a 2-1 victory for the Tigers in their tournament opener.
They rode that momentum all the way to the state title game.
The leader of a talented Napavine team, Olson is The Chronicle's 2014 All-Area MVP after going out with a bang her senior season. At the state tournament, she zeroed in on the strike zone and allowed just four runs in the Tigers' first three state tournament games.
"I felt like this was the most focused I've ever been," Olson said. "We had a huge upset of Northwest Christian in our first game. I mean I knew we were going to win but other people thought it was an upset. We have a good quality team."
She ended the tournament with 26 strikeouts and her Tigers finished second in the state — the top mark of any team in the area this year. This wasn't a fluke for Olson, a four-year softball star player for Napavine that began playing when she was four years old and was on a select softball team in fifth grade.
Olson can also stroke the ball at the plate. This season she hit .560 with nine home runs and nine doubles, along with a 20-7 mark — and 130 strikeouts — in the circle.
The Napavine graduate will now play softball at the Community Colleges of Spokane, while beginning her studies in mental health counseling.
She's joined on the Chronicle's All-Area softball team by fellow Tigers Grace Hamre and Karlee Bornstien. Hamre posted a .475 batting average with four home runs, eight doubles and three triples. Meanwhile Bornstien slugged six home runs to go along with five triples, eight doubles and a .458 batting average.
Finishing third at the State 2B softball tournament was Morton-White Pass, led by Central 2B League MVP and Portland State-bound Ashley Kelly. Kelly makes the All-Area team after batting .598 with six home runs, seven triples and 12 doubles. She also had a fielding percentage at shortstop of .945.
Kelly is joined by MWP catcher Darian Atkinson, who hit .409 on the season with four home runs, two triples and four doubles. She also caught every game of the State 2B softball tournament this year. She'll play softball at Yakima Valley Community College next year.
"If we don't have Darian catching for us, we don't take third place," Morton-White Pass coach Darin Allen said. "Darian is a great kid. She doesn't say much but kind of leads quietly."
Atkinson and Kelly both played 100 games for Morton-White Pass in their careers. They also helped the Timberwolves set a school record for team home runs.
"It's been quite a career for those two, they've been playing together since they were little kids," Allen said. "They're going to be greatly missed since they're both seniors."
Pe Ell's Kayla Capps made the All-Area Softball team after helping leading the Trojans to within a win of placing at the State 2B softball tournament this year. She hit .585 in her senior season and is a three-sport athlete for Pe-Ell.
Adna also advanced to the State 2B tournament and used the potent punch of Shanay Dotson and Cheyenne Gilbertson's bats to get to the semifinal rounds. The two are natural selections for the All-Area team after Dotson hit .428 and only struck out three times during the season, while Gilbertson hit .400 with 27 RBIs, four home runs and eight doubles.
"When you have two girls like that, you can't pitch around them," Adna coach Mike Raschke said. "They're also two of the top defensive players in the league. With these two, you get the whole package."
In the 2A ranks, Centralia's Mackenzie Wasson earned All-Area honors after being a four-year star for the Tigers. Wasson struck out 99 in the circle while pitching 14 games for Centralia. She also hit .515 with a .580 on-base percentage to go along with nine home runs and 41 RBIs.
Wasson was also named the Evergreen 2A Conference's Offensive MVP.
W.F. West went undefeated during the regular season and finished fifth at the State 2A Softball Tournament. The pitching combo of Ali Graham and Mattie Boucher was unstoppable and nearly unhittable as the two made the All-Area team.
Boucher went 10-0 during the regular season, striking out 80 batters and posting a 1.08 earned run average. Meanwhile, Graham posted nearly identical numbers, going 9-0 with a 1.37 earned run average and 63 strikeouts.
Graham led the team in hitting with a .578 average during the regular season with 11 doubles and 35 RBI. In the postseason, she bumped that average up to .600.
The Bearcats power, however, came from Jessica McKay, who hit .577 with two home runs, four doubles and 27 RBIs. She exploded in the postseason for five home runs and 11 RBIs.
After finishing third in the Evergreen 1A Division standings, Rochester's Jessica Glacken and Sierra Seymour each garnered a spot on the All-Area team. Both were first-team selections on the SWW 1A League Evergreen Division All-League team. They were also a win away from the State 1A softball tournament.
