District awards announced for Dripping Springs softball and baseball

DRIPPING SPRINGS  — The district awards for the Dripping Springs softball and baseball teams have been announced.

PHOTO BY WAYLAND D. CLARK
Dripping Springs junior pitcher Cooper Rummel was named Pitcher of the Year for 6A District 26.[/caption]

Dripping Springs varsity softball (27-13) 13-3 won the 6A District 26 Championship. Head coach Wade Womack was named the district’s Coach of the Year. Entering the playoffs, the Lady Tigers won the best of three game series Bi-District playoff game with a 5-0, 11-1 sweep over the Round Rock Dragons. In the Area round of playoffs against Schertz Clemens, Dripping Springs won the first game of the best of three game series 4-1, but lost the next two games 17-13 and 7-1 ending the Lady Tigers' season.

Four seniors on the Lady Tigers softball team will graduate and underclassmen make up the majority of players earning district award honors. District 26 awards: Haiden Anderson senior Pitcher, Most Valuable Player; Lorelei Gamble freshman, Newcomer of the Year. First Team: Jai-Lynn Flores junior, Pitcher/First Base; Tatum Green freshman, Right Field; McKenna Riley freshman, DP/Left Field; Elianna Amato sophomore, Center Field. Second Team: Taylor Crain junior, Left Field/DP; Lauren Byrnes freshman, Short Stop. Honorable Mention: Isabella Martinez senior, First Base; Morgan Crain freshman, Third Base; Lillian Wearden freshman, Second Base.

At the plate, Anderson finished with a .416 batting average with 12 home runs, 10 doubles and 47 runs batted in. In the circle, the senior pitcher was 18-8 with a 2.03 ERA, pitched 155.1 innings with 144 strikeouts and pitched 16 complete games with four shutouts. Gamble led the team with a .485 batting average with 10 home runs, a pair of triples, 17 doubles and 42 runs batted in.

Dripping Springs varsity baseball (25-11-0) 13-2 finished in second place in 6A District 26 behind Lake Travis (25-8-1) 15-1. In a best of three game series in the first round of playoffs, Dripping Springs defeated Cedar Ridge 3-0, 0-2 and 2-1 in Bi-District, then lost in another best of three game series in the Area round of playoffs to New Braunfels 4-0, 0-1 and 7-6, ending the Tigers' season.

PHOTO BY WAYLAND D. CLARK
Dripping Springs head softball coach Wade Womack gives instruction to his players during a regular season game. He was named the 6A District 26 Coach of the Year.[/caption]

Seven seniors on the Tigers baseball team will graduate and juniors make up the majority of players earning district honors. District 26 awards: Taylor Tracey, Most Valuable Player; Cooper Rummel, Pitcher of the Year. First Team All-District: Traigh Perry, Utility Player. Second Team All-District: Gavin Hoel, Catcher; Dominic Hurley, Designated Hitter; Jack Tyndall, Outfielder and senior Jaxon Conover, Pitcher. Honorable Mention: Tristan Ciechanowicz, Conner Helms, Anthony Gonzalez, Blake Cox and Theo Howard.

Dripping Springs baseball stats were not available at press time.