ALAH’s Monts named first team All-State softball; two from VG on second team; one on third
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By Mike Monahan
BLOOMINGTON – The Illinois Softball Coaches Association teams were released June 9 and Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond junior Sophie Monts was named to the 27 member first team. Monts, a pitcher and infielder, helped the Knights go 11-17 overall and 5-4 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference, good for fifth place under first-year coach Whitney Wynkoop (now Pitman). She is one of 11 juniors on the first team and one of seven pitcher/infielders.
She led the team with a .603 batting average, only three strikeouts, and stolen bases with 16 in 19 games. She had a team-high 41 hits, tied for tops in doubles with 11 and had the only two home runs for the Knights.
Earning two of the 70 spots on the second team were Villa Grove’s Izzy Dodd and Piper Kiser, both seniors. Dodd is an infielder, while Kiser is a pitcher/outfielder. The two, along with third team player Hayden Thomas (an outfielder on the 48-member team), also a senior, helped the Lady Blue Devils, coached by Jeanna Block, go 20-14 overall and 8-1 in the LPC, good for second place.
Dodd and Kiser were the top two batters on the team with Dodd leading the way at .475 and Kiser at .468. Kiser led in runs batted in with 47, while Dodd was second with 45. Kiser had 21 doubles and Dodd 16 to lead the team, while Kiser had a team-high five home runs and Dodd was second with three. Dodd only struck out 10 times, while Kiser had the dubious distinction of leading in hit by a pitch at 13. In the pitcher’s circle Kiser was tops in earned run average at 3.44, going 13-6 and throwing 138 ⅓ innings with 131 strikeouts.