All-State Softball Team features Hitter, Player, Coach of Year

The 280 Living coverage area unleashed a stockpile of talent in the 2016 softball season, and the players, coaches, and teams' efforts did not go unnoticed by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

The ASWA's All-State Softball Team was littered with local players, including Class 7A Hitter of the Year O'Neil Roberson, Player of the Year Mary Katherine Tedder, and Class 6A Coach of the Year Heather Lee.

Carmyn Greenwood and Ashlee Sanders (Oak Mountain), Annabelle Widra and Kynadi Tipler (Spain Park), Sarah Cespedes and Allie Miller (Chelsea), and Rachel Walz (Briarwood Christian) also saw their names appear on the All-State team.

Roberson, Oak Mountain's first baseman and a Mississippi State commit, set a school record with 21 home runs on the season, beating the mark of current Mississippi State star Caroline Seitz. Her production landed her on the first team, as she also hit for a .500 average and had 62 hits, 69 RBIs, and 47 runs scored.

Tedder accumulated many an honor during the awards season, including placement on the first team All-State, Super All-State Team and a second team appearance on USA Today's All-USA Team. She also set a school record for homers, with 20 of her own for Spain Park. She hit .457 with 74 RBIs, 74 hits, 56 runs, and 11 doubles from the shortstop position.

Lee was named Coach of the Year, as she led Chelsea to the school's second softball state championship in her first season at the helm of the program. Chelsea went 31-12 on the season, defeating Oxford in the 6A title game on a Mallory Bradford homer. 

Oak Mountain senior Greenwood, who is an Auburn signee, had a great season and landed on the first team, hitting .496 with 12 homers and 60 RBIs. She also registered 19 doubles in 59 hits and 13 stolen bases.

Her teammate, Ashlee Sanders, has signed with Mississippi State and made the second team. She hit .444 and drove in 20 runs, while stealing 23 bases and scoring 51 runs.

Cespedes made the first team in Class 6A, thanks to a season of domination from the pitcher. She threw 191.1 innings and compiled a 22-8 record, 1.68 ERA, and 233 strikeouts. She pitched every inning of the postseason for the Hornets and was instrumental in the team's title run.

Tipler and Widra each made the second team, as both played a key role in Spain Park's runner-up finish in the 7A state tournament. Tipler, a senior headed to Delaware State, hit .419 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs for the year as the team's third baseman. She accumulated 70 hits and 16 doubles.

Widra came up from the middle school team shortly before the postseason run, and the Jags rode her right arm all the way to the finish line. The seventh-grader went 13-5 on the year, with a 1.94 ERA in 108 innings and an eye-popping 118 strikeouts.

Miller was a second-team utility player on the All-State team, and hit for a .486 average on the year. She drove in 26 runs, and racked up 69 hits and 43 runs.

Walz was honorable mention in 6A, and finished her career with a spectacular season. She hit .457 and reached base at a .579 clip. She also received the William Legg Achievement Award presented by the Kiwanis Club, a first for a Briarwood athlete.