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An invaluable leader whose play proved critical to the team's success.
The description could apply to either of this year's All-T&D Region SCISAA and S.C. High School League Softball Players of the Year. In pitcher Rachel Carpenter of Holly Hill Academy and catcher Shasey (pronounced Sass-cee) Frye of Edisto, their respective teams had two Coastal Carolina-bound seniors whose defensive skills and consistent hitting were also overshadowed by their strong leadership.
"She's such a hard worker," said Edisto head coach Shari Tanner about Frye. "She inspires everyone around her to work hard and become better. She never tells you I can't. It's always, 'I can do it! Let's get everybody to do it!' She's probably one of the best motivators I've ever coached."
"She's been our leader and I don't know if she really wanted that role, but she stepped into it and took it on both sides of the ball as far as defense and offense," said HHA coach Henry Lockey about Carpenter. "She stepped up big and was a leader all year and she stepped into that role and she did a real good job with it."
A four-year letterman, Carpenter has played in three straight SCISAA Class 2-A championship games with the Lady Raiders and won it all in 2005. This past season, the Lady Raiders went 24-11 with Carpenter responsible for more than half of the victories on the mound.
She went 13-4 overall and in 106 innings pitched, allowed just 22 walks, struck out 69 and had an earned run average of 2.63. Carpenter was especially clutch during a critical stretch where she won four consecutive starts despite a sore shoulder.
"That really kind of changed our season," Lockey said. "She kind of got into a groove and started hitting the ball at that time and she just kind of put the team on her shoulders and carried us from there."
Offensively, Carpenter batted .320 with 20 runs batted in and was 3-for-3 in stolen bases in earning team MVP honors and a selection to the High School Sports Report's All-State SCISAA team and the SCISAA North-South All-Star Game.
In overseeing the Lady Raiders' success, Lockey is this year's SCISAA Softball Coach of the Year. With a career record of 160-121, Lockey had five players earn All-Region honors and had as many as eight players bat over .310 for the season.
Like Carpenter, Frye also made the HSSR's All-State team in Class 2-A and will compete in an All-Star Game. In leading the 18-6 Lady Cougars to the Region 5-AA championship and the Class 2-A District Eight finals, Frye caught in all 24 games.
Showing no signs of wear and tear, she finished with a fielding percentage of .950 and was 8-for-12 in throwing out baserunners. At the plate, Frye led the Lady Cougars with a .638 on-base percentage to go with a .406 batting average, 27 RBIs, nine stolen bases, five doubles and two triples.
"She was completely invaluable," Tanner said. "She was a senior leader. Obviously she caught every game. She was a great hitter for us and she and (pitcher) Whitney (Westbury) had great chemistry which really helped get us as far as we did."
For her efforts, Frye made the S.C. Softball Coaches Association's All-State team and was selected to participate in the 23rd annual CAWS All-Star Series set for June 15-16 at the University of South Carolina-Aiken. Frye will compete for South's Class 4-A/A team.
Competing for a state championship is something Swansea came within a victory of accomplishing in their first season in Class 3-A. Under the leadership of now two-time T&D Region SCHSL Coach of the Year recipient Marty Mack, the Lady Tigers rebounded from a slow start to win the Region 4-AAA title and sweep the District V playoffs.
Swansea would win its first five post-season games before losing twice to eventual Class 3-A champion St. James in the Upper State finals. The Lady Tigers finished the season 14-9 and ranked fourth in the S.C. Softball Coaches Association poll.
2007 T&D REGION ALL-STATE SOFTBALL TEAMS
FIRST-TEAM
(Outfielders)
Rebecca Berry (Bowman Academy), Tristan Mauldin and Caroline Purvis (both of Holly Hill Academy), Courtnee Sanders (Edisto), Morgan Houser (Orangeburg Prep) and Grier Jordan (Dorchester Academy)
(Infielders)
Erica Bolen (Blackville-Hilda), Sallie Clark and Selina Brooks (both of Bamberg-Ehrhardt), Laquanda Williams (Bethune-Bowman), Taylor Owens (Holly Hill Academy) and Kristi Gregory (Swansea)
(Pitchers)
Erica Bolen (Blackville-Hilda), Whitney Westbury (Edisto), Kelley Puckett (Orangeburg Prep), and Marissa Oldaker (Swansea)
SECOND-TEAM
Jasmine Shuler (Bethune-Bowman), Fermisha McMillan (Blackville-Hilda), Faron Wolfe (Branchville), Megan Carn and Kelsey Sanders (both of Calhoun Academy), Harvin Nash (Orangeburg Prep), Cournee Sanders, Amber Crosby and Hailey Carson (all of Edisto), Mary Lockey, Wehme Hutto and Katie Carpenter (all of Holly Hill Academy) and Courtney Sanders (Woodland).
T&D REGION S.C. HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Shasey Frye (Edisto)
T&D REGION S.C. HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE SOFTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR -- Marty Mack (Swansea)
T&D REGION SCISAA SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Rachel Carpenter (Holly Hill Academy)
T&D REGION SCISAA SOFTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR -- Henry Lockey (Holly Hill Academy)