TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

3 Area Players Make All-State Softball Team

ADVERTISEMENT

By DAREK SHARP

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

PLANT CITY - The Class 6A all-state softball team has its strongest Plant City-area representation ever.

Durant High's Sara DeMuth and Kelsey Horton and Plant City High's Kendall Dawson were named to the first team by the Florida Sports Writers Association on Thursday.

Plant City or Durant never had more than one player on the first team.

"I was very, very excited when I found out," said Horton, a junior who will be expected to take the leadership role for the Cougars next season. DeMuth is a senior.

Horton has committed to the University of Florida. Her hitting was a big factor in Durant making it to the state semifinals, where the Cougars were defeated by Palm Beach Gardens.

Britanny Bowles, who pitched all 10 innings in the game for Palm Beach Gardens, was one of the other three first-team pitchers besides DeMuth.

"Even though we lost that game and it hurt, as soon as the season was over we all realized how fantastic a season it was," Horton said. "It was the best season around here in a long time."

The only other schools with more than one player on the first team were Cooper City and Mitchell.

Dawson, a catcher who signed with the University of Alabama before her senior season, had previously been named to the second team.

Before heading to Alabama in the fall, Dawson will try for an Amateur Softball Association national championship. In early August, Dawson's club team, Florida Gold, is playing for the association's Gold National Championship in Oklahoma.

Florida Gold, made up mostly of South Florida players along with several from Polk County, will also compete in a tournament in Irvine, Calif.

"Since we've already qualified for the nationals, the summer will be more or less for fun and staying sharp," Dawson said.

One thing she won't be doing is playing any more football.

Dawson missed several weeks for the Raiders late in the season with an ankle injury. She hurt it while trying to kick a football, just having fun with some of her teammates before a softball game.

"The coaches at Alabama found out about it," she said. "They told me no more football, and I said, 'OK. Definitely no more kicking.'"

Reporter Darek Sharp can be reached at dsharp@tampatrib .com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT