BELLVILLE — She batted .571, broke the state record for career stolen bases and was selected to the All-Ohio first team for a third consecutive year.
So what didn’t Richland Source Player of the Year Taylor Kline do for Clear Fork this spring?
“Drive the bus,” Colts coach Jeff Gottfried joked, “and she probably would have done that, too, if we had asked her to.”
A senior and four-year letter winner, Kline was Richland County’s most prolific player this spring. She scored a county-high 55 runs, drove in 22 runs and stole an area-best 50 bases. It marked the third time in four years Kline stole at least 50 bases in a season. She swiped 60 as a sophomore and set the state’s single season record with 72 last spring. She graduated this spring with 212 career stolen bases, 46 more than former record holder Victoria Pyles of Warrensville Heights, who stole 166 bases from 2004 to 2008.
“She’s one of those players who doesn’t come along very often in a coach’s career,” Gottfried said of his shortstop. “Obviously, her speed jumps out at you but what I was most impressed with was her leadership.
“Her freshman year we were in the district semifinals and we needed a leader to step up and this little freshman did it.”
The Colts advanced to the Division III Final Four in 2011, falling to eventual state champ Warren Champion 5-2 in the semifinals. The following year, Clear Fork moved up to Division II and captured a district title before being eliminated by eventual state champ LaGrange Keystone in the regional semifinals. The Colts won a sectional championship in 2013 and advanced to the district title game this spring, falling to Clyde.
Kline is headed to NCAA Division II Ohio Dominican to play alongside former Clear Fork teammate Taylor Thomas.
“They put together a financial package that Taylor couldn’t pass up,” Gottfried said. “She’s going to play four more years of softball and come out of school with an education and minimal debt.”
Joining Kline is the middle of the All-Richland Source infield is Madison’s Liz Sutter. The senior batted .494 with three home runs, 36 runs scored and 30 stolen bases and was an Ohio Cardinal Conference first team pick.
Anna Myers is the Source’s pick at first base after batting .490. The senior slugger benefitted from Kline’s ability to get on base, driving in a county-best 56 runs and belting five homers while earning a spot on the OCC first team.
Behind the plate is Lexington’s Morgan Ziegler. The junior batted .436 and was selected to the OCC first team.
The third baseman is Mansfield Christian’s Mariah Stearns. The senior batted .406 and helped lead the Flames to the Division IV district championship game, the deepest postseason run in school history.
The utility player is Clear Fork’s Erika Farst, who batted .374 for the district runner-up Colts. The junior scored 37 runs, drove in 31 runs and stole 21 bases. She was an OCC first team pick.
The designated hitter is Madison’s Chase Carper. The junior batted .440 with 22 runs and 20 stolen bases and was an Ohio Cardinal Conference second team selection.
Mansfield Senior’s Tamesha Carter anchors the All-Richland Source outfield. Carter batted .447 for the Tygers and earned a spot on the All-OCC first team. She is joined in the outfield by Madison’s Katie Mullins. The junior batted .427 with three home runs and 25 runs batted in and was an All-OCC honorable mention selection.
Lucas freshman Alex Depue played in the infield this spring, but has the type of speed that translates well to the outfield. She batted .513 with 31 runs scored and 29 stolen bases.
The final outfield spot goes to Shelby’s Kennadie Goth. The freshman, who like Depue is a fleet-footed infielder, is cut from the same cloth as Kline. She batted .507 with 36 runs scored and 37 stolen bases.
The Richland Source’s pick for Pitcher of the Year is Lexington’s Abbie Sgro. The junior was selected the Ohio Cardinal Conference Pitcher of the Year after striking out a school-record 317 batters this spring. Sgro had 16 wins and a 0.83 earned run average and was selected to the All-Ohio second team.
Mansfield Christian’s Lexi Falde joins Sgro in the All-Richland Source rotation after leading the Flames to the Division IV district title game. She had 13 wins and a 1.16 ERA while striking out more than 250 batters. She also batted .405.
Plymouth’s Addyson Horne, who dueled with Falde in the district semifinals, joins the rotation after picking up 15 wins this spring. She struck out 231 batters and had a 3.18 ERA.
Ontario’s Payton Kuenzli is the fourth pitcher in the Source’s starting rotation. Kuenzli had eight wins, 144 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA. She also batted a team-high .443 with three home runs and 25 runs scored. She was selected to the All-NOL first team.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
