News Archive
Milford Softball Well Represented On ECC, All-Ohio Teams
The 2017 Eastern Cincinnati Conference Softball awards, as well as Ohio Softball Coaches Association All-Ohio squads have a strong Milford flavor as the four-time conference champions placed eight on the all-league squads and three among Ohio’s best. In addition to a league-best six first team selections, the Eagles swept the major awards as senior Valerie Thompson was tabbed Athlete of the Year and Christy Gregory was selected Coach of the Year. Additionally, Thompson, along with teammates Katelyn Reynolds and Kelsey Seitz were cited among the state’s top players.
The sweep of the major awards marks the fourth time in five years the Eagles have featured the league’s top player and the fourth straight season Gregory has been lauded by her counterparts as the ECC’s best. Milford went unbeaten in league play for the second straight year and has won 32 consecutive league match-ups. Overall, the Eagles finished 26-3, finishing runner-up in their district.
Thompson was the ECC’s most dominant pitcher and a second team All-Ohio choice, leading the league in every statistical category including wins (23), innings (164), strikeouts (159), shutouts (3) and ERA (1.02). She more than held her own at the plate as well, hitting .385 with six doubles, one triple and 24 RBI. She joins former teammate Kayla Gregory and Seitz as Eagles to win ECC Player of the Year since the league’s inception five years ago.
Joining Thompson on the league’s first team were seniors Hannah Meenach, Katelyn Rheude, Seitz, junior Sydnee Harris and sophomore Reynolds. The Eagles were represented on the second team by junior Kyrsten Brown and Katie Hall.
Reynolds, easily one of the best underclass players in the area, had another great year as the Eagles’ catcher, ranking third among league players with a .488 average to earn a slot on the All-Ohio second team. Her other numbers showed 12 doubles, four triples, a home run, 35 RBI and five stolen bases. From behind the plate, Reynolds also threw out seven of 15 potential base stealers.
Seitz, one of the best players ever to don a Milford uniform, earned her fourth straight All-ECC first team accolade and was an honorable mention All-Ohio selection. In another monster season at the plate, she ranked among the league leaders in nearly every offensive category, including a league-best 42 runs, seven triples and 45 RBI. Seitz added nine doubles and seven home runs.
After sitting out her junior year, Meenach returned to ably patrol centerfield for Milford, while sparking the top of the Eagles’ batting order. For the season, Meenach hit .323, while scoring 23 runs and driving home 15. She tacked on a pair of doubles and eight stolen bases.
Rheude is now a three-time first team All-ECC performer after ranking second in the league in hitting this spring with a stout .527 average. She topped all league players with 14 doubles while driving in 39 runs, second in the ECC only to her teammate Seitz. Rheude notched one home run, scored 28 runs and swiped six bases.
Like Meenach, Harris returned to the Milford line-up after a year away, serving as the Eagles’ shortstop and lead-off hitter throughout. Harris was stellar at the top of the line-up, batting .441 (fifth in the league), while ranking second with 40 runs and 13 doubles. She also drove in 17 runs, while stealing 15 bags.
In her first season since returning to Milford, Brown made an immediate impact, hitting .316 and playing a solid right field. Brown tallied three doubles and a triple, driving in 12 and nabbing four stolen bases. After not playing as a sophomore, Hall returned to the Milford line-up at first base this spring. She tallied a pair of doubles and two doubles in her first full varsity season.
Click here to view the 2017 ECC Softball Awards.
