GAINESVILLE (May 16) — The class finalists for the 2016 Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Softball and Softball Coach of the Year have been announced following balloting by a statewide panel of high school softball coaches and prep media representatives.
Every finalist was the leading vote-getter in their classification, making each one the Player of the Year or Coach of the Year in their class. The two overall winners will be announced following a final round of balloting by coaches and media.
Following are the 10 finalists for the Miss Softball Award, followed by the nine finalists for Softball Coach of the Year. Area nominees in bold.
Lauren Mathis, Jr., Pitcher, West Orange, Class 9A Player of the Year
Mathis, a University of Georgia commit, led West Orange to the state title by posting
a 25-1 record with an 0.15 ERA and 272 strikeouts in 138 innings pitched.
Cheyenne Blumberg, Sr., Catcher/1B, Countryside, Class 8A Player of the Year
The Columbia College signee hit .478 with 5 doubles, 6 home runs and 36 runs batted in.
Katie Chronister, Sr., Pitcher, Gainesville, Class 7A Player of the Year
The University of Florida signee led her team to the state title by posting a 28-2 record with an 0.53 ERA and 273 strikeouts in 186 innings pitched with only 36 walks. She also had a .457 batting average with 33 runs scored and 29 RBI.
Madison Canby, Sr., Pitcher, Plantation American Heritage, Class 6A Player of the Year
The Columbia University signee led her team to the state title with a 19-1 record, had an 0.31 ERA and struck out 170 batters in 112 innings pitched.
Allison Muraskin, Jr., Pitcher, Coral Springs Charter, Class 5A Player of the Year
The University of Central Florida commit and last year’s Class 4A Player-of-the-Year led her squad to its second straight state title by compiling a 23-3 record, with an 0.55 ERA and 256 strikeouts in 140 innings pitched.
Kinsey Glasgow, Sr., Outfielder, Jacksonville Episcopal, Class 4A Player of the Year
The Emory University signee compiled a .612 batting average with 5 home runs and 37 runs batted in.
Samantha Holcomb, Sr., Pitcher, Rocky Bayou, Class 3A Player of the Year
The Southeastern University signee posted a 17-1 record with an 0.59 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 106 innings pitched. She batted .538 with 7 home runs, 27 RS and 27 RBI.
Abigail Morgan, So., Pitcher/First Base, Aucilla Christian (Monticello), Class 2A Player of the Year
Morgan helped her team repeat as state champions by posting a 15-3 record with a 1.05 ERA. She also hit .467 with 22 runs scored and 34 RBI.
Lauren Stalvey, Sr., Pitcher, Chiefland, Class 1A Player of the Year
Stalvey, who repeated as the Class 1A Player-of-the-Year, helped her school to its third straight state title by posting a 22-1 record with a 1.20 ERA, six no-hitters and 133 strikeouts in 122 innings.
Kimberlee Owens, Sr. Shortstop, Westport, Independent Player of the Year
The Alabama State signee had a .456 batting average with 6 doubles and 5 home runs.
Following are the nine finalists for 2016 Softball Coach of the Year:
Todd LaNeave, West Orange, Class 9A Coach of the Year
In his third year at West Orange, LaNeave led his squad to a 31-1 record and the state championship. He has a career record of 80-11.
Donna Byars, Bartow, Class 8A Coach of the Year
In her second year at Bartow, Byars led her team to a 23-5 record and the state title. She has a career record of 47-15 and also advanced to the Final Four in 2015.
Pete Mariano, Gainesville, Class 7A Coach of the Year
In his ninth year at Gainesville, Mariano posted a 28-2 record and led his team to the state title. He also led Gainesville to the Final Four in 2013 and has a career record of 165-77.
Marty Cooper, Plantation American Heritage, Class 6A Coach of the Year
Cooper led his squad to a 26-2 record, the seventh state title in his 13 years at the school and his fifth straight Final Four appearance. He has posted a 311-60 record at American Heritage and an overall record of 551-136 in 24 years of coaching.
Mark Montimurro, Coral Springs Charter, Class 5A Coach of the Year
Montimurro led his team to a 26-3 record and its second straight state championship in his fourth year at the school. Montimurro, who won two state titles at Hollywood Christian and was named state coach-of-the-year in 2004, has a 410-105 record during his 18-year career.
Pablo Plaza, Bishop Verot, Class 4A Coach of the Year
In his second year as head coach, Plaza led his squad to a 19-8 record and the state championship. His career record is 41-14.
Sue Wilsman, Lakeland Christian, Class 3A Coach of the Year
In her fifth year as head coach, Wilsman led her squad to a 19-7 record and a second straight state championship. Her career record is 81-37.
Becky Lauth, Aucilla Christian (Monticello), Class 2A Coach of the Year
In her fifth year at Aucilla, Lauth led her squad to a 21-5 record and a second consecutive state championship. Lauth has an 83-30 career record with a Final Four appearance in 2014.
Wayne Weatherford, Chiefland, Class 1A Coach of the Year
Weatherford led Chiefland to a 28-1 record and its third straight state title. In 22 years of coaching, he has compiled a 314-118 record and also had a Final Four appearance in 2007.
