There were some impressive numbers behind Madison County High School’s 27-4 finish on the softball diamond this fall.
The 2009 team scored a school-record 254 runs and batted .323, good for second best all-time in MCHS history as it won Region 8-AAAA and advanced to the second round of the state tournament.
Madison County also had a stellar year defensively with a .953 fielding percentage. The only Red Raider team to top that mark was Madison County’s first fastpitch team in 1998, which had an aggregate fielding percentage of .971.
Individually, senior pitcher Erin Gibson enjoyed a record-setting year with 18 wins, the most ever in a single season in Madison County history. Gibson also recorded 98 strikeouts and finished with a 1.31 ERA.
Offensively, the Red Raiders had seven players hit .300 or better.
Sam LaZear led all Madison County hitters having at least 50 at-bats with a .388 average, followed by Haley Peeples (.383), Ariel Bates (.369), Olivia Duncan (.348), Brandi Osborne (.329) and Katie Bolin (.326). Emily Mann hit .419 in 43 at-bats.
All the impressive team and individual numbers showed up in the all-important win column by year’s end.
Madison County enjoyed an 18-game winning streak at one point and finished with 27 victories.
That total ranks second behind the 2001 state runner-up squad that won 30 games.
The 2009 team’s .871 winning percentage, however, is the program’s best, topping that of the 2001 team (.810).
