Player of the Year
Amanda Shifflett, Northeast
Numbers, numbers, and more numbers. Shifflett put up plenty of them in leading the No. 1-ranked Eagles (24-2) to their record ninth state championship.
For instance: When she came up with two outs and a runner on in the first inning of the Class 3A state title game against North Carroll, it was no surprise when she ripped a triple to right-center. Then she scored, giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead that would turn into a 9-0 title win.
The Eagles' shortstop, a four-year starter, smashed the ball everywhere this spring. Showing more patience at the plate and going with the pitch to all fields, Shifflett hit .573 -- .282 points higher than last spring -- and drove in 38 runs. She scored 38 more times with six homers and a state-record nine triples.
Another example: In a 2-1 win over Severna Park in the Anne Arundel County title game, her two-run homer in the first proved the game-winner. Later in that game, she singled -- her 100th career hit.
"Part of Amanda's problem last season was she put too much pressure on herself and would get herself all worked up at the plate. The one goal she said she had going into the season was being more relaxed," said Northeast coach Marianne Shultz. "She always got us going, and everyone knew they could always count on Amanda. She also plays basketball and is around the atmosphere of being a leader. She knows how it feels and what she wants to do."
Consistency was a Shifflett trademark this spring. Headed for Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh this fall, she had 20 multiple-hit games.
Deana Benner, Northeast
No pitcher in the area came through with more big wins than Benner, who started her senior season rehabbing a bad knee and ended it jumping up and down after a 9-0 win over North Carroll in the Class 3A state championship.
She finished the season 7-1 with a 0.31 ERA.
She tossed a no-hitter against Glen Burnie, allowed five hits against Severna Park in a 2-1 win for the Anne Arundel County championship, and produced a three-hit gem in a 2-0 win against perennial state power Northern-Calvert in the region final.
She closed out the season with a three-hitter against North Carroll for Northeast's ninth state title.
Benner, headed for Radford University, also hit .366.
Coach of the Year
Marianne Shultz, Northeast
Shultz turned three possible negatives - last year's upset playoff loss, not having two top pitchers early because of health problems, and a tough schedule - into team-strengthening positives.
The result was a picture-perfect 9-0 win over North Carroll for the Class 3A state championship.
The state title was Shultz's first but ninth for No. 1-ranked Northeast, which also took the prestigious Anne Arundel County title.
Shultz had her Eagles (24-2) ready to play in the final, which the Eagles dedicated to former JV coach Linda Hackmann, who died in April of cancer.
"The girls knew that's what they worked for, and that's where they wanted to be," Shultz said.
Sabrina Ryals, Spalding
It was fitting that Ryals closed out her outstanding four-year career with the game-winning hit in the Cavaliers' 3-2, eight-inning win over Pallotti to capture their second straight Maryland Independent Schools Tournament championship.
A four-time first-team All-Metro shortstop and pitcher, Ryals hit .448 with 25 RBIs, 23 runs and 10 doubles this spring.
On the mound, she was 6-2 with a 1.07 ERA and 55 strikeouts.
The way she played the game was impressive, always understanding game situations. In the Catholic League championship game against Seton Keough, she worked a bases-loaded walk to bring home the winning run.
Stacy Smith, Northeast
Smith's outstanding four-year career can be summarized by one battle. It came in the Class 3A state semifinals against Thomas Stone with the Eagles holding on to a 2-1 lead in the sixth.
Smith was facing clean-up hitter Kristie Pickeral with the potential winning run on second. Pickeral pulled foul after foul down the third-base line before finally getting the count full.
Pickering finally swung through a changeup, the Eagles advanced and went on to win the state title.
Missing the early part of the season recovering from mononucleosis, Smith (8-1, 0.23 ERA) came back with the same All-Metro form she had as a junior, not allowing an earned run until the last regular-season game.
Erin Caffrey, Atholton
Caffrey, a senior, was able to make a difficult transition, moving to center field after playing catcher. She made it look easy as the Raiders captured their first Howard County championship in 26 years.
With her speed and the ability to get a good jump on the ball, the Raiders' outfield became a team strength.
Also a catalyst offensively as the leadoff hitter, Caffrey hit .344 with 21 runs, six RBIs, five doubles and a team-high nine stolen bases.
Atholton coach John Zitko said another fine quality that came from Caffrey, a team captain, was her leadership and ability to keep teammates up.
Caffrey plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh.
Jamie Clingan, Inst. of Notre Dame
Clingan raised her play this season and became one of the Catholic League's most complete players.
The junior was near flawless at second base, and she was the starting point for the Indians' offense.
Speed is one of Clingan's biggest attributes. She used it to chase down nearly everything at second, making only one error in 86 chances. It also came into play in her leadoff role for the Indians as she always found a way to get on base and go from there.
Clingan, a second-team All-Baltimore City/County choice last season and first-team member this spring, batted .386 with 24 stolen bases and 26 runs scored.
"She set our offense in motion," said IND coach Greg Ehrmann.
Sarah Polger, Arundel
A little here, a little there, and by season's end, Polger ended up making a huge contribution to No. 4-ranked Arundel's 19-3 season.
Steady throughout with some timely hits mixed in, Polger hit .362 with a team-high 19 RBIs to go with 15 runs. Mostly hitting sixth, Polger had a .444 on-base percentage and showed occasional power.
In the first inning of the championship game in the Arundel Invitational, she set the tone with a grand slam -- one of her two homers on the season -- to lead the Wildcats past Long Reach.
A two-year starter in right field, she showed good range combined with a strong arm and smart decisions, always finding the relay.
Lauren Pollock, Severna Park
One of the metro area's best contact hitters, the sophomore first-baseman was a major factor in the Falcons' run to the Class 4A state final game.
She hit .513 on the season, knocking in 16 runs and scoring 14 more.
Her average increased 40 points during the postseason, including a 3-for-4 effort in a 3-2 extra-inning win over Chesapeake-AA in the East region semifinals. In that game, Pollock drove in all three runs for the Falcons with a two-out single up the middle proving to be the game-winner.
Pollock also went 2-for-4 with a triple in the Falcons' 1-0 loss to Gaithersburg in the state final.
On the mound, she went 5-1 with a 0.75 ERA .
Stacey Swiney, Howard
A four-year starter and an All-Howard County first-team selection in each of them, Swiney enjoyed an outstanding season as catcher and supplied an offensive surge down the stretch to lead the No. 8 Lions to the Class 2A state semifinals.
She led the Lions in average (.386), runs (24), hits (27), doubles (nine), and home runs (five).
Defensively, she displayed a good arm and an understanding of the game that was a big help to pitcher Kelly O'Neill.
Swiney, Howard County's Player of the Year in her sophomore season, homered in the regional final against McDonough and also in the extra-inning loss against North Caroline in the state semifinal.
Christy Urban, Mount de Sales
The Catholic League Player of the Year, Urban closed out a solid career with a 15-6 mark for Mount de Sales.
Not an overpowering pitcher but always able to find the corners, she finished the season with a 1.02 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 154 innings.
A three-time All-Catholic League selection, Urban also batted .339 with 14 RBIs and scored 12 runs.
Urban, who pitched a perfect game against Mount Carmel, also had six shutouts, two one-hitters and four two-hitters. Three of her setbacks came against perennial powers Spalding (1-0), Northeast (3-0) and North County (3-0). Urban has signed with Fairfield (Conn.) University.
Kellie Evans, North County
Evans filled her four years at North County with one outstanding effort after another.
She did all she could to send her team to the Class 4A state tournament this spring with a big night at the plate against Severna Park in the region final, but her homer and triple weren't quite enough in a 6-5 setback.
That performance from Evans was more the norm than the exception throughout her career.
The three-time All-Metro selection once again posted strong numbers, hitting .500 with 34 RBIs and 28 runs scored. More numbers: Eight triples, six doubles, two homers and eight stolen bases.
She played shortstop and pitched, going 8-4 with a 1.07 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 78 innings.
Missy Farrell, Franklin
Farrell simply made things happen, helping the Indians win their third straight Baltimore County championship with the ability to affect a game in a variety of ways.
She used her speed to race far into the gap for fly balls and to steal 16 bases. She was the spark-plug at bat, leading the team with a .483 average and scoring 26 times.
In center field, she handled all 24 chances cleanly with a strong and accurate arm.
Farrell, a two-time All-Baltimore City/County first-team selection, will play softball at West Chester (Pa.) University next spring. She also was a standout forward on Franklin's soccer team, earning second-team All- City/County honors as a junior after scoring 19 goals that season.
Katie Mullinix, North Carroll
Carroll County's Player of the Year, Mullinix provided a lot of everything to lead the No. 6-ranked Panthers to their third Class 3A state championship appearance in five years.
She hit .338 with 24 RBIs and 24 runs. Extra-base hits came from Mullinix throughout the season as she produced six triples, three doubles and two homers.
In a 14-1 win over Linganore, she went 3-for-4, with a homer, six RBIs and three runs scored.
When she wasn't playing right field, she was a standout on the mound for the Panthers, going 7-3 with a 1.18 ERA and 49 strikeouts against just 14 walks.
She also showed her versatility, when she filled in at second base for two games.
Amanda Donaldson, Severna Park
Selected a first-team All-Metro player for the third straight year, Donaldson's excellence on the mound will leave a lasting impression in Severna Park.
Her fastball, ability to mix speeds and find spots let Donaldson go 15-4 with a 0.89 ERA to lead the No. 3-ranked Falcons to the Class 4A state championship game.
In 132 innings, she recorded 145 strikeouts with just 16 walks (a 9-1 ratio).
Her senior poise played big in one-run wins over Chesapeake and North County in the region playoffs.
First-year coach Jeff Shepherd said that with Donaldson pitching, he knew his Falcons always had a chance to win.
At the plate, Donaldson made a smooth adjustment to the top of the order, hitting .373 with 14 runs and nine RBIs.
Valerie McDowell, Arundel
Crafty and resourceful. Those are a couple of adjectives that best describe the left-handed hitting McDowell when she had bat in hand.
Arundel coach Paul Yannuzzi felt he had a 50-50 chance the Wildcats could punch across a run early with McDowell's ability to reach base. And every time you looked, McDowell seemed to find a way to get on base as the Wildcats' leadoff batter and toughest out; then, she was around second, and eventually she crossed home plate.
McDowell, a senior, had getting on base down to a science with the ability to lay down the bunt, or slap for a hit -- whatever the defense was giving.
She finished the season hitting .456 with a team-high 21 runs and 12 stolen bases.
At second base, she was as steady as they come, committing only two errors in 57 tries.
The All-Metro softball teams
First team
Player, School, Yr., Position
Deana Benner, Northeast, Sr., Pitcher
Amanda Donaldson, Severna Park, Sr., Pitcher
Stacy Smith, Northeast, Sr., Pitcher
Christy Urban, Mount de Sales, Sr., Pitcher
Stacey Swiney, Howard, Sr., Catcher
Kellie Evans, North County, Sr., Infielder
Valerie McDowell, Arundel, Sr., Infielder
Lauren Pollock, Severna Park, So., Infielder
Sabrina Ryals, Spalding, Sr., Infielder
Amanda Shifflett, Northeast, Sr., Infielder
Erin Caffrey, Atholton, Sr., Outfielder
Jamie Clingan, Inst. of N. Dame, Jr., Infielder
Missy Farrell, Franklin, Sr., Outfielder
Katie Mullinix, North Carroll, Sr., Outfielder
Sarah Polge,r Arundel, Sr., Outfielder
Second team
Player, School, Yr., Position
Soraya Grace, Arundel, Sr., Pitcher
Jessica Saunders, Spalding, Fr., Pitcher
Lisa Tunney, North Carroll, Jr., Pitcher
Jen Wolfe, Perry Hall, Sr., Pitcher
Katie Zitnay, Atholton, Fr., Pitcher
Sarah Costa, Atholton, So., Catcher
Breanna Kitchen, Arundel, Sr., Catcher
Julie Bahus, Spalding, Sr., Infielder
Christina Bounelis, Glen Burnie, So., Infielder
Becky Carlson, Arundel, Sr., Infielder
Kim Paulis, Centennial, Sr., Infielder
Kerrie Poisal, Mount de Sales, Jr., Outfielder
Christine Sheridan, Spalding, Fr., Outfielder
Lindsay Smardon, Wilde Lake, Jr., Outfielder
Stephanie Adams, Northeast, So., DH
Note: The All-Metro softball teams were selected by Glenn P. Graham after consultation with The Sun staff and area coaches.
Pub Date: 06/07/99