By PATRICK WALSH
Four seniors capped off their varsity careers with Player of the Year honors. Two juniors and one sophomore took the next step this season to garner the honor. Elizabeth Gleghorn (Rush-Henrietta), Lilly Goldberg (Pittsford Mendon), Kate Dailor (Honeoye Falls-Lima), Kaili Witherell (Haverling), Jessie Crye (Avon), Courtney Gurbacki (Pavilion) and Neveah Ross (Friendship-Scio were all honored by Section V Coaches for their regular season efforts.
Gleghorn (Rush-Henrietta) batted .441 with three home runs, 22 RBI and 25 runs scored. The junior only struck out three times in 82 plate appearances all season and recorded a fielding percentage of .971.
Gleghorn’s best performance came on April 25, when the junior finished 5-for-5 with two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored against Gates Chili. Gleghorn recorded a hit in 18 of 21 games.
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Goldberg (Pittsford Mendon) finished her senior campaign batting .507 at the plate with 26 RBI, 11 extra-base hits, nine doubles and a home run. In the circle, she went 21-2, striking out 286 and recording an ERA of 1.09 alongside 10 shutouts.
Over her four-year career, Goldberg boasted a 58-15 record with five career no-hitters, including three in a row her junior year and two of which were perfect games. The right-hander struck out at least 200 batters in the last three seasons and hurled 30 career shutouts. Her 897 career strikeouts rank at the top of the Pittsford Mendon program record books. At the dish, Goldberg finished with a career average of .443 with 84 RBI and 33 extra-base hits.
Dailor (Honeoye Falls-Lima) batted .532 with an on-base percentage of .605 during her senior campaign. She tallied a hit in 19 of 22 games, including 13 multi-hit games for the Cougars.
Witherell (Haverling) finished her junior season with a .400 average, connecting on 10 extra-base hits and one home run. She drove in 11 while scoring 27. In the circle, the junior went 16-2 with an ERA of 0.64 and 218 strikeouts. Of her 19 starts, 11 were complete games, including 10 shutouts, two no-hitters and one perfect game.
Witherell boasts a 30-5 career record with a 0.42 ERA. She holds the Haverling program record of 856 strikeouts and has recorded four no-hitters and one perfect game. At the plate, the junior has batted .457 with 23 extra-base hits, two home runs, 22 RBI and 48 runs scored.
Crye (Avon) went 15-6 in the circle and hurled a complete game in all 21 starts. The sophomore right-hander posted an ERA of 0.37 and whiffed 322 batters this season. Crye’s 22-strikeouts in a seven-inning game is a Section V record. At the plate this season, Crye batted .403 with 12 extra-base hits, two home runs, 16 RBI and 22 runs scored.
Crye also garnered LCAA All-Star honors and is sitting at 661 career strikeouts with two seasons to go.
Gurbacki (Pavilion) fanned 177 inside the circle this year, putting her over the career 800 strikeout threshold. At the dish, the senior batted .480 on the season.
Ross (Friendship-Scio) went 20-4 in her senior season, pitching every game with an ERA of 0.25 and 390 strikeouts, a Section V single-season record. Ross hurled 12 shutouts and two perfect games, including one in the Section V Class D Semifinal against Notre Dame Batavia. At the dish, Ross batted .500 with 26 extra-base hits, including six home runs. The senior drove in 18 and scored 36 runs.
Ross also fanned 26 batters against Avoca-Prattsburgh on May 11, a Section V record for a single game and ranks fourth in the New York State record books. She averaged 16.2 punchouts per game, setting another Section V Record. In the Section V Class D Quarterfinal, Ross finished 3-for-4 with five RBI and was a triple shy of the cycle.
PLEASE explain how a class D section 5 player is selected over Class B section 5 state champion pitcher Makenzie Cowburn. ( Wellsville lions ). Absolutely ridiculous. A class D pitcher who plays watered down competition. INFLATED statistics. Most D schools are lucky to even has a team. Kw from Bath? While an excellent player will most likely win section 5 class B next year given Cowburn has graduated. Cowburn was the better pitcher vs Bath in back to back section 5 championship games but doesn’t make this write up. Amazing.