SPASH junior shortstop Leah Earnest was a First Team Large Schools All-State selection this season by the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association. (John Kemmeter photo)

Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

Junior catcher Sam Saloun and junior shortstop Leah Earnest of the Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) softball team were both named First Team All-State, to lead the area athletes on the 2019 Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association All-State Team.

SPASH senior third baseman Kayla Lass and sophomore center fielder Jenna Eilers were both named Honorable Mention All-State on the Large Schools (Divisions 1 and 2) All-State Team, while Pacelli Catholic High School junior shortstop/left fielder/catcher Madi Hintz was Second Team All-State and junior pitcher/third baseman Haley Raflik was Honorable Mention All-State for the Small Schools (Divisions 3, 4 and 5).

SPASH junior catcher Sam Saloun was named First Team Large Schools All-State by the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association this season. (John Kemmeter photo)

Saloun was named First Team All-State for the Large Schools after she had a .419 batting average during Wisconsin Valley Conference (WVC) play for SPASH, as she tied for second in the conference with 18 hits and seven doubles.

A NCAA Division 1 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) recruit, Saloun was a Second Team All-State selection last year as a sophomore.

Earnest was also a First Team All-State selection for the Large Schools after she led the WVC with 18 RBI and eight doubles in 12 games, and finished second in the conference with a .474 batting average.

A NCAA Division 1 Valparaiso University recruit in basketball, Earnest was also a Division 1 All-State selection by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association for the SPASH girls basketball team this year.

Pacelli Catholic High School junior Madi Hintz was a Second Team Small Schools All-State selection this season by the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association. (John Kemmeter photo)

Hintz was a Second Team All-State selection for Pacelli, which reached the WIAA Division 4 State Tournament this season for the third year in a row.

Hintz led the Cardinals with a .500 batting average and three home runs this season, and finished with 31 RBI, 29 runs scored, seven doubles, and three triples, with 17 walks and only four strikeouts.

Pacelli junior Haley Raflik was selected to the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association All-State Team for the second consecutive season. (John Kemmeter photo)

Raflik was Honorable Mention All-State for Small Schools after she hit .464 and led Pacelli with 45 runs scored, 45 hits, 10 doubles and six triples, while she also had 22 RBI, walked nine times and struck out only five times, and was 13-for-13 on stolen bases.

A Second Team All-State selection last year, Raflik also went 11-4 in the circle this season with a 2.95 ERA, to go along with 108 strikeouts in 102 innings, as the Cardinals won the Central Wisconsin Conference South Title and finished 19-7 overall this season.

SPASH senior third baseman Kayla Lass was named to the Wisconsin Fastpitch Coaches Association All-State Team for the second year in a row. (John Kemmeter photo)

Lass was named Honorable Mention All-State for the Large Schools after she hit .342 during WVC play for SPASH.

A NCAA Division 1 UWGB recruit for volleyball, Lass was also an Honorable Mention All-State selection in volleyball as a senior, and was an Honorable Mention All-State selection in softball last year as a junior.

Sophomore center fielder Jenna Eilers led the SPASH softball team’s lineup from the leadoff spot this season. (John Kemmeter photo)

Eilers was also an Honorable Mention All-State selection for SPASH, after she hit .390 during conference play and led the WVC with 18 runs scored, as the Panthers won their 20th consecutive WVC Title this season and finished 21-8 overall after a trip to the WIAA Division 1 Sectional Finals.