The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette selected its All-NWADG softball team. Below are the teams, player of the year, newcomer of the year, coach of the year and a gallery of the players highlighted. All content was compiled by the NWADG sports staff.
Player of the Year
Maddy Prough
SCHOOL Bentonville High
CLASS Senior
HEIGHT 5-7
POSITION Pitcher
THE SCOOP An all-star selection for the second straight year, Prough finished the season with a 23-1 record and a 1.23 ERA and led the Lady Tigers to their second straight Class 7A state championship. … She allowed just 33 runs (25 earned) on 87 hits over 142.1 innings, and she struck out 228 batters while issuing just 23 walks. … She threw four perfect games, including an April 27 game against Rogers High where she struck out 19 of the 21 batters she faced, and she struck out 10 or more batters in 12 games. … During one stretch of the season, Prough went 42.2 innings without allowing a run and 51 innings with allowing an earned run.
DID YOU KNOW Prough has had a late change of heart about her collegiate plans. She had signed a national letter of intent in November to play softball at Crowder College, but made a switch after the season ended and will now go to Central Arkansas.
QUOTABLE “Obviously, it was a successful season. It was definitely a lot different from last year, especially with me being a senior because I had to take on the leadership role a lot more,” Prough said. “Even if you are a pitcher, you have to be a leader all the time, and me being a senior made it an even bigger role. There was a lot more responsibilities, like being a role model for the team. It was different, but the outcome was the same. I think the team became a lot closer, and the thing I will remember is the new friends I made on this team.”
— Henry Apple • @NWAHenry
Newcomer of the Year
Hallie Wacaser
SCHOOL Bentonville West
CLASS Freshman
HEIGHT 5-5
POSITION Second Base/Shortstop/Pitcher
THE SCOOP Wacaser earned all-state honors and was named the team’s offensive most valuable player after hitting .552 with 14 home runs (tied for first in the 7A-West Conference) and 48 RBIs and scoring 45 runs. … She hit two home runs in back-to-back games against Fayetteville and Gentry, and she drove in a season-high five RBIs in three games. … Hit a home run in West’s first Class 7A state tournament game and helped the Lady Wolverines claim a victory over Conway. … While pitching, she earned a 3-3 record with a 2.93 ERA and 35 strikeouts. … Struck out a season-high seven batters in a March 18 game against Maumelle.
DID YOU KNOW Wacaser is normally an outfielder, even though she played infield for the Lady Wolverines this season. While she also has three years of high school softball remaining, she has already made a verbal commitment to play college softball at Florida State.
QUOTABLE “If it wasn’t for the help of my teammates, I wouldn’t be able to get to where I was and enjoy that much success. It was fun to be able to mess around with the other positions,” Wacaser said. “With this being West’s first year, it was really fun to interact with all the girls and build a family there. I thought getting to the state tournament and winning our first game there was very cool. I enjoyed being with my team in the state tournament and working with them.”
— Henry Apple • @NWAHenry
Coach of the Year
Ronnie Sockey
SCHOOL Greenwood
THE SCOOP Led Greenwood to a 25-7 record and an appearance in the state championship game in Class 6A, where the Lady Bulldogs lost 3-2 to Sheridan. … Fifth-year head coach who won a state championship with Greenwood in 2015. … Oklahoma native who earned his Masters from East Central Oklahoma in 1999.
DID YOU KNOW Sockey was an assistant baseball coach for 14 years and an assistant softball coach for 10 years at Poteau, Okla., before accepting the Greenwood job.
QUOTABLE “We really got it going the first week in April when we went 5-1 and finished second in the River Valley Tournament at Van Buren. We beat Sheridan 3-2 in nine innings then played Bentonville right after that, when we kind of ran out of gas,” Sockey said.
— Rick Fires • @NWARick
