All-Area softball: Kaylie Wallace and Shelby Turnier, Large Schools Players of the Year

Saturday, June 04, 2011
by Jeff Greer

In the top of the fifth inning of the Class 6A state championship game, senior Kaylie Wallace walked off the pitcher's mound and passed junior Shelby Turnier, who was jogging in from left field.

It was a familiar sight for the Palm Beach Gardens pitchers, and the end result was familiar as well.

After Wallace (16-3, 0.52 ERA) kept Palm Beach Gardens in the running for its second consecutive state 6A championship and fourth in seven years, Turnier (10-2, 0.55 ERA) came in and finished the job for the Gators.

"We've been playing and pitching together since we were 7," Wallace said. "I have total faith in her when I'm not doing my best, and she has that same faith in me.

"Teams never know which one they're going to get - either way, they're going to have a tough time hitting us."

The Gardens duo has been referred to as a two-headed monster and Gardens coach Randy Jackson's pocket aces by opposing coaches.

In any conversation about the area's top pitchers, both Turnier and Wallace immediately come up.

Combined, they struck out 236 batters in 198 innings, walked 47 and allowed 15 earned runs. Both beat state-ranked Park Vista 1-0.

Earlier in the season, when Wallace sustained an index finger injury on her pitching hand, forcing her to miss several starts, Turnier carried the burden for the Gators.

In the post-season, Wallace was nearly unhittable in the district and regional playoffs. And Turnier finished most of those games as the Gators' de facto closer.

When asked about her team's pitching aces in March, first baseman Taylor Schwarz quipped, "I would be scared of us."

Wallace will play at North Florida in the fall, leaving the University of Central Florida commit Turnier to carry the Gators in 2012.

"There's going to be a lot of pressure on me (next season)," Turnier said, "but what I learned most from Kaylie is what it takes to be a senior leader."

~jeff_greer@pbpost.com

FIRST TEAM

Laura Mann

Palm Beach Gardens

Sr., Catcher

Hit .366 and only made two errors all season. Signed with FAU.

Danielle Fernandez

Dwyer

Soph., 3rd base

Had .552 average, 16 stolen bases and .993 fielding percentage.

Tarin Knott

Royal Palm Beach

Sr., SS

Big schools batting champ batted .557 and led Wildcats to 12-10 record.

Kory Hayden

Palm Beach Gardens

Sr., 3rd base

Vocal leader hit .415 with 11 doubles and 26 RBI.

Makenzie Garcia

Park Vista

Jr., 1st base

Led large-schools players with 33 RBI, batted .452 .

Taylor Schwarz

Palm Beach Gardens

Jr., 1st base

UF commit led team in RBI (29) and had .989 fielding percentage.

Devin Williams

Jupiter

Jr., CF

Slapped her way to .466 average and 23 runs as lead-off hitter.

Ta'Coia Williams

Palm Beach Gardens

Soph., RF

Area's premier power hitter led team in average (.449) and OBP (.578).

Stephanie Schmidt

Wellington

Fr., 1st base

Was state semifinalists' leader in batting average (.414) and RBI (28).

Kylee Hanson

Jupiter

Soph., Pitcher

One of county's most dominant pitchers; 113 Ks, 10 BBs, 0.89 ERA.

Laura Downs

Park Vista

Sr., Pitcher

Paced Cobras to a top-10 state ranking; was 34-9, 0.89 ERA in career.

Corrie Boggess

Wellington

Soph., Pitcher

Power pitcher (16-4) and power hitter (.403 batting average, 21 RBI).

SECOND TEAM

C: Macey Cheatham, Wellington, Jr.

IF: Emily Lochten, Park Vista, Fr.

IF: Torrie Weindorf, Palm Beach Gardens, Sr.

IF: Alexandra Ortiz, Park Vista, Jr.

IF: Amber Braun, Suncoast, Jr.

OF: Haley Flynn, Park Vista, Jr.

OF: Alex VanWagner, Palm Beach Central, Sr.

OF: Lindsey Shell, Palm Beach Gardens, Sr.

Flex: Jamie Gray, Park Vista, Jr.

P: Mackenzie Huhn, Dwyer, Soph.

P: Jennifer Giles, Jupiter, Sr.

P: Alana Tabel, Seminole Ridge, Sr.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Mark Boretti, Wellington

Coached Wolverines to their first-ever regional title and state semifinals appearance.

HONORABLE MENTION

Boca Raton – Pepper Butler; Dwyer – Jordan English, Lindsey Fussell; Lake Worth – Lissett Moctezuma, Kassie Yeomans; John I. Leonard – Kaitlyn Burkhardt, Jessenia Petri; Jupiter – Alex Arciola, Lauren Frye, Bri Rano; Palm Beach Central – Kassandra Castle, Madison Hir, Shelby McCleary, Sarah Jane Collier; Palm Beach Gardens – Liz Spring; Palm Beach Lakes – Tamika Moore, Lateema Phillips; Park Vista – Kaitlyn Hanley, Jamie Schiller; Royal Palm Beach – Bri Alex, Alyssa Hernandez; Santaluces – Heather Blair; Seminole Ridge – Mackenzie Davis; Spanish River – Shanna Crawford, Christine Danko, Shelby Talon; Suncoast – Lindsey Harris, Brianne Lint, Alyssa Swearingen; Wellington – Natalie Punal, Amy Groover, Mariah Gonzales; West Boca Raton – Valerie Carlson, Sydney Elkin, Kelsey Whalen.