The Alcovy Lady Tigers may not have achieved all of the goals that they set out in the preseason, but they did have multiple players get honored for their efforts in softball this season.

Lady Tigers head coach Miranda Lamb has always seemed to have a tight bond with each of her players and is proud of every one of them. However, she now has reason to be even more proud as five Lady Tigers earned all-region recognition.

“I’m super proud of them even though we didn’t make it to state this year, I had a lot of girls that were recognized by other teams which means they see the talent coming from Alcovy,” Lamb said.

The Lady Tigers who found themselves on this esteemed list were pitcher Lexie McDonald, infielder Mackenzie Rodgers and infielder Talacia Thompson on first team. The Lady Tigers also had infielder Gwyn Lee on second team and catcher Janee Bellamy as an honorable mention.

Lamb was happy for each one of her girls and had individual praise for each member who earned this honor. She began with the young third baseman Thompson, who has been outstanding defensively for Lamb.

“Laci, (Talacia Thompson) I’ve been saying for two years now that she is an all-region first-team type of athlete and type of third baseman,” said Lamb. “I’ve called her my vacuum because any time a ball is hit her way, I know she is going to take care of it.”

Lamb continued showering her praise to another standout player for the Lady Tigers in Mackenzie Rodgers. Lamb cited her ability to balance infield play and pitching as most impressive.

“She balanced her time between first base and the pitching mound, and she exceeded well,” said Lamb. “She really got it going for us at the end and stepped it up at the plate for us.”

Lamb went on to laud her first-teamers and wrapped it up with her young pitcher Lexie McDonald, who may very well be one of the best pitchers and young talents in Newton county.

“Lexie, I’m excited to have her for two more years, and I know she is only going to get better,” said Lamb. “She plays ball all year round, and I’m excited to see her grow and mature more as a player.”

Lamb’s praise did not end with just her first-teamers. She was also very pleased with the leadership and production of second-team all-region second baseman Gwyn Lee, who Lamb would love to have seen on the first team.

“Gwyn, I hated not to see her on the first team, but she played well this year, and she led our team,” said Lamb. “She does a lot of stuff behind the scenes that a lot of other coaches don’t see, and that means more to me than the stuff on the field.”

Finally, Lamb rounded up her praise with her catcher Bellamy, who she knows played a pivotal role for the team this year and will definitely be missed next year. 

“I wish she would have at least made second team, but we did have a lot of great catchers in our region this year, but like Gwyn, she was one of those leaders behind the scenes,” said Lamb. “I’m going to miss her a lot next year. If I asked her to do something, she would do it. If I asked her to show a JV girl how to do a drill or show her how to call pitches right, she would do it, almost to the point where I didn’t have to ask her. It’s going to be a tough position to fill next year, but I was proud to see her name on the list.”

Lamb was excited for all of her players who landed on the list and knows she will miss the seniors that are graduating but looks forward to the upcoming future with her team.