The Wichita Eagle announced its annual All-Metro softball team on Wednesday, recognizing some of the best high school players in the state of Kansas from the 2024 season. The All-Metro features the top players and the top coaches from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties based on statistics, team success, postseason recognition and area coaches’ feedback. Eisenhower senior catcher Karlee Ford, a two-time All-Metro selection and Iowa State commit, was named the Softball Player of the Year.
Orth: “Ally played all over for us this year and then she pitched in all of our bigger games and we really turned her loose in the state tournament,” said Carroll coach Steve Harshberger. She hit No. 2 in the lineup and did a fantastic job for us. It was a highly thrilling start to the games because of her speed and striking prowess. Circle senior outfielder Ellie Randall After spending her first three years homeschooled, Randall joined Circle to participate in high school athletics for the first time—possibly the best narrative of any All-Metro selection. All she accomplished was assist in leading the Thunderbirds to their first-ever state tournament berth and AV-CTL Division III MVP title. Butler Community College
A two-way standout for the Lions, Klenda was superb in the circle with a 1.51 ERA in 102-plus innings with 105 strikeouts on top of leading the team in hitting with a .398 batting average, 18 RBIs, 20 runs and 15 stolen bases as the lead-off hitter and outfielder. The McLennan Community College commit was voted Pitcher of the Year in AV-CTL Div. II and also received honorable mention all-state honors in Class 5A. Goddard coach Kaitlyn Barrientos on Klenda: “What really stood out about Natalie this year was her laser-focus mentality. When she steps out there, she is ready to compete and to dominate whoever she is facing at the plate. And then another incredible thing about her season was that she didn’t strike out a single time at the plate. You want to talk about an incredible leader, she was someone that was really hard to get out, she battled for everything and she threw so hard in the circle. She just fought for everything.” Peyton McCormick, Chene
Hampton had a career season, leading Clearwater to the state tournament and earning first team all-state recognition in Class 4A. She was voted the MVP of AV-CTL Div. IV. The shortstop finished with 60 hits, six home runs, 54 RBIs, and 44 runs scored, good for a batting average of.594 and an on-base percentage of.617. Tyler Hampton, the coach at Clearwater, said of Hampton, “Kaylee’s consistency this year really stood out.” It was the reason she was so good this year. We could always count on her in every game. She performed at a very high caliber the entire year, without faltering. She put in a ton of work during the offseason, which paid off for her this year. Her ability to coordinate her hands and eyes and get
A two-time All-Metro selection, Ford was widely considered the state’s best catcher in her final year at Eisenhower. A rare lead-off hitter for a catcher, the Iowa State commit hit .456 with a .524 on-base percentage with 11 home runs, 28 RBIs, 40 runs and 27 stolen bases. She was voted a first team all-state catcher in Class 5A, while also being named the Player of the Year in AV-CTL Div. II. Eisenhower coach Amber Brunswig on Ford: “Karlee was such a great team leader for us. She was always working on her game in practice and in the offseason. She spent a lot of time working on her hitting and you can tell by the results. She’s a strong, strong kid. She almost always was putting the ball in play as our lead-off hitter and she really used her combination of power and speed to her favor this year. She was always making things happen for us.”
No one set the table better than Demel for a 24-win Derby team that reached the Class 6A state tournament. She finished with a .451 batting average, 22 extra-base hits, 33 RBIs and a team-high 34 runs, as the Butler Community College commit was voted a second team all-state outfielder in 6A and a first team all-league player in AV-CTL Div. I. Derby coach Christy Weve on Demel: “Kyler has always been one of our leading hitters because she has such a tough mentality at the plate. She’s led us in batting average for a few years now and she’s also really great defensively in the outfield. She has a really strong arm and threw out three runners at home plate this year. She was always talking, always brought good energy and was a really good leader for us this year.”
A two-time All-Metro selection, Canfield once again was a dominant ace in the circle for a Panthers team that won 24 games and reached the Class 6A state tournament. The McLennan Community College commit finished with a 17-2 record as a pitcher with a 1.35 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 109-plus innings, while also playing first base and hitting .402 with a team-high 34 RBIs. Canfield was named a first team all-state pitcher in 6A and also voted the Player of the Year in AV-CTL Div. I. Derby coach Christy Weve on Canfield: “What has always impressed me about Addy is how much time she puts into her craft. She spent so much time this off-season trying to improve herself and work on her game and the mental side of the game. She’s so tough in the circle and always wants the ball in big games. And then on top of all of that, she was a really great hitter for us at the plate. She was a big part of our success this year.”
The leading hitter who spurred Andale-Garden Plain to a Class 4A state championship appearance, Benson-Hladik finished with a .500 batting average with 20 extra-base hits, including nine home runs, 39 RBIs and 28 runs. The standout catcher was named first team all-state in 4A and also first team all-league in AV-CTL Div. IV. Andale-Garden Plain coach Erin Carney on Benson-Hladik: “We graduated eight seniors from last year’s team, so she was really the only one back with any kind of experience. She really stepped up and led our team from the very beginning of the season. She was a steady catcher, a leader behind the plate and she has an easy-going attitude that allows her to hold her teammates accountable. You don’t see a catcher hit lead-off very often, but I was so confident all year that every time Emery was at the plate she was going to get a hit.”
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