MOUNT VERNON — Knox County did nothing to tarnish its reputation as a high school softball hotbed this spring.
Danville won a Division VI state crown a year after Mount Vernon reached the Division II state championship game.
The Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association took notice.
Five county players were selected to the recently released All-Ohio teams. Three of them were first-teamers.
Division II
Mount Vernon’s Jocelyn Scarbury was selected to the first team, while Hailey Rudrick was an honorable-mention selection.
“I’m looking at two different players, but their meaning to the team is just as impactful,” Yellow Jackets coach Ryan Pentz said.
An Akron commit and two-time All-Ohio first-teamer, Scarbury capped her high school career with a sensational performance. She struck out 22 in 11 innings in a 3-1 loss to Green in the regional semifinals.
“I was obviously really proud,” Scarbury said. “I felt kind of pressured to get it (All-State) again because I got it last year and would have been disappointed, so I was relieved and thankful that all the hard work paid off.”
Rudrick is committed to the University of Indianapolis. She was a Division I second-team All-Ohioan as a sophomore in 2024. This year she played catcher and in the outfield.
“Staying engaged,” Rudrick said when asked about transitioning to the outfield. “As a catcher, I was in on every pitch, in the outfield, I might get a couple of balls a game.”
Division V
Centerburg’s Abby Herron was an obvious choice as a first-team All-Ohioan in Division V.
The Miami (Ohio)-bound senior broke Ohio’s single-season record with 25 home runs. She was the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference’s triple-crown winner, leading the league in batting (.684), home runs and runs batted in (59).
Division VI
Danville senior Addy Bocock was a first-team pick in Division VI, while classmate Ruby Bartok was an honorable-mention pick.
The Cedarville-bound Bocock won the KMAC’s pitching triple crown. She led the conference in wins (22), earned run average (1.25) and strikeouts (323).
A Rio Grande recruit, Bartok batted .500 with 16 homers and 39 RBIs. She scored what proved to be the game-winning run in Danville’s 2-0, nine-inning win over West Jefferson in the state championship game.
“It is difficult to put into words what these girls have meant to our team this e]saesn, I am very proud of both,” coach Charlie Duncan said.