The Herald’s 2024 All-Area softball team

Editor’s note: The Player of the Year and All-Area teams were chosen by the Herald sports staff based on coach recommendations, season statistics and first-hand observations.

Player of the Year

Yanina Sherwood, sr., P, Jackson

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Coach of the Year

Mike Millar, Everett

Millar guided Everett to a 20-8 overall mark this spring as the Seagulls captured their first Class 3A District 1 championship since 2015 following a 12-12 record in 2023. Everett qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 2019 and finished 3-2 in the 3A tourney. The Seagulls’ varsity squad featured four seniors with nine freshmen.

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First Team

Yanina Sherwood, sr., P, Jackson

Sherwood hung up 273 strikeouts across 166 2/3 innings pitched, compiling a 25-2 record in the circle as the Timberwolves brought home a second consecutive Class 4A state championship. The UNLV-bound ace sported a 0.54 ERA and held opponents to a .108 batting average. She tallied five no-hitters, including a perfect game in a 10-inning district playoff victory over North Creek. She hit .392 at the plate, offering 10 home runs and 35 RBI while finishing the season with a team-high 23 walks. Sherwood was named the 2023-24 Gatorade Washington Softball Player of the Year, as well as Washington’s state player of the year for the second-straight season by MaxPreps and ScorebookLive.

Maya Mesa, sr., P, Glacier Peak

Mesa recorded 235 strikeouts with a 2.40 ERA, helping the Grizzlies to a 15-11 overall mark and a second straight Class 4A state tournament berth. The Seattle University signee batted .361 with a .430 on-base percentage, collecting eight doubles and four homers. She was a Wesco 4A first-team all-league choice.

Synclair Mawudeku, soph., P, Kamiak

Mawudeku compiled a 1.64 ERA in the circle, striking out 122 with just 16 walks while facing 321 total batters. The Wesco 4A first-team pick hit .468 at the plate with a .603 on-base percentage, helping the Knights to a 19-7 overall mark and a second-consecutive state tournament berth.

Rubi Lopez, jr., IF, Stanwood

Lopez batted a scorching .620 at the plate and helped lead Stanwood to an 18-7 mark, and a second-straight Class 3A state tournament appearance after a previous 13-year-long drought. The Loyola Marymount commit racked up 34 stolen bases and 41 RBI.

Camryn Sage, sr., IF, Snohomish

Sage batted .461 on the year and registered 41 hits with eight doubles, 15 stolen bases and three home runs, offering a .918 fielding percentage. The Whitworth University signee helped boost Snohomish to a Class 3A runner-up finish at the state tournament and a 21-7 overall mark, including 18-1 against Wesco 3A/2A opponents. She batted .625 during the Panthers’ state run.

Rachel Sysum, sr., IF, Jackson

Sysum piled up 38 RBI, 39 runs scored, 14 doubles, nine homers and 13 stolen bases while batting .452 at the plate. The Fresno State-bound shortstop had a .519 on-base percentage with a whopping 1.432 OPS. She was one of the key pieces in claiming Jackson’s second straight Class 4A state title, helping the Timberwolves to a 25-2 overall mark.

Isa Davis, sr., IF, Everett

Davis batted .394 at the plate, registering 41 hits, 38 runs scored and eight doubles as Everett finished 20-8 overall and secured its first Class 3A District 1 title since 2015. The Wesco 3A/2A first-team selection tied a school record with 11 homers on the year while totaling a .960 fielding percentage.

Allie Thomsen, jr., OF, Jackson

Thomsen batted .538 with an off-the-charts 1.589 OPS. The University of Washington commit generated 44 runs with 33 RBI, tallying 11 home runs, seven doubles and nine stolen bases. The Wesco 4A first-team all-leaguer batted a red-hot .688 during the Timberwolves’ four state tournament games as Jackson captured its second Class 4A state championship in as many years.

Alexa Bradley, sr., OF, Lake Stevens

Bradley batted .500 at the plate and had a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage, helping the Vikings to a 16-6 overall record. She was a Wesco 4A first-team all-league choice, finishing the season with 35 hits, adding 10 doubles, a triple and four homers.

Scarlette Chapman, sr., DH, Kamiak

Chapman boasted a .623 batting average, .956 slugging rate and .641 on-base percentage. The University of California (Riverside) signee paced the Knights with 43 hits, adding 11 doubles and six triples. She was a Wesco 4A first-team all-league member.

Bri Titus, jr., C, Glacier Peak

Titus belted a single-season program-best 12 home runs while batting .438 with a .963 slugging rate, tallying 34 RBI. Titus was a 4A Wesco first-team choice, helping the Grizzlies to a second consecutive state appearance and a 15-11 overall mark.

Scarlett McEwen, sr., UTL, Stanwood

McEwen compiled 30 RBI with a .546 batting average and earned Wesco 3A/2A first-team all-league honors. The Portland State-bound catcher helped the Spartans to an 18-7 record and a second-consecutive Class 3A state berth following a 13-year program drought.

Hailey Pelletier, sr., UTL, Jackson

Pelletier batted .361 with a .465 on-base percentage and a 1.188 OPS. The Western Washington commit totaled nine doubles, 32 RBI and seven homers. She was a Wesco 4A first-team all-league selection, helping the Timberwolves to a 25-2 overall mark and a second-straight state title.

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Second Team

Abby Edwards, soph., P, Snohomish

Edwards pitched 118 innings and faced 499 total batters this spring while being named to the Wesco 3A/2A all-league first team. She had a 2.37 ERA with a .972 WHIP, holding opposing batters to a .170 batting average. The two-way standout batted .400 on the year, supplying 36 hits, nine doubles and three home runs, helping the Panthers to a runner-up finish in the Class 3A state tournament.

Charli Pugmire, jr., P, Lake Stevens

Pugmire supplied 123 strikeouts with a 12-2 record in the circle and a 1.14 ERA, walking 35 batters. The Wesco 4A first-team all-league pick helped lead Lake Stevens to a 16-6 overall mark.

Ellie Gilbert, sr., P, Mountlake Terrace

Gilbert fanned 138 batters across 82 2/3 innings in the circle this spring, recording two games with 15-plus strikeouts. The Central Washington commit batted .443 with an on-base percentage of .492. She finished her high school career with 358 total strikeouts, the program’s highest mark in last 12 years. She was a Wesco 3A/2A second-team all-league choice.

Hadley Oylear, jr., IF, Monroe

Oylear batted .516 with a .598 on-base percentage, totaling 47 hits and 25 RBI with 45 runs scored, helping the Bearcats to an 18-11 overall mark and a Class 3A state tournament to berth. Oylear registered seven triples, which was a single-season team record. She was a Wesco 3A/2A first-team all-league pick.

Vivian Knuckey, soph., IF, Monroe

Knuckey nailed a single-season program-record 12 home runs while hitting .464 at the plate. The sophomore was a Wesco 3A/2A second-team all-league selection. She stacked up 45 hits, 52 RBI and 10 doubles while scoring 32 runs, helping Monroe reach the Class 3A state tournament and finish with an 18-11 record.

Haylee Kim, sr., IF, Lake Stevens

Kim compiled a .425 batting average with a .837 slugging rate. The Wesco 4A first-team all-league pick and Western Washington signee had a .966 fielding percentage, totaling 34 hits, three triples and seven homers while helping Lake Stevens to a 16-6 overall mark.

Haylie Oyler, fr., IF, Everett

Oyler collected 46 hits, 10 doubles, two triples and eight home runs with a .523 batting average. She sported a .598 on-base percentage and a .955 slugging rate, finishing the year with 44 runs scored, 11 stolen bases and 38 RBI. She was a Wesco 3A/2A first-team all-league selection, helping the Seagulls to a 20-8 overall record and their first Class 3A District 1 tournament championship since 2015.

Lily Balgos, jr., OF, Marysville Getchell

Balgos batted .532, registering 42 hits and nine triples. She committed just one error on the season from center field, earning Wesco 3A/2A first-team all-league honors.

Avery Clark, sr., OF, Snohomish

Clark garnered 32 hits, 25 RBI and 25 runs scored while batting .368 with a .427 on-base percentage. She held a .957 fielding percentage, assisting the Panthers to a runner-up finish at the Class 3A state tournament and a 21-7 overall record.

Avalon Kummer, sr., DH, Lakewood

Kummer broke a program single-season record with a batting average of .597 this spring. She had a .682 on-base percentage, compiling 40 hits, 17 doubles, 16 RBI and 39 runs scored. The 2A Northwest Legue first-team all-league choice struck out just four times in the season, helping the Cougars to a 15-7 overall mark while going 12-for-14 at the plate with six doubles during Lakewood’s Class 2A District 1 tournament push.

Scarlett Nagy, jr., C, Monroe

Nagy collected 43 hits and 45 RBI while batting .467 with a .523 on-base percentage. The Wesco 3A/2A first-team all-league nominee and Dartmouth College commit homered nine times, adding nine doubles and 45 runs scored as she helped Monroe to an 18-11 record and a Class 3A state tournament berth.

Jaidyn Wilson, sr., UTL, Cascade

Wilson tallied 38 hits, 34 RBI and 11 doubles while batting .442 with a .515 on-base percentage, adding four home runs and four triples. The senior catcher helped the Bruins to a 14-13 overall mark and a third consecutive trip to the Class 3A state tournament.

Lillian Perreault, jr., UTL, Shorewood

Perreault boasted a .520 batting average with a .576 on-base percentage and .827 slugging rate, totaling 39 hits, eight doubles three triples and three home runs while offering 22 RBI and 25 runs scored. Perreault was a Wesco 3A/2A first-team all-league pick.