The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
County’s Miss Softball crowned
Keystone senior who batted .549 is honored at Lorain County all-star game
Lorain County’s highest softball honors are staying in LaGrange.
Keystone senior Sammie Stefan earned 2017 Lorain County Miss Softball and Lorain County Coaches Association Player of the Year at the senior all-star game June 5 at LaGrange Community Park.
Last year, Keystone’s Summer Constable won Miss Softball while teammate Destiny Weber took home LCCA Player of the Year.
“It’s a dream come true,” Stefan said. “Obviously there are goals that we set as a team. But off to the side there was a personal goal of trying to get to this point.
“I know there are so many girls who were definitely deserving of this award, so it was a shock. I’m still in shock.”
Stefan finished 2017 with a team-high .549 batting average with 50 hits, including nine home runs, 53 RBI and 47 runs. She led the Wildcats to the state tournament, where they lost, 5-1, to Akron Hoban in a Division II state semifinal.
Stefan, who is headed to Maryland to play softball for the Terrapins, said her senior season will be particularly hard to get over, but is thankful to play on her home field one last time before leaving Keystone.
“It’s one of those things where it’s going to be hard to get over the season,” Stefan said. “Obviously I’m glad I got the opportunity to come back and play on this field one more time and I get to play with the girls one last time.
“It’s the year of lasts, and I’m not ready to let it go. But at the same time it’s exciting to start the next chapter.”
When asked what she’ll remember most fondly about her time as a Wildcat, Stefan simply said: “The memories I made.
“The crazy pranks we did at practice, the awesome bus rides, dancing during rain delays, all that kind of stuff,” Stefan added. “It’s something you don’t pick up on in the moment but as soon as it’s over that’s when you realize those were the good times.”
Stefan was also awarded Lorain County Division II Player of the Year to add to her growing list of accomplishments, and among the many people who have helped her reach her goals, she particularly thanked her coaches for shaping her into not only the softball player, but the young woman she is today.
“I just want to thank my teammates and my coaches and everyone who has helped me along the way just to get to this point,” Stefan said.
“All the Keystone coaches ... I’ve just always had a really good bond with all of them and to leave them is definitely heart-breaking, but they prepared me for this time so I think they did a good job of that. I’m just grateful for all they’ve done
for me.”