Stanley, Lovelace share All Area honors

Cambree was the start of that and her tools made it almost impossible for opponents to get her out.”

And when Stanley reached base, she was even more dangerous.

She has yet to be caught stealing in her two seasons at Rockmart, going 109-for-109 with most catchers not even attempting to stop her attempts.

Luke described Stanley’s stealing ability as automatic, and she

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And as Luke points out, she may have produced even more stolen bases if not for her 12 triples.

For Stanley, the ability to get on base and then work from there all came down to her own composure, and how she approached things at the plate.

“It mainly comes down to getting set in the batter’s box and concentration,” Stanley said. “And it comes down to having more confidence when I reach base and having a swagger.”

If the Rockmart offense was ever not producing, it was still in good hands. Loveless was a dominant leader on the mound, going 24-3 in 156 innings with a 1.53 ERA and 94 strikeouts.

There were games like the Lady Jackets’ 1-0 win against Cedartown on Sept. 21, when Loveless threw nine innings of scoreless baseball. Luke said performances like that made the hitters more loose and confident when they played.

Loveless was pushed into the main starter’s role this season, and that meant more work in the offseason. She took the task head on, improving every aspect of her mechanics as the season progressed.

“I just concentrated on my pitching because I knew I was going to be a leader this season,” Loveless said. “And that meant throwing more strikes, controlling my pitches better and trusting in my teammates, and I worked hard in all of that.”

But Loveless certainly did not reserve her talents for the mound, as she batted .516 with 11 home runs and 31 extra base hits. She set school records for homers and RBIs (63), and would’ve set more records had Stanley not already broken them.

Wherever anybody looked at Region 7-AA or the area’s softball landscape, Loveless and Stanley were at the top in offensive statistics. Perhaps most frightening of all, both players are sophomores on an extremely young Rockmart team.

The expectations will be high for the Lady Jackets next season, but whatever happens they will have two players they can rely on.

“I get pretty much my entire lineup back next season, and I’m pretty thankful for that,” Luke said. “When you can have a one-hole hitter like Cambree and a special player like Emily, your team has a chance to do some things.”