Vocal Leader, Dobbs Is Athlete Of The Year At Lincoln

LINCOLN — A year ago Lexington Dobbs attended a recruiting and skills camp under the direction of Ouachita Baptist head softball coach Mike McGhee.

Dobbs, a 5-foot-4 senior, plays softball, basketball and volleyball, plus has been a cheerleader. She was selected as the 2016 Homecoming queen and is the Enterprise-Leader’s choice as female Athlete of the Year at Lincoln for 2016. She made an impression as the OBU staff provided instruction covering all aspects of competitive softball including: offensive, infield and outfield drills, plus catching and pitching. Dobbs, who has been a starter at catcher for Lincoln during her high school career, signed a national letter of intent Nov. 14 to play women’s college softball for Ouachita Baptist University located at Arkadelphia.

Farmington High School principal Jon Purifoy, whose daughter Paige Purifoy plays softball at Ouachita Baptist, said the Lady Tigers were looking for help at catcher. Last season, the Lady Tigers finished 19-32 with an 11-30 league record in the Great American Conference. They primarily used three pitchers and finished with a team earned-run average of 5.74 while their opponents’ ERA stood at 3.18. The team fielding percentage was .937 compared to .962 for their opponents. The Lady Tigers suffered 93 errors, 38 more than teams playing against them. Their batting average was .270, lower than the .344 attained by opponents.

Lincoln softball coach Beau Collins, who took over the Lady Wolves’ program in 2016, learned of Dobbs’ value upon arrival.

“She was one of the girls that met me here before school even started when I was hired,” Collins said. “There were 9 or 10 girls who asked me, ‘what do I need to get started on?’ That really impressed me.”

Dobbs was an instrumental player in helping Lincoln qualify for the state tournament last season. She brings a competitive streak to the softball diamond that carries over to her teammates and is taking her onto the next level. Dobbs hit around .315 as a junior and belted a pair of home runs. Collins distinctly remembers Dobbs’ vocal leadership in the dugout inspiring her teammates during a first-round state tournament game against Bauxite last spring.

“Her competitiveness was infectious, she kind of influenced the rest of the team,” Collins said. “We were in a

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Lincoln senior Lexington Dobbs, shown sporting Ouachita Baptist University colors, signed a national letter of intent to play women’s college softball at OBU Nov. 14. Dobbs has been selected as female Athlete of the Year at Lincoln for 2016 by the...