Three Iola High softball players, including first-teamer Reece Murry, have garnered postseason recognition from Pioneer League coaches for their work this season.
Murry was joined by Chloe Sell and Reese Curry, who were voted to the second-team all-league squad.
Murry, despite undergoing an appendectomy midway through the season, shined both on the mound and at the plate.
She went 4-5 with a 2.32 ERA, striking out 71 batters over 66 innings. At the plate, she led Iola with a .345 average, with a team-leading seven doubles. She ranked third in runs scored (10) and second in RBIs (9).
“If I could describe Reece Murry in a few words they would be ‘fierce competitor,’” Iola head coach Chris Weide said. “She is a player who never backs down from any situation in any game. Reece is the best pitcher and most complete player we have had since I have been coaching softball.”
This is Murry’s third year earning first-team all-league recognition. (Her sophomore year likely would have been number four, had it not been wiped away due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
Even more impressively, she did that despite battling injuries or other ailments in each of those three seasons.
Weide attributes her success to her effort and preparation in the offseason.
“She will be impossible to replace but has shown the returning players what it takes to be great,” Weide said. “I am very proud of what she has accomplished.”
SELL also graduated this year. She hit .305 this season, but her biggest contribution to the Mustang squad has been her versatility, Weide noted.
“Chloe Sell is one of the best teammates we have had come through the Mustang softball program,” he said. “She is positive with all of her teammates from varsity to JV and they have the utmost respect for her for that reason.”
Weide noted Sell was voted in as a catcher, despite playing some of the best outfield defense any IHS player has exhibited while he has coached there.
“Her junior season she was our left fielder and she had four or five diving catches that I had never seen before,” Weide said. “She also started a few games in center field this season, and every ball hit to her, I knew she was going to catch. It didn’t matter where I started her or where in the lineup she was, she was going to give 100% effort with the perfect attitude. I have a ton of respect for Chloe for that. She is a great one.”
CURRY, meanwhile, took little time in establishing her presence in the Iola lineup as an incoming freshman.
Curry batted .333, and led the Mustangs with 17 RBIs. She also hit Iola’s only over-the-fence home run of the season, to go with four doubles and a triple.
“She has as much potential to be a great softball player as anyone to come through Iola in a long time,” Weide said. “She has a great glove at first, she is a very good catcher with a great arm, and has the potential to be one of the best hitters in the league. To say that about a freshman is a great compliment. We look for her to continue to do great things as a player on the softball field.”
