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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

It’s safe to say 2025 was one of the most successful softball seasons in Shelby County history.

The county not only broke its multi-year state title drought, but Helena and Thompson each delivered a blue map. They did so in completely different ways with the Huskies going unscathed in Oxford to win their first title while the Warriors won six-straight elimination games to return to the mountaintop.

On top of that, Spain Park, Calera and Shelby County made runs at regionals while Chelsea completed a solid regular season as one of the top teams in Class 6A, and there were many more teams that had standout moments throughout the season.

That left another loaded field of players to comprise the 2025 All-County Team. This year’s squad contains some of the best of the best in the entire state, and I have no doubt we will be hearing from many of these players again in the years to come, whether in high school or college.

Now, let’s dive into this year’s All-County Team for softball:

 

First Team

Pitcher: Aubree Hooks, senior, Thompson. The now two-time Shelby County Pitcher of the Year finished atop the county in just about every pitching category en route to the Class 7A state championship, including a perfect 20-0 record, a 1.41 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 158 strikeouts against 38 walks and 19 earned runs.

Pitcher: Marlee Parsons, senior, Helena. Parsons was the engine behind the Huskies’ run to the state championship, turning in quality start after quality start to set up the offense for success. She earned a county-high 185 strikeouts across the heaviest workload in the county with 157 innings, going 17-8 while giving up 49 earned runs and 34 walks.

Pitcher: Jordan Young, junior, Pelham. Young was a phenomenal two-way force for the Panthers in 2025, with the North-South selection earning a 2.16 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 71 strikeouts against 21 earned runs and 20 walks in 68 innings. She also batted .417 at the plate with 37 RBI, 40 hits, seven home runs and a perfect 12-for-12 mark on stolen base attempts.

Pitcher: Autumn Ingle, sophomore, Thompson. Ingle continued to establish her name as one of the top underclassman arms in the state, finishing 7-2 with four saves, a 1.52 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. She racked up 72 strikeouts against 13 earned runs and 21 walks in 60 innings and served as a shutdown relief arm deep in the playoffs.

Catcher: Katie Hopson, senior, Chelsea. The 2025 Shelby County Hitter of the Year obliterated the offensive competition and anchored an explosive Hornets offense with a .461 average, .512 on-base percentage and .954 slugging percentage for a stellar 1.466 OPS. She earned those averages off 49 RBI, 70 hits, 23 doubles, 16 home runs and just 12 strikeouts in a county-high 152 at-bats.

First Base: Kadyn Bush, junior, Thompson. In addition to her 2.37 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in the circle, Bush racked up 36 RBI off 51 hits for a .443 average, .528 on-base percentage and .565 slugging percentage.

Second Base: Klara Thompson, junior, Spain Park. Thompson secured a North-South selection for her stellar defensive form and speed on the base paths, the latter of which was shown by a perfect 20-for-20 mark on stolen base attempts. Despite batting just .232, the UAB commit made the most of her 33 hits for 34 runs, 33 RBI and six home runs.

Shortstop: Kelsey Burden, freshman, Thompson. The Class 7A state championship MVP didn’t look like a freshman down the stretch as she expertly handled defensive duties at shortstop and provided crucial hits for the Warriors. Burden finished with a .415 average, .484 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage with 28 RBI and 45 runs off 54 hits while going 25-for-26 on stolen base attempts.

Third Base: Hannah Hobbs, senior, Thompson. Hobbs finished her career with another great senior season at the plate, going .395 with a .450 on-base percentage and .637 slugging percentage with a 1.087 OPS. She earned 35 RBI and 30 runs off 49 hits, including 10 doubles and six home runs.

Outfielder: Olivia Tindell, senior, Thompson. Tindell held down the fort in the outfield for the Warriors and delivered big hits as well. The UAB signee racked up 50 hits and earned 45 runs and 31 RBI, including 12 doubles, six home runs and a 30-for-31 mark on the base paths, finishing with a .417 average, .497 on-base percentage and .700 slugging percentage.

Outfielder: Danslen Connell, eighth grade, Shelby County. Connell quickly established her name as a two-way talent to watch out for at Shelby County as she finished with a .466 average, .500 on-base percentage and .767 slugging percentage. She earned those averages thanks to her 48 hits, 46 runs and 32 RBI with 13 doubles, three triples and four home runs.

Outfielder: Morgan Adolphus, junior, Thompson. Adolphus earned a .404 average, .454 on-base percentage and .491 slugging percentage thanks to her 46 hits, 36 runs and 31 RBI, striking out just nine times in 114 at-bats.

Designated Player: Isabelle Overton, senior, Calera. Overton was Calera’s top hitter with a .459 average, .486 on-base percentage and a .704 slugging percentage, doing damage from the lead-off spot for 45 hits, 25 runs and 15 RBI, including 11 doubles and five triples in 98 at-bats.

Designated Player: Sarah Kate Lash, sophomore, Montevallo. Lash was the county’s batting champ with a .528 average, making the most of her 53 at-bats to earn 28 hits, 35 runs, 14 RBI, seven triples and four doubles. She earned a county-high 1.506 OPS thanks to her .868 slugging percentage and .638 on-base percentage.

Utility: Aaliyah Chaisson, junior, Shelby County. Chaisson dealt 89 strikeouts in 99 innings for an average of 6.3 strikeouts per seven innings while earning a 2.83 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, and at the plate, she finished with a .369 average and .438 on-base percentage with 32 RBI off 31 hits.

Utility: Marian Cummings, freshman, Oak Mountain. Cummings overcame 7A competition to finish with a .402 average, .491 on-base percentage and .761 slugging percentage thanks to 40 RBI off 37 hits, including nine home runs. She also earned 86 strikeouts while posting a 2.74 ERA and 1.35 WHIP as a pitcher.

 

Second Team

Pitcher: Larsen Cummings, freshman, Briarwood Christian. Cummings led the Briarwood pitching staff with 102 strikeouts while finishing the year with a 2.48 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, allowing 27 earned runs and 27 walks in 76.1 innings.

Pitcher: Carrington Schiefer, junior, Helena. Schiefer held down some of the top offenses in Class 6A while providing timely hits for the Huskies to win the Class 6A state championship MVP. In the circle though, she finished with 78 strikeouts against just 17 walks and worked around 38 earned runs to finish 10-5 with four saves. She earned a 3.37 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP.

Pitcher: Kelsey Crain, freshman, Oak Mountain. Crain was another standout freshman for the Eagles as she racked up 78 strikeouts against 22 walks and 24 earned runs, finishing with an 8-5 record, 2.24 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

Pitcher: Jaley Young, sophomore, Spain Park. Young was the main arm for the Jags this season and eclipsed triple digits in the strikeout tally with 110 punch-outs. She earned a 3.02 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 9-5 record in 2025.

Catcher: Caitlin Bland, junior, Shelby County. Bland mashed her way to eight home runs and three triples as part of her 30 hits, securing 28 RBI and 35 runs in 86 plate appearances for a .349 average, .462 on-base percentage and .756 slugging percentage.

First Base: Emery Plunkett, sophomore, Pelham. Plunkett was a consistent batting presence for the Panthers this season, earning a .345 average and .447 on-base percentage after securing 21 RBI off 30 hits, including six doubles. She struck out just seven times in 87 at-bats.

Second Base: Mia Wade, junior, Calera. Wade regularly got on base for the Eagles in her junior season and earned 35 hits in 93 plate appearances. Of those, eight were doubles and she scored 26 runs and had 16 RBI. She finished the year with a .376 average, .408 on-base percentage and .516 slugging percentage.

Shortstop: Caroline Brown, junior, Chelsea. The Kennesaw State commit and North-South All-Star selection made her second All-County team of the year thanks to her big plays in the field and at the plate. Brown finished with a .363 average, .424 on-base percentage and .611 slugging percentage with 41 hits, 34 runs, 24 RBI, eight doubles, six home runs and 10 stolen bases.

Third Base: Kaydence Connell, junior, Shelby County. Connell finished with an OPS of 1.012 thanks to her .400 on-base percentage and .612 slugging percentage, ending the year with 37 hits, nine doubles and five home runs and earning 33 RBI in the process. In all, she went .359 at the plate.

Outfielder: Laini Stewart, junior, Pelham. Stewart ended the year with a .374 average, .496 on-base percentage and .538 slugging percentage, earning 34 hits including six doubles and a trio of home runs. She also stole bases on 23 of her 24 attempts.

Outfielder: Addison Draiss, senior, Helena. Draiss made the most of her 36 hits, earning 34 RBI and 13 doubles along with a pair of home runs while batting .265 and earning an on-base percentage of .329. Her defense was also outstanding as she committed just one error all season for a .979 fielding percentage.

Outfielder: Alexis Morgan, sophomore, Montevallo. In her 56 plate appearances, Morgan secured 24 RBI and 18 runs off 21 hits for a .375 average, .453 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage in her first season in Class 5A.

Designated Player: Sheridan Andrews, junior, Oak Mountain. Andrews had another standout year at the plate as she earned a .421 average, .488 on-base percentage and .579 slugging percentage for a 1.067 OPS. She secured those numbers with 48 hits in 114 at-bats, including 21 RBI, 32 runs and 10 doubles to go with her 15 stolen bases.

Designated Player: Kylie Newton, freshman, Vincent. Newton was one of the most efficient hitters in the county as just a freshman, securing a .486 average, .531 on-base percentage and .595 slugging percentage for a 1.125 OPS. She earned 36 hits, 21 RBI and eight doubles in 74 at-bats for the Jackets.

Utility: Charlee Bennett, senior, Spain Park. The UAB signee finished out her career with standout years at both shortstop and third base, earning 41 hits from the lead-off spot while securing 42 runs, 21 RBI and 12 doubles. She stole bases on 32 of her 34 attempts and ended the year with a .285 average, .411 on-base percentage and .431 slugging percentage.

Utility: Sydney Carroll, senior, Chelsea. Splitting time between first base, the outfield and even moonlighting as a pitcher, Carroll was once again one of the top sluggers in the county. She earned nine doubles and seven home runs off her 34 hits, making the most of her 100 at-bats to secure 24 RBI and 28 runs while striking out just 13 times. The Mississippi State signee ended her final high school season with a .340 average, .480 on-base percentage, .660 slugging percentage and 1.140 OPS.

 

Honorable Mention: Ashley Heinemann, Briarwood Christian. Scout Staggs, Briarwood Christian. Megan Overton, Calera. Kinley Rodgers, Calera. Lily Townsend, Calera. Lorelei Beck, Chelsea. Alaysha Crews, Chelsea. Emma Parmley, Chelsea. Destiny Brashears, Helena. Macie Brashears, Helena. Tatum Cooper, Helena. Lily Sanderson, Helena. Gracie Storey, Helena. Hayden Traywick, Helena. Henley Traywick, Helena. Natalie Adams, Montevallo. Emily Beth Thompson, Montevallo. Kaitlyn Webb, Montevallo. Anna Dubose, Oak Mountain. Brooke Monosky, Oak Mountain. Bella Williams, Oak Mountain. Sophia Williams, Oak Mountain. Taylor Howard, Pelham. Kloe Gallups, Shelby County. Madison Tolleson, Shelby County. Grayson Heaton, Spain Park. Tatum Lasseter, Spain Park. Abby King, Spain Park. Maxie Provost, Spain Park. Reagan Roberts, Spain Park. Chloe Wade, Spain Park. Jordan Weiner, Spain Park. Allie Whitaker, Spain Park. Aubrey Bauer, Thompson. McKenzie Fields, Vincent.