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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor 

For the Helena Huskies’ softball team, it was another successful season during the spring of 2023 with a trip to the Class 6A State Tournament for the fourth season in a row.

That success included several standout players, as the Huskies came together to win an area championship, win their regional tournament and advance back to state once again, but one player in particular stuck out.

In a season where 13 players batted .400 or better at the plate, only one held a batting average greater than .500 during the 2023 season, and that was none other than Presley Lively.

A year where offense was on display across the county with many of the best hitters in the state, Lively led the county with several jaw-dropping numbers to earn the 2023 Shelby County Hitter of the Year award.

She led the county in many different categories and all were by a landslide to earn this year’s top offensive honor locally.

Starting with her batting average, she finished the season with a .535 batting average, which beat out Katie Flannery’s .481 average and Dailynn Motes’ .469 average as the next two closest players.

Some of her other stats, however, were just as impressive.

She led the county with 76 hits this season, which beat out Motes by eight hits and Flannery by 14.

In addition to that, Lively put together a remarkable 67 stolen bases in 71 attempts, which also played a role in her leading the county with 65 runs scored for the Huskies.

Lively also finished the season with 31 RBIs and totaled seven doubles, five triples and two home runs.

Those numbers helped her edge out Flannery and Motes for this year’s award, as all three put up impressive stat lines, while Thompson’s Chalea Clemmons, Spain Park’s Maggie Daniel and Shelby County’s Paci Clark all left impressive marks on the season as well.

Motes, the Hitter of the Year last year, wasn’t far off repeating this year after batting .469 and finishing second with 68 hits and 47 RBIs, leading the county with 16 doubles.

Flannery finished with the second best batting average this season at .481 and led the county with 41 walks due to opposing pitchers trying to avoid her bat. She totaled 62 hits and 53 runs scored with 28 RBIs and the second most home runs at 11.

Lively’s numbers, however, were too good and consistent across the board to ignore.

Not just that, she put them up against a challenging schedule against some of the best teams in each classification this season, making her a deserving Hitter of the Year.