In a year with so many good players and teams in this area, making the selections for The All-Herald Bulletin Softball Team was most difficult.

That’s the hard part. The easy part is knowing that the players picked were certainly deserving of the honor.

Pendleton Heights’ second baseman Ashley Warrum is the Player of the Year, and Highland’s Lauren Williamson is the Pitcher of the Year.

The selections were done by The Herald Bulletin with feedback provided by the area coaches. The schools to have players considered for the team were: Highland, Anderson, Pendleton Heights, Lapel, Frankton, Alexandria, Liberty Christian, Elwood, Daleville, Madison-Grant and Shenandoah.

Three area teams — Lapel, Shenandoah and Madison-Grant — were sectional champions. The Argylls won the 2A state championship.

Williamson capped a consistently productive four-year career for the Scots with a season that saw her post a 10-4 record including a win over the state champion Argylls. She had a 1.23 ERA with 107 strikeouts and only 18 walks in 86 innings pitched.

As a hitter she held her own as well, posting a .448 batting average with two home runs, 29 runs batted in and just five strikeouts in over 70 plate appearances.

“This year was a lot of fun to pitch because the defense had my back all season,” said Williamson. “I didn’t have to worry about striking everybody out. This year I think we had something like 11 errors all season. The defense was impeccable.”

“I was surprised but not surprised,” said Highland coach Doug Holder of the selection. “Lauren has been a pitcher’s pitcher. She has used her intelligence to know what to throw.”

Despite playing a lot of softball for a big part of her life, it hasn’t gotten old. “People told me after high school I’d be burned out,” she said. “But that’s not the case. I don’t know what that would feel like.”

Warrum was very upbeat upon hearing of her selection as player of the year.

“I’m really happy,” she said. “It’s such an honor because there are so many good players in this area. This is awesome to be on this team. My sister (Maja) was on this team, so it’s nice to be able to follow in her footsteps.”

Warrum posted a .528 batting average with one home run and 15 runs batted in. She scored 40 times batting at the top of the Arabians lineup. She stole 10 bases and struck out just twice in over 100 official at-bats.

There were eight hitters and two pitchers named to each of three teams as well as four more players named Honorable Mention to make a total of 34 honored players.

Pendleton Heights had five and Highland had six players named to the three teams, Lapel had four, while Madison-Grant and Frankton had three players apiece.