Vote for the 2022 southwestern Illinois Softball Player of the Year

Vote for the Belleville News-Democrat’s High School Softball Player of the Year. The poll closes at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 9. To vote again, hit refresh.

The BND Softball Player of the Year poll highlights high school varsity softball players who put in outstanding performances this spring. The nominees include previous athlete of the week winners this spring and any additional nominations from area coaches and the public.

To be clear, this poll is not scientific. In fact, we invite you to vote as many times as you want. It’s all for fun, BND readers. People also may submit the same athlete from week to week.

We are planning to post the results later this week after the poll closes.

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Here are the player of the year nominees:

• Emily Allen, Belleville West High School, senior, 2B. Allen had a hit and an RBI in a regional semifinal win against O’Fallon and an RBI in a loss to Belleville East in the regional championship. Allen ended the season batting .356 with 28 runs scored, 1 home run and 17 RBI for the Maroons, who reached the regional championship game and finished 21-12.
• Brylee Anderton, Collinsville High School, senior, SS. Anderton had a hit and an RBI in a regional semifinal win against Alton. Anderton ended the season batting .557 with 12 home runs, 46 RBI and 35 runs scored for the Kahoks, who won 11 games this spring.
• Avery Budde, Breese Central High School, senior, P/INF. Budde threw a two-hit shutout and had two hits in a regional win against Roxana. She then allowed just 2 earned runs in 5 innings in loss to Mater Dei Catholic High School in the regional championshpi. Budde went 12-3 on the mound this season with a 1.83 earned run average and 166 strikeouts in 103 innings pitched. She also ended the spring batting .474 with 3 home runs, 11 doubles and 31 RBI for the Cougars, who finished 17-8-1.
  
  
• Audrey Clark, Mater Dei Catholic High School, sophomore, P. In a regional semifinal win against Wesclin, Clark fired a complete-game 3-hitter while striking out 8 and going 3-for-3 at the plate. Then, in the regional championship against Breese Central, Clark threw a complete game while belting a home run, driving in 4 RBI, scoring 1 run and posting 2 hits. She finished the season at 18-3 and a 1.80 earned run average while fanning 139 in 129 1/3 innings of work. Clark also hit .415 this spring with 2 home runs and 26 RBI for the Knights, who went 20-5-1 and reached the sectional semifinals.
• Sophia Donoho, Highland High School, sophomore, P. Donoho helped the Lady Bulldogs capture the sectional championship by throwing a 9-inning complete game in a win against Marion. Donoho completed the season at 17-8 with a 3.25 earned run average and 180 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings pitched for the Lady Bulldogs, who reached the super-sectional and finished 22-10.
• Nicole Edmiaston, Freeburg High School, junior, 1B/P. Edmiaston went 3-for-3 with an RBI in the super-sectional before going 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI in a win the state tournament semifinals. finished the season batting .611 with 13 home runs, 43 runs scored, 15 doubles and 72 RBI. She also pitched in 5 games and went 3-0 with a 2.74 earned run average for the Midgets, who had a 32-game winning streak, ultimately finished second at the state tournament and recorded a 33-2 record.
• Jordyn Heckert, Okawville High School, junior, 1B. Heckert had two hits, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored in a regional semifinal victory before collecting a hit and an RBI in a regional championship victory. Heckert then had a hit and 2 RBI in a sectional semifinal loss. Overall, she ended the season batting .386 with 2 home runs, 29 runs scored and 25 RBI for the Rockets, who reached the sectional semifinals and finished 16-12.
  
  

• Taylor Hettenhausen of Okawville High School, sophomore, P. Hettenhausen fired a perfect game in the Lady Rockets’ first regional contest while striking out 10 batters in 5 innings. She then helped lead Okawville to a regional championship by allowing only 1 walk and throwing a complete game with 4 strikeouts. Hettenhausen went 10-5 this season with a 3.20 earned run average and in 94 innings pitched for the Rockets, who reached the sectional semifinals and finished 16-12.

• Lizzy Ludwig, Freeburg High School, senior, P/INF. Ludwig unfurled shutouts in the sectional championship game, the super-sectional round and the state semifinals, allowing just 6 hits while striking out 23 in 21 innings pitched. In the state championship, Ludwig threw all 10 innings in a 5-4 setback. At the plate, in the state semifinal win, Ludwig went 3-for-4 with a home run, 3 RBI and a run scored. Overall, Ludwig went 18-2 this spring with 0.51 earned run average and 174 strikeouts in 123 innings this spring. She also batted .450 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI for the Midgets, who had a 32-game winning streak, ultimately finished second at the state tournament and recorded a 33-2 record.

• Ryleigh Owens, Edwardsville High School, senior, P/OF. Owens threw a 1-hit shutout in a 1-0 win against Belleville East in the sectional semifinals and then tossed a 6-hit shutout in a 10-0 win against Bradley-Bourbonnais in the sectional championship game. Owens followed that with a victory against West Aurora in the super-sectional while collecting 2 hits, 2 RBI and 1 run scored. She also reached base all 4 times in helping send the Tigers to state. Owens is 19-1 on the season with a 0.57 earned run average and 155 strikeouts in 134 innings pitched. She also is hitting .369 with 15 RBI for the Tigers, who are 32-3 and will play in the state semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Louisville Slugger Complex in Peoria against St. Charles North.

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 6:00 AM.