Selected by vote of the coaches from the Vikings were seniors Lisa Jackson and Ashley Jones, sophomore Carolyn Moore and freshman Melody Moore.
Jackson, a four-year starter at the catcher position, batted .475 this season with three home runs and 27 runs batted in. She led the team with an on base average of .581. She was also a four-year player and all-conference performer for the Viking basketball team.
Jones played center field and shortstop while batting .338, including a .413 mark in conference games. Like Jackson, she was a four-year varsity player in softball and basketball and earned all-conference recognition in both.
Carolyn Moore pitched and played shortstop. She batted .427 with 25 runs batted in. She pitched all nine innings in the team’s 6-5 victory of defending state champion West Rowan in the first round of the state playoffs.
Leading coach Matt Hrbek’s squad in a number of offensive catagories was third baseman Melody Moore. She was tops in batting average, .486; hits, 34; RBI, 35; home runs, seven; and stolen bases, six.
Jackson, Carolyn Moore and Melody Moore were named co-MVP’s in the team awards handed out at the end of the season. Jones received a Coaches’ Award and senior outfielder Stephanie Atkins received the Most Improved Player Award.
Other seniors wrapping up their Viking careers were Julie Blue and Amy Calcutt. Blue, the team’s first baseman, batted .373 with 15 RBI, including a .413 mark in conference games. Calcutt, an outfielder, batted .346 with 14 RBI and had an on-base average of .460. Atkins hit .383 for the season with an on-base average of .420.
The Vikings and Southwest Randolph finished tied for second in the conference with 11-3 records. The Vikings own a win over the Cougars, who went on to make the state 3-A Final Four in Raleigh. The Viking season ended in a 3-1 loss to Weddington in the second round of the state playoffs.
The top honors in the conference went to Southeast Guilford, which won the regular-season title with a 13-1 record. Pitcher Christy Goodwin was voted player of the year and Shannon Cowart was named coach of the year.
Final conference standings: Southeast Guilford 13-1, Union Pines 11-3, Southwest Randolph 11-3, Eastern Randolph 7-7, Asheboro 7-7, Trinity 4-10, High Point Central 2-12, Ragsdale 1-13. Viking batting leaders: Batting average - M. Moore .486, Jackson .475, C. Moore .427, Atkins .383, Diane Gregg .379, Blue .373, Calcutt .346, Jones .338, Karen Berthoud .273, Shelly Cummings .267; On Base Average - Jackson .581, M. Moore .520, C. Moore .482, Gregg .471, Calcutt .460, Blue .431, Atkins .420, Shelly Cummings .405; Hits - M. Moore 34, C. Moore 32, Jackson 28, Hones 23, Blue 22; RBI - M. Moore 35, Jackson 27, C. Moore 25, Blue 15, Calcutt 14, Jones 13; Home runs - M. Moore 7, Jackson 3, Jones, C. Moore, Jessica Irby, one each.
