The Mount Vernon News sports department’s 29th ATHLETE OF THE WEEK nominations continues the established procedure of spotlighting student-athletes’ skills and performances on the fields and courts of action.
Based on performances, we ask ADs, coaches and the community to nominate one boy and one girl from their athletic programs to compete against other schools’ nominations. We ask for a recap of their worthy performances and a picture. Please send your nominations to me, Mike Blake, MVN Sports Editor, at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com. Make sure YOUR school is represented.
This week, we have co-winners in both baseball and softball. Two softball players dominated – one in the circle and one at the plate – and two baseball student-athletes were equally as dominating on the mound and at the dish.
Female ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Stevie Asher
Highland’s Stevie Asher set a school record in a stellar pitching performance and followed it up with another gem. On April 5, Highland’s softball team crushed Mount Pleasant, 13-0, and Asher was dominant in the circle, throwing a no-hitter and striking out a school record 17 batters, breaking the Lady Scots’ school record set by Megan Oder in 2015 of 16 strikeouts in a game. Asher also went 1-for-4 with a run scored on offense.
Abby Steele, Highland softball coach, said, “Stevie Asher had a great game vs. host Marion Pleasant. Her pitching is where she took over in the game, giving up only one walk and striking out 17 batters. Stevie continuously has worked to achieve this great milestone.”
She followed it up with a 2-for-2 game in the 12-2 win vs. Pleasant on April 7. She got the win, striking out eight in four innings. Through four games, Asher was leading the Lady Scots with a .545 batting average. And earlier this week, Asher threw another no-hitter April 12 in an 11-0 rout of Marion Harding. She threw five innings, walked two and struck out nine for the no-no win.
Steele said Asher was a team leader. “While quiet in demeanor, Stevie leads the team with how she performs in games. She lets her pitching do all the talking. The reaction and happiness of her teammates when she broke the school record is a testament to how much these girls truly value each other's success on the field.”
Ari Simpson
In the April 5 demolition of Northmor by Cardington-Lincoln, the 23-2 rout was spearheaded at the plate and in the circle by Lady Pirate Ari Simpson. Simpson drove in eight runs with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, including a grand slam. Her eight RBIs quadrupled what she allowed the Knights from the slab. In the circle, Simpson pitched five innings, allowed two unearned runs and struck out 11. Through that game, Simpson was 12-for-24, a .500 average, with two homers and 14 RBIs.
Cardington-Lincoln softball coach Tod Brininger said Simpson’s skill speaks loudly on the field, but she is quiet off the field. “As a player, Ari came in as a freshman, worked extremely hard in the offseason program and really impressed us with her hitting,” he said. “As a person, Ari is very quiet. She works hard, and you don’t hear too much from her. She comes in, grinds, and does what she needs to do to be successful. Ari is a funny kid, and other players really have taken to her.”
Male Athletes of the Week
Zach Pinkerton
Highland’s boys also had big performances. Zach Pinkerton was a magician with the bat for the Scots, wielding it for seven hits in two games. Nicknamed “Pink,” Pinkerton was 7-for-10 with four RBIs and three runs scored on offense, and he pitched four shutout innings, striking out three for a win. Pinkerton knocked out three hits in a 9-1 win over Pleasant on April 7, and the next day, Pink went 4-for-4 with two RBIs in a 15-3 win over St. Francis DeSales.
Highland baseball coach Don Kline said Pinkerton is off to a great start in his senior campaign. “He has been a force in the middle of our lineup and is the team leader in many offensive categories,” Kline said. “Defensively, he is one of the best center fielders in the area and consistently makes difficult plays look routine. He is a weapon out of the bullpen and has not allowed an earned run in 10 innings of work (15 strikeouts, four hits.) He is a funny kid with a great personality, and the guys love to be around him."
Kaid Carpenter
Fredericktown’s Kaid Carpenter connected for five hits (5-for-5), Carpenter drove in four runs and pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk while ringing up six strikeouts to get the win on the mound in a 17-0 avalanche over Mount Gilead on April 7. On fire at the plate, Carpenter was lights out on the mound last week. Carpenter’s most recent two pitching outings against Mount Gilead and Northmor totaled 13 innings pitched, 21 strikeouts, one walk, five hits allowed and no earned runs; that included a 15-strikeout, seven-inning performance against the Golden Knights.
Fredericktown baseball coach Ryan Hathaway is impressed with Carpenter’s competitiveness. “Kaid is a competitor,” Hathaway said. “He wants the ball when it means the most to the team. I enjoy coaching Kaid because he is a self-motivator who pushes himself to be better physically and mentally. Watching him this year, you can see the potential and upside he has on the diamond.”
Congratulations on a great week by our ATHLETES of the WEEK, Stevie Asher, Ari Simpson, Zach Pinkerton and Kaid Carpenter, and congratulations to all local athletes for solid efforts.
To all local schools: Send us your athlete nominations for next week and show them and the community how much they mean to their schools.
