Lady Sandite Softball says goodbye to six seniors after this season: three will play in college

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School softball team has had a heck of a ride this year and will graduate six seniors this Saturday. Cody Cheatham, Stella Millican, Kennedy "Goose" Salyers, Jessica Schuler, and Caley Thompson have all played their last games for the Sandites, but each has even bigger and better things in store. 

In the fast pitch season this fall the Lady Sandites had one of the best seasons in school history with a 31-9 record and lost the State Championship 4-3 to Choctaw in the finals. The team was shorthanded in the slow pitch season this spring and got off to a rough start, but finished with a winning record of 12-7 and had several quality wins over highly ranked opponents.

Cheatham played third base during the fast pitch season and scored 12 runs and 11 RBI with a .246 batting average, .318 slugging average, and .268 on-base percentage. She hit 13 singles, 3 doubles, and 1 triple.

Mallory played catcher during the fast pitch season and scored 6 runs and 26 RBI with a .351 batting average, .486 slugging average, and .415 OBP. She hit 26 singles, 12 doubles, and 1 home run.

Millican played right field in the fast pitch season and scored 8 runs and 5 RBI with a .164 batting average, .196 slugging average, and .329 OBP. She hit 8 singles and 2 doubles. In the slow pitch season she scored 7 runs and 18 RBI with a .423 batting average, .635 slugging average, and .524 OBP. She hit 16 singles, 2 doubles, 3 triples, and 1 home run. She also pitched a 4-3 record for a 1.40 earned run average and 2.779 WHIP. Over 41 innings she struck out 1 batter with a 61% strike percentage. Millican will be playing for the Evangels at Mid-American Christian University this fall. 

Salyers played left field and pitched during the fast pitch season and scored 53 runs and 10 RBI with a .387 batting average, .556 slugging average, and .472 OBP. She hit 28 singles, 17 doubles, and 3 triples. She amassed an incredible 18-2 record on the mound with an impressive 1.64 ERA and 1.245 WHIP. Over 119 innings she struck out 70 batters with a 66% strike percentage. In the slow pitch season she scored 33 runs and 15 RBI with a .500 batting average, .771 slugging average, and .545 OBP. She hit 23 singles, 7 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs. Salyers will be playing for Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the fall.

Schuler played first base during the fast pitch season and scored 38 runs and 63 RBI with a team-high .514 batting average, .897 slugging average, and .606 OBP. She hit 36 singles, 8 doubles, 11 home runs, and 4 grand slams. In the slow pitch season she scored 26 runs and 37 RBI with a .566 batting average, 1.509 slugging average, and .662 OBP. She hit 9 singles, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 14 home runs, and 1 grand slams. She also pitched an 8-4 record for a 1.13 ERA and 2.143 WHIP. Over 72 innings she struck out 2 batters with a 38% strike percentage. Schuler will be playing for Northeastern State University this fall. 

Thompson scored 10 runs during the fast pitch season with a .160 batting average, .160 slugging average, and .192 OBP with 4 singles. She will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design this fall where she will be studying visual arts and animation programs.

The Charles Page High School graduation will be held this Saturday at the Mabee Center at 7:30 PM. Doors will open for the event at 6:00 PM.