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Susan Welborn likes the days when her teachers pitch a writing project and she takes it from there.
She said the creativity of the moment, deciding what to pen first, then getting lost in the effort is what makes it worthwhile.
P Susan Welborn, Jr., Birdville: Had 20 regular-season wins with a 1.37 ERA and hit .437 while leading the team in hits with 45.
P Bailee Wortham, Sr., FW Western Hills: 24-5 in the regular season and capped HS career with 100+ wins and 1,000+ strikeouts. Also hit .408.
P Kendall Potts, So., Mansfield Legacy: 10-1 in the regular season with 139 strikeouts
P Ashley Dumoulin, Jr., Trophy Club Nelson: Won 21 games including big win over Birdville, had 1.15 ERA
INF Sydnie Tapia, Sr., Mansfield Summit: Hit .623 with six homers and 45 RBIs
INF Savannah Stech, Sr., Mansfield Legacy: Had 39 hits on the year and 39 runs scored with 29 stolen bases
INF Taylor Davis, Sr., Keller Central: Hit .579 with 20 extra base hits in the regular season
INF Chaley Brickey, Sr., Haltom: Hit .643 with 7 homers and 40 RBIs. Graduating early to play at Kansas
OF Celina Ortiz, Sr., Southwest: Hit .667 this season with 7 home runs
OF Katelyn Vinson, Sr., Southlake Carroll: Hit .500 with 5 homers and 30 RBIs, played numerous positions
OF Emily Prud'homme, Sr., Nolan Catholic: Hit .432 on the season with 32 RBIs, played OF and pitched
C Canyon Samuel, Sr., Mansfield Legacy: Hit. 464 with slugging percentage of .783 in the regular season
Second Team
P Amanda Windham, Sr., Hurst L.D. Bell: 1.68 ERA and 15 wins
P Haley Freyman, So., Richland: Tossed 151 innings with a 1.25 ERA and 161 strikeouts
P Samantha Montes, Jr., Burleson: Posted a 17-3 record, 1.10 ERA, and .437 batting average
P Bailee Kaderka, Sr., Keller: Was 19-3 with 119 strikeouts, also hit .470 with 46 RBIs
INF Cherlynn Townsend, Fr., Birdville: Hit only .358, but scored 31 runs and had an OPS of .986.
INF Nyka Wood, So., Richland: Hit .563 with 18 doubles and 33 RBIs
INF Brianna Walker, Jr., Mansfield Legacy: Injury limited season to 16 games; hit. 500 with 17 runs scored and 10 steals
INF Madison Thompson, Fr., Burleson Centennial: Primarily behind the plate, hit .538 with nine homers
OF JoJo Schaeffer, Sr., Colleyville Heritage: Defensive Player of the Year in 6-5A, .382 average and slugging percentage of .539
OF Danielle Jetton, Sr., Arlington Martin: Hit .410 with 42 RBIs and 9 homers
OF Amber Sather, Sr., Kennedale: Hit .495 with 6 HRs. Walked intentionally 13 times.
C Elizabeth Konig, So., Weatherford: Hit .400 with 24 RBIs in the regular season
As a pitcher for Birdville this season, she took the same approach to 20 wins in the regular season, a 1.37 ERA and hit .437 for the Lady Hawks.
The effort earned her recognition as the Star-Telegram 2012 Softball Super Team Player of the Year.
"I don't do limits," she said. "I like putting people in awe with my writing and there's more than one combination to achieve that. Same thing on the mound, using a flexible thought process to go after hitters."
Welborn, a junior who has committed to Texas Tech, is loaded with DNA on both fronts. Her uncle is author T. Jefferson Parker, a novelist from California.
Her sister Katie played softball at Birdville before attending Tarleton State where she just completed her senior season.
Susan Welborn said she hasn't submitted any writings for publication but thinks often about the possibilities.
Asked how she'd summarize her and her team's performance this season, she stressed a wide range of emotions as the theme.
"A lot of nervousness at the start of the season because none of us were certain how things would turn out," she said. "We grew more confident over time but then there was a lot of sadness once it was all over."
For Welborn, she mimics her love for writing with her love for pitching and it helped her work magic for Birdville this season.
She heads a talented group that includes four Mansfield Legacy standouts, the most of any one team, and Fort Worth Western Hills ace Bailee Wortham.
The teams were chosen by the Star-Telegram staff in consultation from area coaches.
Welborn's regular season set up a strong run in the postseason and she was cited with regularity as the difference maker by area coaches.
Welborn said there wasn't one moment that stands out during the season but realized that at some point midseason that the Lady Hawks were a special group.
"It just kind of came together for us," she said. "There are lots of teams that work hard, but for us, we worked hard at everything else outside of softball too."
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