Local athletes rake in all-state honors

Several area high school athletes received all-state accolades for the 2001 girls fall softball season.

Picking up first-team honors were Amanda Nuyt of Perryville (Class 3A) and Caitlin Hoeh of St. Vincent (Class 2A). Selected to the second team were Notre Dame's Lindsay Reinagel (Class 2A), Kelly's Natalie Lewer (Class 2A) and Delta's Rebecca Cook (Class 1A). Poplar Bluff's Jessica Wilson, a senior outfielder, was chosen for the Class 4A second team.

Perryville's Nuyt, a senior third baseman, hit .344 with 32 hits and 14 RBIs while fielding her position near flawlessly with only two errors.

Nuyt, who scored the winning run in the Lady Pirates' first-ever sectional championship, was a four-year starter and helped Perryville (16-14) to district championships all four years.

"She's an outstanding kid, a great student academically and as good a player as she is on the field, she's a better person off it," said Perryville coach Lynn O'Neal.

Hoeh, a junior outfielder for St. Vincent, hit for a .514 average and steal 28 bases in 29 attempts.

"She's just a gifted athlete with God-given talent," said St. Vincent coach John Lambert.

Hoeh, also an all-stater in soccer, led St. Vincent to a 13-12 record.

A converted natural right-handed hitter, Hoeh batted from the left side and had an outstanding .722 on base percentage for the Squaws. She scored 29 runs.

Reinagel, sophomore ace of the Notre Dame pitching staff, helped the Lady Bulldogs post their best record ever at 25-4 and capture their first district and sectional championships.

Reinagel (13-3) was the workhorse of the Notre Dame pitching corps with a team-leading 1.03 ERA, 57 strikeouts and only seven walks in 88 innings of work. Her 13 wins included 10 complete games with four shutouts.

Although Kelly's 15-year stranglehold on the 2A, District 2 title was finally broken by Notre Dame, southpaw pitcher Lewer enjoyed a fine season.

"She is the type of player a coach wants," said Kelly coach Melanie Heuring, "because she is always motivated to do better and encourages her teammates to do the same."

Lewer, whose season was shortened by an injury which made her unavailable for postseason play, posted a 6-2 record in 57 innings with a 0.12 ERA. She struck out 63 and gave up only one base on balls.

An integral part of two third-place state finishes in '99 and '00, Lewer, a senior, notched 34 wins against 4 losses in her career at Kelly. She also doubled as a switch-hitting outfielder.

Delta's Cook, a junior pitcher, led the Lady Bobcats to its second straight sectional championship.

"She's definitely a leader," said Delta coach Laura Brown, "and she's a smart player with a will to win."

Cook played shortstop when not on the mound and is also a top basketball player for the Lady Bobcats.

In one of her better pitching performances of the season, Cook hurled a four-hitter in the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs in a 1-0, eighth-inning loss to Marion C. Early. The narrow defeat prevented Delta (11-10) from repeating its Class 1A final-four appearance of 2000.