OLIVESBURG — Autumn Bailey more than made up for lost time.
The newly-crowned Richland Source Player of the Year, Bailey had a season to remember this spring for the Crestview Cougars.
The University of Akron recruit capped a star-crossed high school career by leading the Cougars to a fourth straight Firelands Conference championship. Crestview was 22-5 overall and reached the Division III district semifinals.
A fleet-footed center fielder, Bailey batted a jaw-dropping .598 with 50 runs scored. Of her 49 hits, 21 went for extra bases. She belted four home runs to go with four triples and 13 doubles.
What’s more, Bailey struck out just three times in 103 plate appearances. She was a perfect 26-for-26 in stolen base attempts.
As spectacular as her high school career was, Crestview fans were left to wonder what could have been had Bailey not lost almost two full seasons. She was a Firelands Conference first-team pick as a freshman after batting .424 in the spring of 2018, but lost almost her entire 2019 season to injury. The 2020 season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She was so looking forward to last year after what happened as a sophomore,” Crestview coach Aaron Goon said earlier this season. “I think she was so anxious at the beginning of this year, because it had been almost two years since she got to play high school. She worked so hard to get back.”
Bailey was selected the Firelands Conference Player of the Year and was an All-Ohio second team pick. She is the centerpiece of a talented All-Richland Source team.
Catcher
Hallie Gottfried, Clear Fork: A senior and the younger of recently-retired coach Jeff Gottfried’s two daughters, Gottfried led the Colts to the outright Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship. She batted .505 with eight home runs and 46 runs batted in as the Colts finished 20-9 and reached the Division II district finals. She was an All-Ohio honorable-mention selection.
First Base
Bri Bowles, Madison: Just a sophomore, Bowles helped the Rams reach the Elite Eight in Division II. Bowles set a new single-season record with 44 runs scored and matched the single-season mark with six hoe runs. Bowles was an Ohio Cardinal Conference first-team pick.
Second Base
Paige Eldridge, Madison: A senior, Eldridge set a single-season record with 56 hits as the Rams won a district crown and reached the regional final for just the third time in program history. Madison fell to eventual state champ Keystone in the regional finals. Eldridge was an Ohio Cardinal Conference first-team pick.
Third Base
Joselyn Frazier, Ontario: The Warriors had an up-and-down season, but Frazier was a reliable bat in the middle of the lineup. Frazier batted .466 and tied for the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference lead with nine home runs. She drove in 32 runs and was selected to the MOAC first team.
Shortstop
Courtney Palmer, Clear Fork: Palmer joined teammate Hallie Gottfried on the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference first team. A University of Northwestern Ohio recruit, Palmer batted a team-best .515 with 16 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 40 runs batted in, helping the Colts reach the district championship game and claim the MOAC title.
Utility
Camryn Campbell, Lexington: A junior, Campbell helped lead a revival at Lexington this spring. She batted a team-best .494 with 26 runs batted in and 36 runs scored. Campbell was an Ohio Cardinal Conference second-team pick.
Outfield
Autumn Bailey, Crestview: The Richland Source Player of the Year, Bailey hit safely in 51 of 57 career games and was a career .547 hitter (94-172). She stole 62 bases in her career and was thrown out just twice.
Alivia Studer, Colonel Crawford: A junior, Studer had one of the greatest offensive seasons in Crawford County history. She belted 17 home runs and knocked in 45 runs while scoring 37 runs. Her 17 home runs tied for ninth on the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s unofficial single-season home runs list.
Natalie Atkins, Ashland: Just a sophomore, Atkins broke Ashland’s single season record for runs scored (49) while belting five home runs. She and teammate Kristen Stromack tied for the team lead with 47 base hits, the most ever in a single season. Atkins was an Ohio Cardinal Conference first-team pick.
Halle Ciroli, Ontario: A senior right fielder and clean-up hitter, Ciroli was one of the most prolific run-producers in north central Ohio. She knocked in a team-best 38 runs to go along with six home runs. She was a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference second-team choice.
Designated Hitter
Taylor Mullins, Ontario: The sophomore ranked second in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with a .965 slugging percentage and 22 of her 43 hits went for extra bases. Mullins batted an even .500 for the season, earning a spot on the MOAC first team.
