Leading her team to a Section 5-3A championship and the state tournament berth, pitcher Kurstyn Patnode, a senior at Becker, is the St. Cloud Times’ All-Area Softball Player Of The Year.
The Bulldogs (18-8) were just three runs away from a consolation championship June 9, when they fell 4-1 to Winona (22-3). All of Becker’s playoff games were close: the run margin was just +1 in favor of the Bulldogs.
It helps when the team has a pitcher who can throw 117.2 innings in a season with just a 1.25 ERA and who can hit .355 with five homers. Patnode struck out more than one opposing hitter per inning with 157 on the season and only gave up .87 walks or hits per inning. She was 10-6 pitching.
On offense, Patnode created scoring opportunities, getting on base at a .402 clip and making the trip around the bases 25 times. She also had 17 RBI and eight stolen bases. Patnode ended the year with a 1.004 OPS.
Ella Voit, a junior at St. Cloud Cathedral, was last year’s player of the year. This year she impressed again, throwing 135.1 innings for the Crusaders with a 2.02 ERA. Cathedral was 16-7 with Voit pitching and she struck out 158 batters while only walking 16.
On offense, Voit was .395 in 76 at-bats. A lot of those 30 hits were singles, but Voit also sped to three doubles and three triples. She stole eight bases and created 23 runs between RBIs and scoring herself.
Cathedral fell to the first seed Pierz (23-3) in the Section 6-2A tournament.
Sophia Hess, ROCORI’s sophomore third baseman, had a meteoric year at the plate. In 88 at-bats she hit .511 with three bombs and only six strikeouts. ROCORI won the Section 8-3A championship but was 0-2 and was eliminated by Becker from the state tournament. Hess stole 18 bases and scored 27 times, knocking in 20 RBI.
If it seemed like Sartell-St. Stephen senior Jaiden Tretter was on base more than she wasn’t, it’s because she was. The infielder had 38 hits and 15 walks, leading to a .541 on-base percentage. Four of those hits were triples, two were home runs and seven were doubles, leading to a 1.252 OPS. Once she was on base it was hard to prevent her from scoring too: she added 35 herself and batted in 16.
Sartell upset Rogers in the losers bracket of the Section 8-4A tournament, but the Sabers lost the next game to end the year 15-8.
St. Cloud Crush (15-8) first baseman Autumn Orcutt had some of the best power numbers in the area this season. She hit nine homers leading to a .803 slugging percentage. The junior wasn’t a slouch for average either, hitting .366 with five steals. Orcutt only struck out 13 times and she had 26 RBI with 23 runs scored.
Albany (19-4) fell in the Section 6-2A tournament before making the semifinal, but first baseman Audrey Rieland had a huge season for the Huskies. She averaged .432 while only striking out four times in 81 at-bats. Rieland only had one home run and eight doubles, but her .505 OBP can be credited with her 1.073 OPS. Rieland had 19 RBI and scored seven runs for Albany.
Sartell’s second player on the list, senior pitcher Danica Sarff, had a basement-low 2.14 ERA in 127.2 innings in 2023. She was 13-7 with 175 strikeouts.
Sarff also contributed at the plate, hitting .284 in 81 at-bats. She drew 11 walks, leading to a .368 OBP.
Becker pitcher Jaimee Cook threw 71.1 innings of 2.06 ERA ball. Cook, a sophomore, only gave up 54 hits, leading to just over one baserunner per inning and she was 7-2 with two saves.
ROCORI senior Jenna Boos pitched the lion’s share of innings for the Spartans this year: 90.2. She had a 2.23 ERA and a 9-6 record. At the plate, she contributed 10 RBI and nine runs scored with 10 hits.
All-Area Softball Second Team
Tayla Vought, 8thCathedral
Madison Terres, Sr., ROCORI
Savanna Pelzer, Jr., Albany
Camryn Kenning, Jr., St. Cloud Crush
Alyssa Sand, Jr., Albany
Callie Holthaus, Jr., Albany
Emily McLachlan, Sr., Albany
Brooklyn Hofer, Jr., ROCORI
Nevaeh Gardner, Sr., Becker
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: 2023 St. Cloud all-area softball team