By TIM GAYLE
The 2020 softball season was shaping up as one of the most exciting ever.
In 3A, an up-and-coming Saint James team hoped to topple perennial power Prattville Christian in the battle for Area 6 supremacy. In 4A, defending state champion Alabama Christian faced its annual challenge from area rivals Catholic and LAMP, but this year the three teams appeared to be playing evenly. The area tournament was potentially the most contested battle ever as only two of the three could advance to regional play.
Then, just like that, it was over. The coronavirus pandemic shut down high school sports and we never had the opportunity to see which players would excel in the postseason and which teams would compete for a state championship.
The uncertainty of the season made it difficult to select an all-Capital City Conference softball team, so the coaches simply picked the best players off of their respective teams and did not vote for a player or coach of the year. The selection process caused the balloting to have an unusual amount of infielders, causing the 2020 team to reflect four “infielders” instead of four position players.
Third-year Catholic coach Whitney Toole was selected as the Coach of the Year after leading the Knights to a 16-2 start, the best in the River Region and the best start for a Catholic softball program in years.
Her top player, Alanna Aiken, was also an easy choice for Player of the Year after standing out on offense, defense and in the circle unlike any other player in the Capital City Conference.
“It was easily her best year,” Toole said. “She was about .500 in hitting when we stopped, but she is just that person. Everybody looks to her. If she’s good, everybody’s good.”
Aiken batted .457 this season with 21 hits, 22 runs and 23 RBIs while committing just one error at shortstop in 18 games.
When she wasn’t in the field, she was needed in the circle, where she had a team-best 1.27 earned run average and a 5-0 record, striking out 34 while walking nine.
“She’s our quickest, but our most powerful,” Toole said. “She pitches when we need her to, although we’d rather have her in the field. Whatever helps the team, she’s going to do it.”
The 2019 CCC Player of the Year, Alabama Christian’s Haley Pittman, was an obvious choice for the team at designated hitter, where she hit .600 despite limited play in the circle. The Florida signee battled a back injury early in the season and was just starting to return to form when play was halted.
In her absence, third baseman Rose Costanza was forced to take over the bulk of the pitching duties for ACA and was selected to the team in that capacity.
Aiken, Costanza and Pittman are among the seven first-team Capital City Conference players from 2019 who repeated in that role in 2020, along with ACA shortstop Monica Willingham, Saint James catcher Morgan Parish, ACA outfielder Haley Ingram and Catholic outfielder Mackenzie Norton.
2020 All-Capital City Conference Softball Team
INF – Hannah Grace Griggs, Jr., Saint James
INF – Monica Willingham, Sr., Alabama Christian
INF – Nikki Walker, Sr., Catholic
INF – Linda Hill, Jr., Trinity
C – Morgan Parish, Jr., Saint James
OF – Haley Ingram, Jr., Alabama Christian
OF – Mackenzie Norton, Jr., Catholic
OF – Ellie Streeton, Sr., Saint James
P – Alanna Aiken, Jr., Catholic
P – Cam Greene, So., Saint James
P – Rose Costanza, Jr., Alabama Christian
UTIL – Chloe Walden, Jr., Catholic
DH – Haley Pittman, Sr., Alabama Christian
Player of the Year – Alanna Aiken, Catholic
Coach of the Year – Whitney Toole, Catholic
Honorable mention:
Mary Kathryn Adcock, So., OF, Trinity; Bellah Bright,
Jr., 1B, Saint James; Carissa Gilbert, So., P, Catholic;
KK Hall, Fr., SS, Saint James; Mallory Hildebrand, So.,
C, Catholic; Aniya Jackson, Sr., 1B, Alabama Christian;
Nona Johnson, Jr., 1B-3B, Catholic; Maddox Trumbly, So.,
3B-OF, Saint James; Lily Windham, Jr., P-C-3B, Trinity.