By FRED KRONER

fred@mahometnews.com

The numbers are what they are, and the players’ rankings in softball are based on what they achieved throughout their prep careers.

Perhaps some of Mahomet-Seymour’s athletes deserve to have an asterisk by their names.

Aubrie Shores and Karley Yergler, for example, compiled impressive totals. Their statistics are based on three-year varsity careers.

It’s one thing if they weren’t good enough to make the team as freshmen, and improved vastly beyond that.

However, both players had stellar freshman years.

Then, along came COVID-19 and, with that, Shore’s entire junior season was wiped out and Yergler missed out on her sophomore season.

They each played three years of varsity due to a fluke, not due to an inability to perform at a high level four consecutive years.

As noted in the blurbs below, they hold very few M-S career records between them. However, if you look at their statistical averages per year, the numbers would tell a completely different story.

Instead of just holding the career earned run average mark and the career home run record, Yergler would also be projected as the owner of the records for pitching wins in a career, strikeouts in a career and innings pitched in a career.

Shore would shoot up to the top of the list, too, for career hits and career RBI, matching the first-place position where she ranks for career runs scored and career batting average.

Such is the nature of statistical analysis. For years, cynics have said that numbers can be used to prove whatever point a person wishes to make.

Certainly, if you were naming the school’s all-time best in softball, Shore and Yergler would be on the short-list to start  the conversation.

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Careful readers of the biographies for all players chosen to the all-Quarter-Century teams will note that barely half of those listed in softball were ever first-team All-Area.

There could be a reason for that.

In the early years of The News-Gazette All-Area teams in softball (and baseball), as strange as it seems, the best players were not always selected.

The argument was two-fold. The decision was made that the “team” should be one that was capable of getting on the field and playing a game.

At many schools, the best players were generally shortstops. Therefore, for the first six years, the team was chosen strictly by positions. There would be one first baseman, one second baseman, one shortstop and one third baseman on the first team.

There was more leniency with the outfielders. The three choices didn’t have to be positioned in left, center or right.

It’s obvious why certain coaches – and parents – were outraged some years. They felt the All-Area teams didn’t accurately reflect the top players in the circulation area.

Gradually, the thinking shifted, and four infielders were chosen, regardless of position. Potentially a fifth infielder could have made the team as well.

We did not count the Player of the Year at whatever was their best position, simply as the Player of the Year.

Even though some positions were ultimately under-represented, this change produced a much better job of including how the top players were rated  in any given year.

Without further ado, Mahomet-Seymour’s Quarter-Century softball team.

ABBY AKERS, Class of 2022, 1B. News-Gazette All-Area first-team as a senior. Hit .407 as a senior for a 27-7 squad which placed fourth in the state in Class 3A. Hit five home runs and had 20 RBI.

ASHLEY ANGLIN, 2015, OF. Second-team All-Area as a senior. As a senior, third-team All-State by the Illinois Softball Coaches Association. Ranks tied for third for hits in a season at M-S (50) as a junior. Ranks tied for fourth in runs scored in a season (41) as a junior. Ranks fifth for at-bats in a season (115) as a junior.

KENDRA BELL, 2006, INF. First-team All-Area as a senior, when she hit .404. Ranks second on school career list for hits (164), second in career at-bats (401), tied for third in career runs scored (95) and seventh for career batting average (.409).

MADDIE CORTEZ, 2024, 2B/SS. Two-time All-Area second-teamer. Ranks third on career list for at-bats (364) and tied for third in career runs scored (95). In her four-year career, hit .375 with10 homers, 37 stolen bases and 77 RBI.

SARAH FRERICHS, 2009. INF/OF. First-team All-Area as a junior. Ranks fourth for career stolen bases (71). Ranks third for stolen bases in a season (48) as a junior. Set a since-broken school record for runs scored (33) in a season as a junior. Hit .381 as a junior.

ALLISON GWINUP, 2010. As a senior, honorable mention All-State selection by the Illinois Coaches Association after hitting .421. Ranks third at M-S for career stolen bases (85). Ranks second for stolen bases in a season (51) as a senior. Ranks tied for sixth for at-bats in a season (114) as a senior. Ranks sixth for career batting average (.421).

MADELYN LOGSDON, 2025, C/3B. Two-time All-Area second-teamer. As a senior, third-team All-State by the Illinois Coaches Association. Career leader in doubles (44) and ranks third in career hits (141) and fourth in career RBI (104). Ranks sixth for RBI in a season (41) as a senior. Played in 104 games and had a cumulative .438 batting average (fourth on the all-time M-S list) as well as nine homers.

AMBER NIBLING, 2004, 1B. First-team All-Area as a senior. Was top M-S hitter in three of her four years and compiled a .401 career batting average (12^th on the all-time M-S career list). Struck out just four times in 106 plate appearances as a senior. Defensively, committed no errors as a senior.

ALLISON NOFZIGER, 2019, CF. Ranks fourth for career at-bats (345) and fifth for career runs scored (90). Her four-year totals show a career .330 batting average (114 for 345).

LINDSEY OGLE, 2013, OF. Second-team All-Area as a senior. Career leader for stolen bases (111). School record for stolen bases in a season (61) as a junior and ranks second for career runs scored (113). School record for runs scored in a season (53) as a junior. Ranks eighth on the all-time M-S records list for career batting (.408).

EMILY PADJEN, 2007, P. Ranks second for career wins (35), second in career ERA (1.37) and second in career innings pitched (357). Ranks fourth, fifth and sixth for ERA in a season with 1.29 (as a junior), 1.35 (as a sophomore) and 1.41 (as a senior). Posted 14 wins as a senior, which is tied for third-best. Also, ranks sixth for wins in a season (12) as a sophomore.

BECCA RAMEY, 2007. INF. First-team All-Area as a senior. Ranks second for career stolen bases (87), fifth for career hits (132) and fifth for career at-bats (327). Ranks fourth for stolen bases in a season (39) as a senior. Set a since-broken school-record for season batting average (.479) as a senior. Ranks 10^th for career hitting at M-S (.404 average).

JESSICA ROBERTS, 2013, SS. Two-time All-Area second-teamer. Ranks 11^th at M-S for career batting average (.403). School record for hits in a season (60) as a junior. Ranks third for season batting average (.517). Ranks fifth for RBI in a season (42) as a junior. Ranks fourth for runs scored in a season (41) as a junior. Ranks tied for third for at-bats in a season (116) as a junior.

KEARY ROBERTS, 2006, P. Ranks fourth in career ERA (2.10). Ranks third for ERA in a season (1.11) as a senior. Won nine games as a senior and 21 in her varsity career. Ranks fifth at M-S for career wins.

AUBRIE SHORE, 2021, 3B. Three-time All-Area first-teamer (with her junior year canceled by COVID-19). As a senior, when she hit .526, second-team All-State by the Illinois Softball Coaches Association. As a sophomore, third-team All-State by the Illinois Coaches Association. Ranks third in career strikeouts (283), fourth in career wins (25) and fifth in career innings pitched (275 1/3). Also, career leader in batting average (.488), career leader in runs scored (122), second in career RBI (109), second in career homers (28), and fourth in career hits (137). Ranks third, fourth and tied for fifth in season home runs with 13, eight and seven. Ranks second and fifth for season batting average, .526 and .490. Ranks third for RBI in a season (49) as a freshman. Ranks second for runs scored in a season (48) as a sophomore and tied for sixth in runs scored (40) as a senior. Ranks fifth for innings pitched in a season (144) as a sophomore and sixth for strikeouts in a season (130), as a freshman.

ALYSSA SPOERER, 2014, SS/2B. Two-time All-Area first-teamer. As a senior, third-team All-State by the Illinois Softball Coaches Association. Ranks fifth for career batting average (.424), fourth for career home runs (11) and fifth for career RBI (99). Ranks second for hits in a season (55) as a sophomore. Ranks fourth for season batting average (.492) and ranks tied for fifth in season home runs (seven). School record for at-bats in a season (125) as a sophomore as well as triples in a season (11) as a sophomore. As a senior, struck out just six times in 135 plate appearances.

ALIE TARRANT, 2013, P. All-Area first-teamer and Area Player of the Year as a senior. All-Area second-teamer as a junior. Career leader in pitching wins (40), career strikeouts (592), career innings pitched (377 1/3) and ranks third in career ERA (1.74). Also, career leader in hits (179), RBI (141), at-bats (407) and ranks second for career batting average (.440), and third for career homers (17). Ranks second and tied for third for wins in a season with 16 and 14, respectively, as a senior and as a junior. Ranks second and third for strikeouts in a season with 217 and 187 as a senior and as a junior, respectively. Ranks second for season ERA (0.95). Ranks third for innings pitched in a season (162) as a junior. Ranks first for RBI in a season (52) as a junior. Ranks tied for third for hits in a season (50) as a junior as well as for at-bats in a season (116) the same year. Had ERA of 0.95 as a senior, which places her third on the all-time list.

KARLEY YERGLER, 2022, P. Two-time All-Area first-teamer and Player of the Year as a senior. As a senior, first-team All-State by the Illinois Softball Coaches Association. As a junior, second-team All-State by the Illinois Coaches Association. Career leader in ERA (0.90), ranks third for  career wins (34), second in career strikeouts (533) and fourth in career innings pitched (286 1/3). Also, career leader in homers (34), third in career runs scored (104), third in career RBI (105) and fourth in career batting average (.429). School record for pitching wins in a season (23) as well as strikeouts in a season (371), innings pitched in a season (183 1/3) and ERA for a season (0.61), all as a senior. Also ranks fourth for strikeouts in a season (182) as a junior and seventh for season ERA (1.43) as a junior. Ranks first and second for season home runs with 17 and 14, respectively. School record-holder for season batting average (.538). Ranks second for RBI in a season (50) as a senior and is tied for sixth in a season RBI (37) as a junior. Ranks third for runs scored in a season (45) as a senior and also tied for sixth for runs scored in a season (40) as a junior. Ranks tied for third for hits in a season (50) as a junior and also sixth for season hits (49) as a senior.