Trio of Blue Devils named to All-Conference Softball Team

West Memphis softball standouts earn recognition

By RALPH HARDIN

mailto:ralphhardin@gmail.com ralphhardin@gmail.com__________

The 5A East softball conference is a tough row to hoe and the competition is always top-notch.

This year, three West Memphis Blue Devils played their way through the power- packed schedule to earn their way onto the 5A East All-Conference Team. They were senior pitcher Bella Hinze, junior catcher Emma Emberton and sophomore utility player Presley Kuhn.

Hinze, who started 17 of the Blue Devils’ 29 games this season, was a workhorse for West Memphis, pitching 80 innings, striking out 39 batters. Hinze also got it done with the bat, notching 17 hits and 14 RBIs. She scored 16 ains and was 8-for-10 in the stolen base department.

Emberton had a .292 batting average and an .843 OPS. She racked up 21 hits, including 6 doubles, two triples and a home run. On defense, she led the team with 86 putouts from behind the plate for a .920 fielding percentage and turned four double plays.

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Kuhn was an all-around MVP for the Blue Devils. The only starting sophomore on a team full of seniors, Kuhn played primarily at shortstop but also played the out_eld and even pitched, with a 1.92 ERA over seven innings of relief. She batted .247 for the season and led the team in plate appearances.