All-Area softball a winning group

 Those on the first team of The 2008 Daily News All-Area softball team are used to success.

Of the 15 players who are either Player of the Year are on the first team, all but one helped their teams into at least the second round of the state playoffs.

Croatan's Paige Williams and Richlands' Mikayla Jarman lead that list as co-Players of the Year.

Williams, a junior shortstop, hit .373 with a .453 on base percentage. She recorded 25 RBIs and three home runs and garnered a .984 fielding percentage to help the Cougars to the NCHSAA 2-A East Regional semifinal.

Meanwhile, Jarman, a freshman right-handed pitcher, went 15-3 with an ERA of 0.77. She struck out 127 and only walked 17 to assist the Wildcats into the second round of the 2-A playoffs.

Jarman and Williams are not included on the first team of the all-area team as decided by the coaches and the sports staff of The Daily News. Their teammates, though, make up a good portion of the top team.

Junior Whitney Hill, junior second baseman Lauren Poole, junior third baseman Sara Cranford, and junior outfielder Corrine Chase represented Croatan, while freshman catcher Haley Klemm, sophomore first baseman Alysia Hudson, sophomore shortstop Taylor Cloninger and sophomore outfielder Kayla Hice made it from the Wildcats.

Hill went 18-8 with a 1.19 ERA and struck out 129; Poole hit .430 with 13 RBIs and 12 stolen bases; Cranford batted .338 with 27 RBIs, and Chase hit .304 with 11 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.

Klemm hit .412 with 14 RBIs; Hudson batted .403 with 14 RBIs and 10 stolen bases; Cloninger batted .410 with 10 stolen bases and Hice hit .341. 

Sophomore pitcher Dayvee Daniels and junior utility player Kristen Garner made it from East Carteret, which won the 1-A East Regional title. Daniels was 6-2 with a 1.35 ERA and struck out 71 and Garner was the area's top hitter, batting .481 with 16 RBIs and 11 runs.

Dixon senior pitcher Allie Hostetler, East Duplin freshman outfielder Maddie Garner, and Southwest sophomore Robin Rouse designated hitter round out the top team.

Hostetler went 10-5 with a 2.40 ERA and struck out 137 to help the Bulldogs to the second round of the 1-A playoffs; Garner hit .353 with 20 RBIs to help the Panthers to the third round of the 2-A postseason, and Rouse batted .449 with 17 RBIs.

Making the second team were: East Carteret junior pitcher Kimmie Simmons (7-0, 0.76 ERA, .406 BA), White Oak senior pitcher Samantha Byrd, East Duplin sophomore pitcher Amanda Price (8-3, 2.16 ERA, 79 Ks), Panthers junior catcher Kaitlyn King (.457, 16 stolen bases, 29 runs, 16 RBIs), Northside junior first baseman Tyler Barnes (.417), East Duplin senior second baseman Alexis Smith (.384, 20 stolen bases, 23 runs), Richlands sophomore third baseman Courtney Whaley (.412, 14 stolen bases), Dixon junior shortstop Megan Payton (.417, 12 RBIs, 22 runs), East Duplin junior outfielder Whitney Brown (.317, 10 RBIs, 13 runs), Bulldogs sophomore outfielder Ayrien Davis (.356, 11 runs), Wildcats sophomore outfielder Haley Catanzarito (.571), Swansboro freshman designated hitter Carly Schott (.412, 14 runs, nine RBIs), and East Carteret senior utility player Patricia Davis (.339, 17 RBIs).

Those on the third team were: Jacksonville junior pitcher Mary Beard, Southwest sophomore pitcher Halie Kohl (2.36 ERA), Cardinals senior catcher Alexa Marro (.273), East Duplin junior first baseman Ashley Thigpen (.370, 20 RBIs, 19 runs, 11 stolen bases)), Stallions junior second baseman Courtney Bell (.340), Panthers junior third baseman Jessica White (.333, nine RBIs, 11 runs), Southwest junior outfielder Nikki Brown (.353), Stallions junior shortstop Shelby Cooper (.378), East Duplin senior outfielder Logan Hill (.278, 13 RBIs), Dixon senior designated hitter K.K. Roberto (.407, 15 runs), East Duplin senior designated hitter Meredith Grady (.354, 20 RBIs, 14 runs), and East Carteret junior utility player Allison Merkley (.380, 10 RBIs.)