JEFF REINHART | Sports WriterThe Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association has made its list and checked it twice, and six Lancaster-Lebanon standouts landed slots on the all-state team for their efforts earlier this spring.
Two players — Penn Manor’s Emily Riggs and Donegal’s Bella Mackison — picked up coveted Position Player of the Year honors. Three players earned first-team nods and three players were second-team selections.
Riggs, who helped Penn Manor win L-L League and District 3 Class 6A championships this spring, was tabbed Class 6A Second Baseman of the Year for her efforts, as the Comets finished up 24-3 overall, including a trip to the PIAA playoffs.
Penn Manor fends off rival Manheim Township to claim first District 3 Class 6A softball championship
Mackison, who had incredible season at the plate for Donegal, was named Catcher of the Year in Class 5A for her hitting and receiving efforts.
Riggs and Mackison earned first-team all-state nods, along with Donegal’s Cara Biesecker, who was named to the Class 5A first team as a utility player.
Mackison hit .631 with eight home runs and 48 RBIs and Biesecker batted .500 with 25 RBIs and 14 doubles for Donegal.
A pair of Conestoga Valley teammates picked up second-team honors in Class 5A: Rebecca Hartranft, an outfielder, and ace pitcher Rhiannon Henry. Also in Class 5A, Elizabethtown outfielder Sydney Stewart picked up a second-team nod.
Riggs, a slugger who also served as Penn Manor’s late-inning pitching stopper, was also an All-League selection, and she was a first-team Section 1 all-star pick. Stewart and Mackison also garnered All-League honors earlier this spring, And they were both first-team all-stars in their respective sections. Biesecker was also a first-team section all-star for the Indians.
Hartranft and Henry both picked up Section 2 first-team all-star nods for their efforts with the Buckskins, as they both batted .400-plus this spring, and Henry had 188 strikeouts in the pitching circle for CV.
TWITTER: @JeffReinhart77
