While no area teams advanced to the state tournament, it was a highly successful 2023 softball season for teams in southeast Iowa.

Burlington and West Burlington-Notre Dame played in regional finals, Wapello and Louisa-Muscatine competed in regional semifinals, Holy Trinity had one of its best seasons ever and Central Lee had its best season in four decades.

There was no shortage of stellar individuals, either. Burlington eighth-grader Kylee Hill had a record-setting season, while Wapello’s Tatum Wolford and Columbus’ Katie Coil each finished with batting averages over .600.

In addition, three area players had slugging percentages over 1.000.

That talent is reflected in the 2023 All-Hawk Eye softball team.

PITCHERS

ADA BOYSEN, JR., WAPELLO

Boysen played a major role in the Arrows’ successful season. In the circle, she was 15-6 with a 2.07 ERA. In 128 1/3 innings, she struck out 237.

Boysen hit .446 with 10 doubles, two triples and five home runs, stole seven bases, scored 39 runs and drove in 25 runs. She was a first team all-conference and all-district and second team all-state selection.

EVERLEE HARVEY, SR., CENTRAL LEE

Harvey, who played travel ball the last three summers, had an immediate impact in her first season back with the Hawks since her eighth-grade year. She had a 15-3 record with a 3.23 ERA. In 121 1/3 innings, she struck out 81. At the plate, she hit .325 and drove in 23 runs. She was a first team all-conference pick.

SAYDEE PLUMMER, JR., BURLINGTON

Plummer became one of the state’s premier pitchers. She was co-Player of the Year in the Southeast Conference and earned all-district and second team all-state honors. She was 12-5 with a 1.24 ERA. In 118 2/3 innings, she struck out 168. She also hit .256 with 19 RBIs.

LAUREN SUMMERS, SR., WEST BURLINGTON-NOTRE DAME

Summers was named SEI Super Conference South Division Player of the Year for the fifth straight season. She fashioned a 21-6 record with a 1.27 ERA in the circle. In 149 1/3 innings, she struck out 192. At the plate, Summers hit .495 with 16 doubles, and drove in 34 runs.

CATCHER

RACHEL MOORE, SR., KEOKUK

Moore was one of the finest fielding catchers around. She threw out 10 would-be base stealers and committed just one error. Moore batted .382 with seven doubles and drove in 10 runs. She was a first team all-conference selection.

FIRST BASEMAN

KYLEE HILL, 8TH, BURLINGTON

Hill made quite a splash as an eighth grader, earning first team all-conference, all-district and all-state accolades. She hit .477 with a 1.116 slugging percentage. She hit seven doubles and shattered the school single-season home run record with 14. She scored 34 runs and drove in 41 runs.

SECOND BASEMAN

JACI HAWK, SO., CENTRAL LEE

Hawk earned first team all-conference honors after hitting .354 with nine doubles. She stole 20 bases, scored 30 runs and drove in 20 runs in a lineup loaded with power hitters.

SHORTSTOP

SHANNA BUFORD, JR., CENTRAL LEE

Buford had a sensational season, finishing with a .567 batting average. She had 18 doubles, two triples and six home runs, stole 21 bases, scored 41 runs and drove in 46 runs. She earned first team all-conference and all-district honors and was a third team all-state pick.

THIRD BASEMAN

KENNA SANDOVAL, FR., CENTRAL LEE

Sandoval teamed with Buford to give the Hawks a formidable one-two punch in the middle of the lineup. She hit .448 with 16 doubles, one triple and nine home runs. She scored 52 runs and drove in 38. She also stole 14 bases. She was a first team all-conference selection.

OUTFIELDERS

ANNA ENGBERG, JR., WEST BURLINGTON-NOTRE DAME

Engberg blossomed into one of the top outfielders around after a brief stint at third base. She earned first team all-conference honors after hitting .439. She had nine doubles and four triples, stole 19 bases, scored 40 runs and drove in 17 runs.

MADALYNN KNAPP, SO., WEST BURLINGTON-NOTRE DAME

Knapp had a banner season, starting out hotter than a firecracker, then finishing strong. She earned first team all-conference honors after hitting .388.

She had 10 doubles, three triples and six home runs, stole seven bases, scored 26 runs and drove in 37 runs.

TATUM WOLFORD, JR., WAPELLO

Wolford, who played travel ball the last two years, had a huge impact for the Arrows. She hit .624, second-best in the state, with a .673 on-base percentage and a 1.054 slugging percentage. She had 16 doubles, three triples and six home runs, stole seven bases, scored 48 runs and drove in 44 runs. She was the North Division Player of the Year and was a first team all-district and honorable mention all-state selection.

DESIGNATED HITTER

AUBREY HESLER, FR., BURLINGTON

Hesler was the Grayhounds’ No. 2 pitcher behind Plummer, where she was 8-3 with a 4.20 ERA. At the plate, Hesler hit .348 with six doubles and three triples, scored five runs and drove in 19. She was a first team all-conference pick.

UTILITY

KATIE COIL, SO., COLUMBUS

Coil was one of the area’s finest all-around players. She had a 7-5 record with a 2.96 ERA as a pitcher and committed just two errors in 69 chances at shortstop. She earned first team all-conference honors after hitting .623 with a 1.066 slugging percentage. She had eight doubles, stole 24 bases, scored 34 runs and drove in 24 runs.

MARY HELLIGE, SR., HOLY TRINITY

Hellige was a first team all-conference and all-district pick and a Class 1A honorable mention all-state selection. She had an 11-12 record with a 3.22 ERA. In 134 2/3 innings, she struck out 97. She hit .481 with eight doubles, three triples and one home run, stole seven bases, scored 22 runs and drove in 27.

LAURYN HELMICK, JR., FORT MADISON

Helmick had a superb year at shortstop for the Bloodhounds, earning first team all-conference and all-district and third team all-state accolades. She hit .427. She had six doubles, stole six bases, scored 29 runs and drove in 21 runs. She committed just eight errors in 112 total chances with 54 putouts and 50 assists.

ERIKA KRUSE, SR., FORT MADISON

Kruse was one of the state’s top sluggers, belting eight doubles and eight home runs. She drove in 25 runs. She hit .444 with an .822 slugging percentage. She was a first team all-conference pick.

ELISE OLESON, SR., WEST BURLINGTON-NOTRE DAME

Oleson crushed a pair of grand slams on her way to earning first team all-conference honors as a first baseman. She hit .398 with a .473 on-base percentage and a .633 slugging percentage. She had five doubles and six home runs, scored 23 runs and drove in 34 runs.

KEIRAH WISEMAN, SO., BURLINGTON

Wiseman excelled as the leadoff hitter for the Grayhounds with a .330 batting average. She had 15 doubles, stole 12 bases, scored 29 runs and drove in 15 runs. She made just eight errors in 109 chances. She was a first team all-conference pick as a shortstop.

COACH OF THE YEAR

JASON HAWK, CENTRAL LEE

Hawk guided the Hawks to their best record in nearly three decades as a first-year head coach. Central Lee won the SEI Super Conference South Division title, their first since 1979. They beat West Burlington-Notre Dame twice and handed eventual Class 3A state champion Williamsburg one of its losses. The Hawks finished with a .369 team batting average.