CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Emma Covert was going about her normal business during the summer.
Golfing. Shopping. Grabbing some lunch when she found out she had made the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association All-State Team, which was released on Thursday afternoon.
(Pictured above, Moniteau’s Emma Covert)
Covert, a recent Moniteau graduate, landed a spot on the Class 2A first team at utility. Her Warrior teammate, outfielder Brianna Rottman, also made the first team to highlight several District 9 players across several classes who found their way on the all-state list.
“To be honest, I completely forgot they even did all-state selections,” Covert said. “The last time I remember hearing about it was when (former Moniteau standouts) Gabby Stewart and Kristina and Kennedy DeMatteis played. It means a lot.”
Covert, who will play next season at Grove City College, had a monster season for Moniteau. She batted .524 with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, eight doubles, two triples and an OPS of 1.609. In the circle, she was also 8-1 with a 4.24 ERA.
More often than not, Rottman scored on those Covert RBIs.
Rottman hit close to .400 as a slap hitter at the top of the Moniteau lineup. She reinvented herself as a left-handed hitter after struggling from the right side of the plate early in her career.
“It shows the amount of work that I put in really meant something,” Rottman said. “I don’t know, it’s just a really good feeling.”
She found out she had made the team when her father and Moniteau softball and football coach Bob Rottman gave her a call.
“He said, ‘Congrats on all-state, kid,'” Brianna said. “I didn’t believe him. I thought he was kidding.”
He wasn’t.
Making an all-state team was something she never thought would happen when she first made the decision to become a slap hitter and struggled with it.
Over time, she got better and better and this season was a huge weapon for the Warriors.
“No, I never thought it would happen,” she said about making the all-state team. “I didn’t think it would happen this year, either.”
Rottman will play next year at Thiel College.
(Brianna Rottman)
Covert was also thrilled and surprised to make the team. She was also pleased Rottman was named as well.
“It’s awesome that I was selected. I’m super happy for Brianna, too,” Covert said. “It’s really cool to work so hard at something my whole life and then just have a season where everything starts to come together. God gave me a great team to play with and supportive fans that made the magic happen.”
Also in Class 2A, Keystone grad Natalie Bowser became a three-time first-team selection, this time at catcher.
Bowser, who was pitched around extensively because of her enormous power, batted .635 with nine doubles, a triple, six homers and 27 RBIs. Her OPS was was a staggering 1.904.
Bowser will play next season at Penn State DuBois. She will also play basketball there.
(Natalie Bowser)
In Class A, several D9 players landed first-team honors.
A-C Valley/Union’s Mackenzie Parks made the list at shortstop.
Parks batted .544 with four homers, 28 RBIs, seven doubles, three triples and a OPS of 1.567.
Also a pitcher, Parks notched her 100th career strikeout this season. She was 7-3 with a 4.22 ERA.
“It means that all the hard work paid off,” Parks said.
(Mackenzie Parks)
A pair of DuBois Central Catholic players also snagged first-team honors.
Junior catcher Jessy Frank was honored after batting .479 with 34 runs scored and 21 RBIs. Cardinal teammate Kaylee Risser made it as well as an outfielder. She hit a team-leading .507 with a homer, 24 RBIs and 38 runs scored.
Elk County Catholic also had two on the first team in Lucy Klawuhn and Emily Mourer.
Klawuhn, a junior shortstop, put up impressive numbers, batting .535 with nine homers, 28 RBIs, 41 runs scored, six doubles and three triples for the Crusaders.
Mourer was also impressive as a junior. Picked for the first team as a designated player, she hit .569 with eight homers, 40 RBIs, 11 doubles and four triples. She was also 16-5 with a 3.07 ERA as a pitcher.
“Oh, gosh, to be honest it doesn’t feel real in a sense, mainly for the fact that when I first started playing softball, I couldn’t hit to save my life,” Mourer said. “And to be where I am now, it’s always a surreal feeling.”
(Emily Mourer)
Mourer started playing when she was very young. As the years passed and she put in more work, she turned herself into the feared hitter she has become for ECC.
“Honestly, I completely owe it all to my family and coaches who pushed me, and continue to do so,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here without them.”
In Class 4A, Clearfield’s Ruby Singleton nabbed first-team honors at utility.
Singleton, a junior, hit .474 with a homer, 19 RBIs, 10 doubles and a triple for the Bison.
Several D9 players also landed second-team honors.
In Class A, DuBois Central Catholic’s Kali Franklin at shortstop and Elk County Catholic’s Gabby Weisner as an outfielder were named to the second team.
In Class 2A, St. Marys landed five players on the second-team list: Pitcher Kendall Young, catcher Gianna Surra, first baseman Lindsey Reiter, second baseman Olivia Eckles and designated player Avery Eckles. Johnsonburg’s Natalie Dunworth was also a second-team selection.
In Class 5A, DuBois landed Morgan Pasternak (outfield) and Gabby Gilvas (utility) on the second team.
