Gabbi Scott of Gravette is the All-NWADG Division II Softball Player of the Year.
SCHOOL Gravette
CLASS Sophomore
HEIGHT 5-5
POSITION Outfield
THE SCOOP Scott put together one of the most prolific seasons in virtually every offensive category ever this season in leading the Lady Lions to conference and regional tournament championships, and to the Class 4A state semifinals. ... Her staggering offensive numbers this season included a .598 batting average with 56 hits, 59 runs scored and 26 RBIs. ... Scott was the table-setter for Gravette out of the leadoff spot and impacted the game by turning walks into triples with a staggering 50 stolen bases. ... Scott stole five bases in a state quarterfinals win. ... With fellow sophomore Callie Kildow out for the season in a freak basketball injury, Scott and several others took over and led the team to a stellar season.
DID YOU KNOW Scott comes across as somewhat shy but, actually, she is the player who keeps her teammates loose in the dugout as the team's jokester. Scott helps keep the mood in the dugout light but is not a believer in the choreographed chants that many softball teams use, calling those "sort of cheesy."
QUOTABLE "Whenever we found out that Callie's leg was broken and she wouldn't be playing with us this season, it kind of gave us the idea that we had to pick ourselves up and play like she's not gone and like we had been playing," Scott said.
-- Chip Souza • @NWAChip
Coach of the year TAOS JONES
Taos Jones of Gravette is the All-NWADG Division II Softball Coach of the Year.
SCHOOL Gravette
THE SCOOP Jones was sitting at home listening to the Gravette girls basketball state tournament game when he heard star sophomore pitcher Callie Kildow was injured. Jones said he hoped the injury was an ankle sprain, but it turned out to be a season-ending broken leg. But Jones rallied the team and put together a stellar season that ended with a loss in the Class 4A state semifinals. ... Gravette won the 4A-1 Conference tournament as a No. 3 seed and edged defending state champion Pottsville in the 4A-North regional championship 5-4 in 8 innings. ... Gravette posted a 23-7 record on a team built primarily of underclassmen, led by sophomore leadoff hitter Gabbi Scott and sophomore pitcher Bailey Elmore.
DID YOU KNOW Jones is an avid fisherman on the rivers and streams in the area during the offseason.
QUOTABLE "It's one of those things that the show has to go on. You can't spend too much time thinking about that; you've just got to pick up and go on. That's what these kids did. We had some kids waiting in the wings. Bailey (Elmore) was just waiting for her opportunity. We knew that we were going to go with our number two and number three pitchers a lot more this season anyway, that was the plan going in. It just happened a little quicker than what we expected," said Jones on how the team responded to Callie Kildow's season-ending injury.
-- Chip Souza • @NWAChip
The Class 4A All-State Softball Team included Bailey Elmore and Gabbi Scott of Gravette. The Class 4A Baseball Team included Bailey Soule of Gravette. The Class 1A Team included Adam Garcia of Decatur.
Sports on 06/20/2018