By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 3A state champion Rossville and 6A runnerup Washburn Rural headline the 2023 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County softball team.
Washburn Rural senior Emmerson Cope was named the Shawnee County player of the year after leading the Junior Blues to a 21-4 record and a second straight berth in the 6A championship game while Rural freshman Reagan Chapman was named the county newcomer of the year.
Rossville coach John Nitsch was named the county coach of the year after his Bulldawgs posted a 20-4 record en route to their first state title since 2000.
Cope, a Nebraska signee, and Chapman are joined on the all-county first team by senior Piper Titsworth.
Rossville also has three players on the first team -- senior Brinley Dyche and juniors Kinsey Perine and Emma Mitchell.
Shawnee Heights, which finished third in the 5A state tournament, is represented on the first team by sophomore Grace Proctor and junior Ally Millard-Adams while the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival, Seaman, is represented by senior Aspen Burghart and sophomore Kaelyn O'Rourke.
Silver Lake, which was top-ranked in Class 3A for most of the 2023 season, put junior Avery Wende and sophomores Kendra Cook and Taylor Zordel on the all-county first team.
Topeka High seniors Alesia Alvarez and Adisyn Caryl are both first-team repeat picks while Hayden senior Alyssa Droge also earned a first-team spot.
2023 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY SOFTBALL
First team
Name, school Class
Alesia Alvarez, Topeka High Sr.
Aspen Burgardt, Seaman Sr.
Adisyn Caryl, Topeka High Sr.
Reagan Chapman, Washburn Rural Fr.
Kenda Cook, Silver Lake So.
Emmerson Cope, Washburn Rural Sr.
Alyssa Droge, Hayden Sr.
Brinley Dyche, Rossville Sr.
Ally Millard-Adams, Shawnee Heights Jr.
Emma Mitchell, Rossville Jr.
Kinsey Perine, Rossville Jr.
Kaelyn O'Rourke, Seaman So.
Grace Proctor, Shawnee Heights So.
Piper Titsworth, Washburn Rural Sr.
Avery Wende, Silver Lake Jr.
Taylor Zordel, Silver Lake So.
Second team
Name, school Class
Kaci Bath, Washburn Rural Sr.
Jo'Mhara Benning, Topeka High So.
Karlyn Bowman, Shawnee Heights Jr.
Taylor Brees, Shawnee Heights So.
Maylee Burris, Hayden Sr.
Layla Collins, Washburn Rual So.
Ava Delgado, Hayden Jr.
Paige Glasgow, Seaman Jr.
Hailey Horton, Rossville Jr.
Jersey Jellison, Seaman Jr
Kaibryn Kruger, Silver Lake Jr..
McKinley Kruger, Silver Lake Jr.
Henley Rapp, Washburn Rural Fr.
Siana Sanchez, Topeka West Jr.
Rosalie Schneider, Seaman Jr.
Quincy Smith, Topeka High Sr.
Honorable mention
Hayden: Keira Carswell, so.; Montgomerie Freel, so. Highland Park: Koralee Jones. Rossville: Katie Spielman. Seaman: Raegan McConnell, so. Shawnee Heights: Mackenzie Birch, jr.;Spencer Habig, jr.; Audrey Schulte, jr. Silver Lake: Kailyn Hanni, fr.; Kira Lowrey, so.; Makenzie McDaniel, jr.; Taylor Swygert, fr. Topeka High: Amirah Gibbs, jr.; Hailey Sheaffer, jr. Topeka West: Amiyah Alexander-Sims, sr.; Tamiyah Stafford, jr. Washburn Rural: Chloe Carlgren, sr.; Naudia Wech, so.
Player of the year -- Emmerson Cope, Washburn Rural.
Newcomer of the year -- Reagan Chapman, Washburn Rural.
Coach of the year -- John Nitsch, Rossville.