Lady Cats Take Home Numerous District Awards After Historic Season
The Sulphur Springs Lady Cats historic season came to an end this weekend, when they fell in three games to Andrews in the State Semifinal, in their first ever appearance in the Final Four. After the deepest run in program history, the Lady Cats were well represented in the All-District Awards.
District MVP
Sophomore Hannah Speed was named the District MVP, in one of the most dominant seasons a player can have. In their eight district games, Speed defined what it meant to be the most valuable player. Offensively she was a force, hitting .609 with a 1.851 OPS. Speed also had a pair of home runs and a pair of triples, along with four doubles and 14 RBI.
Speed was just as dominant in the circle as she was at the plate, going 6-0 over seven starts with an ERA of 0.65. In 43 innings of work she struck out 81 batters and had an opponent batting average of .080, as she was as close to un-hittable as you’ll find.
For the entire season Speed hit .472 and had six home runs with 22 doubles, four triples, 33 RBI and an incredible OPS of 1.381. She also had a record of 21-4 with an ERA of 2.22 in her 38 starts. Speed wrapped up her season finishing just shy of 200 innings pitched and struck out 314 batters, in a season that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Offensive MVP
Junior Gracie Thompson was named the District Offensive MVP in her first season with the Lady Cats, doing so with video game like numbers. In district Thompson hit .583 with an even more impressive OPS of 1.588. Thompson hit six doubles and one home run in the eight district games, and drove in 5 runs, while coming in to score 11 times.
For the entire season Thompson was every bit as consistent, finishing with a batting average of .411 and coming up when it mattered most, having an average of .571 when she hit with runners in scoring position. Thompson also had a pair of home runs and 11 doubles on the season and finished fourth on the team with 27 RBI.
Thompson has about as much postseason experience as a player can acquire in their first three high school season’s, and now with another trip to the State Tournament and an Offensive MVP award under her belt, she will surely be locked in and ready for her senior season in 2026.
Co-Defensive MVP
Junior Bayler Boatman was named the Co-Defensive MVP, after an incredible defensive season. Boatman played great defense, both behind the plate and at third base, while also always being a dangerous presence at the plate.
Over the course of the season Boatman led the team with 43 RBI, while also having four home runs, 17 doubles, two triples and 14 runs scored. Her .363 average and 1.063 OPS were both impressive, but she was even better in clutch situations, hitting .481 on the year with runners in scoring position and .667 in district in those same scenarios.
Boatman has made her presence felt in each of her first three seasons with the Lady Cats and will be looking to have her best season yet in 2026. Whether it be behind the plate, or in one of the corner infield spots, Boatman promises to bring elite defense to whichever position she is at, while also being one of the leading hitters on the team.
Coaching Staff of the Year
Coach Carrillo, Coach Dorner and the rest of the Lady Cats staff were named the Coaching Staff of the year, after going a perfect 8-0 in district play. For the entire season they amassed a record of 31-10 and made program history more than once. The team saw their first ever trip to the Regional Final and then again saw their first ever trip to the State Semifinal after winning there. With all but three players set to return and their deepest playoff run yet, the Lady Cats are in as good of a situation as you could ask for when looking ahead at the 2026 season.
1st Team All-District
Abbey Goldsmith, Sr- One of just three seniors on the team, Abbey Goldsmith had perhaps her best season as a Lady Cat in her final campaign. Goldsmith hit three home runs, 10 doubles and 26 RBI in her senior year, along with a .311 average and a .925 OPS.
Goldsmith has played a huge role, being the Lady Cats only other pitcher aside from Speed. Goldsmith made 14 pitching appearances this season, going 6-0 with an ERA of 2.75. She held opposing hitters to a batting average of just .223 and celebrated her 100th career strikeout as a Lady Cat.
Whether it was as a first baseman, a designed hitter, a pitcher or otherwise, Goldsmith provided production at every level of the game and was a needed veteran presence on an otherwise young Lady Cats team. While Sulphur Springs won’t have too many roles to fill next season, filling the role of Goldsmith will be a tough task.
Emerson Thompson, Sr- Much like Goldsmith, senior Emerson Thompson also leaves big shoe’s to fill for the Lady Cats moving forward. Thompson provided a unique trio of being an elite defensive infielder, who also had top tier speed and an incredible amount of power.
Thompson was tied for the third most home runs on the team with four this season, while also having two triples, 13 doubles, 26 RBI and 30 runs scored.
Her veteran presence was also much needed and showed, as she was another player who was best when the moments were the biggest. Her batting average of .349 with runners in scoring position was higher than in any other scenario, and her four home runs gave her the ability to change the course of a game with just one swing of the bat. Being able to combine that with stellar defensive play and perhaps even more stellar speed on the bases made Thompson a very valuable player to have on a State Semifinal team.
Claire Thompson, So- Right fielder Claire Thompson played a huge role for the Lady Cats and made a huge name for herself, having an incredible season at the plate as just a sophomore. Thompson’s six home runs was tied with Speed for the most on the team, giving the Lady Cats a ton to look forward to in the home run department for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Thompson finished the year with a .365 batting average and a 1.082 OPS, along with seven doubles, one triple, 22 RBI and 29 runs scored. Thompson also had a fantastic season defensively, making numerous run and even game-saving plays in right field.
Thompson had a strong debut season as a freshman in 2024 and made notable strides this year as a sophomore. Still with two more seasons to continue to grow and improve, Thompson is in a great position to solidify herself as one of the more dangerous Lady Cats hitters in recent memory.
KK Montgomery, Jr- While the Lady Cats only had three seniors on the team this season, they didn’t lack experience, as players like KK Montgomery were already making their third postseason trips as juniors for the Lady Cats.
Montgomery played huge roles for the Lady Cats as both a freshman and a sophomore, and that continued to be the case in her junior season. Offensively KK was consistent throughout the entire season, with her batting average and OPS numbers staying well above average at all times. She also hit exactly .333 with runners in scoring position, both in district and for the entire season.
Montgomery finished the year with one home run, three triples, 11 doubles, 17 RBI and 30 runs scored and made great strides defensively. In the postseason alone KK made numerous web gem like plays, including making a great play to catch a line drive near the wall on the final play of the Regional Final, saving the Lady Cats season and helping send them to the State Semifinal.
Now with three full seasons under her belt, all of which Montgomery has been one of the best and most reliable hitters on the team, and making big improvements defensively in each season, Montgomery can solidify herself as one of the best Lady Cats outfielder of the 2020’s with another strong showing in 2026.
2nd Team All-District
Shaelee Friddle, Fr- Freshman Shaelee Friddle had a huge standout season as a freshman, finishing in the Top 3 of numerous categories for the Lady Cats. Friddle finished the season with ridiculous numerous, including 34 RBI, 30 runs scored, 20 doubles and four home runs.
Not only was Friddle one of the best and most reliable hitters in Northeast Texas, but she did so while playing elite defense at premiere positions, seeing large amounts of time at both shortstop and behind the plate for the Lady Cats.
While the Lady Cats return all but three of the players for the 2026 season, they look to be in an incredible position for even longer than that, with multiple sophomores and freshmen making huge contributions already.
Allison Frazier, So- Speaking of, sophomore Allison Frazier is another underclassman who has been impressive for the Lady Cats. Frazier spent the season consistently providing the Lady Cats with impressive defense out in centerfield, regardless of whether or not she was in the lineup.
Frazier’s at bats were limited this season, but she made the absolute most out of the at bats she did get. The sophomore had just 53 plate appearances in 2024, which was less than half as many as any of the Top 9, yet she still managed to find a way to hit three home runs, five doubles and one triple, as well as 14 RBI and 21 runs scored.
Her .429 batting average with runners in scoring position was the fourth best on the team, and in their 2-1 win against Godley in Game 2 of the Regional Semifinals, Frazier provided all of the offensive production with one swing of the bat, hitting a two-run homer.
Frazier has proven to be one of the most reliable hitters on the team in the most clutch situations, and made the absolute most out of the at bats she was given, all while holding down one of the most important positions in centerfield. With more and more opportunities on the horizon, look for Frazier to be a pivotal part of the Lady Cats success in 2026 and 2027.
Brailie Blevins, So- The list of impressive underclassmen doesn’t stop there, however, as sophomore Brailie Blevins was also named 2nd Team All-District. Blevins saw a much bigger role than she did as a freshman, and made the most of it, racking up 10 doubles and 19 RBI and leading the team with 31 runs scored.
Blevins only got better and better as the season went on and was playing her best softball when it mattered most, finishing fourth on the team in both hits and RBI during the final series of the year.
Blevins also provides versatility in every sense of the word, playing multiple positions and showing an ability to hit anywhere in the lineup, seeing at bats anywhere from second to ninth in the final few games of the season, and performing well in each of them.
Honorable Mention
Peyton Taylor, Fr- Peyton Taylor is yet another player who may not have been given a ton of opportunities in her freshman season, but showed a ton of promise in the ones she was given. Taylor had just 22 plate appearances in freshman campaign, but hit .412 with a 1.053 OPS and hit .556 with runners on scoring posistion in those 22 plate appearances.
Taylor also had opportunities defensively and as a courtesy runner throughout the Lady Cats historic postseason run and did well in each of those roles. Taylor made the most out of the opportunities she was given in 2025 and should only see her role on the team increase in each of the next three seasons.
Emily Adamson, Jr- Junior Emily Adamson was also named Honorable Mention, marking the 12th Lady Cat to earn All-District honor’s. Much like Frazier and Taylor, Adamson saw a limited role in 2025, but will be returning and looking to see an increased role in 2026.
Adamson will join a senior class of Montgomery, Boatman and Gracie Thompson who will have been apart of three deep playoff runs already and will look to provide veteran leadership to a team that will be filled with sophomores and juniors. After having their most impressive season in program history in 2025, the Lady Cats are in great shape to potentially have an even more impressive season in 2026.
