Eleven Washington County high school softball players claimed All-Nebraska Capitol Conference (NCC) honors this fall.
The first-, second- and honorable mention-team selections were recently announced publicly with three Fort Calhoun Pioneers and two Arlington Eagles receiving first-team honors. Kaylee Taylor, Sam Brewer and Anna Taylor represented FCHS on the top unit, while Britt Nielsen and Rylee Fuehrer secured AHS' representation.
Kaylee Taylor, the Pioneers' leadoff batter, finished with 36 hits and a .450 batting average, according to maxpreps.com. Her sister, Anna Taylor, hit .400 with four homers, while also going 9-4 in the pitching circle with a 2.56 ERA and 79 strikeouts.
Brewer, a senior, produced 25 RBIs on 39 hits and a .438 average, too.
Nielsen, meanwhile, led Arlington in nearly every batting category. The junior shortstop finished with a .538 average, 42 hits, 14 doubles, six homers and 31 RBIs.
Fuehrer, a senior, was the Eagles' primary pitcher this fall, finishing 10-6 with a 4.86 ERA and 71 strikeouts. She also hit .350 with 14 RBIs.
The NCC's second-team honorees include Lydia Schaapveld of AHS, and Calhoun's Kaitlyn Welchert and Tacey Belina. Schaapveld, a sophomore, hit .403 with 19 RBIs, while Welchert closed out her high school career with team bests in homers (seven) and RBIs (37). The Pioneers slugger finished with a .444 average, while Belina — a freshman — hit .441 with 10 doubles and 23 RBIs to go with her 7-4 pitching record and 91 strikeouts.
Three county softball players also secured honorable mention. FCHS' Lucie Larsen hit .427 with three triples and 29 RBIs, while earning four pitching wins.
Arlington's Tessa Spivey also won four games in the circle with 58 strikeouts. Kallan Reed, meanwhile, hit .303 with nine RBIs.
The Eagles finished 14-16 overall this past season, while Fort Calhoun was 22-9.
