The postseason honors continue to roll in for Cedar Ridge and Orange softball.
The North Carolina Softball Coaches Association have named Cedar Ridge centerfielder Taylor Ruhl, 2nd baseman Tori Dalehite and shortstop Tionna Carter to the 3A All-State Team. In addition, Orange junior shortstop Maddie Bartlett and freshman catcher Lauren Jackson were also named to the All-State squad.
It’s the first time that Carter, Ruhl, Bartlett and Jackson have made the All-State squad. Dalehite was named the 2018 Big 8 Conference Hitter of the Year.
Two weeks ago, Carter, Ruhl, Bartlett, Jackson, and Dalehite were named to the 3A All-District team.
Ruhl was the Big 8 Player of the Year and the District 3 Player of the Year. Cedar Ridge won a school record 21 games and tied with Orange for the Big 8 Conference Championship. The two teams played a tiebreaker game for the top-seed for the state playoffs, which the Red Wolves won 8-3 at Orange Softball Field on May 2.
Ruhl’s emergence as a hitter paved the way for the Red Wolves to have its most successful season in school history. From the opening game of the season against Bartlett Yancey on February 28, she went 2-for-2 and scored three runs with 2 RBIs. Ruhl hit safely in 22 of Cedar Ridge’s 24 games. The only exceptions came in the season-ending loss to eventual 3A state champion Eastern Alamance and, of all teams, Southern Durham.
Ruhl had 21 hits and 18 RBIs in 2018. This season, she had 53 hits and 36 RBIs.
Carter had the game-winning hit against West Johnston, which scored Ruhl, in the opening round of the 3A state playoffs. She hit a career-high .549 with 50 hits and 41 RBIS to conclude her four-year career.
Despite suffering a broken hand at the end of the 2018 season in a playoff loss to West Brunswick, Dalehite continued to play three sports at Cedar Ridge during the 2018-19 academic year. This season, Dalehite hit .544 with 43 hits and 41 RBIs. In Cedar Ridge’s 6-3 win over West Carteret in the 2nd round of the 3A state playoffs, Dalehite laced a two-run double in the 3rd inning. She went 2-for-4 against the Patriots.
After Orange struggled to find a replacement for the incomparable Mia Davidson in 2018, Jackson stepped behind the plate in 2019 and quickly established herself. Jackson led Orange with a 439 batting average and 21 RBIs. She was second on the squad with 25 hits.
Bartlett, the daughter of Jeff and Tonya Bartlett, led Orange with 27 hits. In Orange’s 4-1 win over Jacksonville in the opening round of the 3A state playoffs, Bartlett went 2-for-4 with a solo homer. Bartlett, whose uncle Eddy coached Orange to the 3A State Championship in 2017, was named to the Big 8 All-Conference team for the first time ever.
Hannah Weigle of Northwood was the only other player from the Big 8 Conference to make the 3A All-State team.
For the second year in a row, Grey’s Creek Jaden Pone was named the 3A All-State Player of the Year. Eastern Alamance freshman MaKenna Raye Dark was named the 3A Pitcher of the Year after leading the Eagles to its first state championship in softball.