Rily gets players choice award at PVHS softball team awards night

Ally Rily was named pitcher of the year and given the “players choice award” Monday night at the Pahrump Valley High School softball team’s annual awards night.

Trojans coach Cassondra Lauver explained the players choice award, which is voted on by the team.

“This person is supportive of every player and of the team,” Lauver said. “She is someone who does a great job of bringing the team together in moments of greatness as well as in moments of struggle.”

Lauver went on to note the qualities players should think about when voting for the award, the same qualities Lauver and her coaches have been preaching since taking over the program three years ago.

“The person you nominate for this award brings an element of love to our team that is unparalleled,” Lauver said. “This is a teammate who motivates others, has a strong work ethic and has a positive attitude about softball both on and off the field.”

But a lot of that only works if the player exhibiting those traits isn’t a good player, and Rily was. She hit .474 with 4 doubles, a triple, a home run and 12 RBIs in 57 at-bats as the Trojans reached the Class 3A Southern Region final. She finished with a .632 slugging percentage and a .478 on-base percentage, drawing 16 walks while not striking out all season.

Rily was named pitcher of the year as well, and she turned in steady, workmanlike performances in some games and dominated foes in others. She tossed six shutout innings during a 7-4 win over Moapa Valley in the region tournament.

“Ally always shines in her own way,” Lauver said after that game. “She’s focused and composed and has gotten very good at not allowing outside influences to break her focus.”

Deeana Egan was named offensive player of the year, and on a team with plenty of weapons she was a clear choice. She led the team in batting (.660) and singles (25) while hitting 6 doubles, a triple and a home run with 22 RBIs. She had an .880 slugging percentage and a .740 on-base percentage, giving her a team-leading 1.620 OPS. She walked 21 times against only 3 strikeouts and scored 34 runs in 50 at-bats.

Ciara Stragand was honored as the defensive player of the year, and Lizzie DeAngelis was honored as the “queen of clutch.” If she hadn’t already earned it, DeAngelis wrapped that up with her game-winning single that capped a 6-run, seventh-inning rally that overcame Moapa Valley and sent the Trojans into the regional title game.

The awards night featured a 14-minute video montage of color and black and white images of the players that can be viewed on YouTube.

The Trojans finished 12-6 this past season, with two losses to Class 5A Faith Lutheran and two more to Class 4A Bishop Gorman. The other two losses came to Virgin Valley and their sophomore ace, Riley Price. Pahrump Valley finished 6-1 in Desert League games, the league’s top record, although the shortened season did not allow full league schedules to be played.