Published: 11:29 PM, Tue Jun 05, 2012
Britt softball pitcher McKenzie Weaver chosen as All-Region Player of the Year for second straight season
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer
Jack Britt High School pitcher McKenzie Weaver spent the season working the strike zone inside to batters who stand on top of the plate and outside to slow swingers.
And that's just pitches inside the strike zone. She was just as likely to throw junk in the dirt or trash over their heads.
Weaver is no slouch at getting strikeouts, with 131 on the season. But more often the result of one of her well-placed pitches was a dinky ground ball or a harmless pop fly.
The senior's stats were impressive, both on the mound and at the plate. She boasted a 1.42 ERA and 25 wins, the most in Cumberland County. As Britt's clean-up hitter, she batted .387 with 41 hits and drove in a county-best 32 runs.
Those statistics are why Weaver has been chosen The Fayetteville Observer's Region Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Weaver says her performance this season wasn't about talent or skill, but more about doing her job.
"I felt like I had to stay up and pitch as good as I could for my team," she said. "And maybe I could have done better those last three (Eastern Regional) games, but overall, I'm happy with how we did as a team."
The strength of Weaver's final campaign is best defined by her performance in clutch moments. Facing Mid-South rival South View in the Mid-South 4-A Conference tournament final, Weaver faced a two-on, two-out situation in the bottom of the seventh with her team holding a two-run lead. She recorded a full-count strikeout against .437-hitter April Costa and coaxed a first-pitch flyout to second base from Taylor Powell, a .417 hitter.
Two weeks later, Weaver produced another moment to remember. In the bottom of the seventh against Garner in the third round of the NCHSAA state playoffs, the bases were loaded with one out. Weaver got back-to-back swinging strikeouts on high, outside pitches to send Britt to the fourth round.
One of Weaver's finest plays game in Game 2 of the Eastern Regional finals series against Holly Springs. Tied in the bottom of the eighth and at the plate with an 0-2 count, Weaver laid down a textbook suicide squeeze that scored Caitlin Mercier to give the Bucs the win.
Britt's season eventually ended with a Game 3 loss to Holly Springs, but Weaver gave up just one earned run in the series.
Weaver, along with second baseman Markell Wylie, was one of two seniors on Britt's roster.
"I was surprised by how well we did at first just because we were a young team," Weaver said. "But really, you couldn't tell anyone's age on the field because everyone played like they were mature."
None more so than Weaver.
Wilson top coach
Weaver and her fellow Bucs were steered by Sebrina Wilson. Wilson has coached the Buccaneers since the program's inception in 2001. This year, Wilson led her young team to their best season yet. She is the Observer's Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.
Wilson admits to being surprised by the Bucs' run to the state's final four.
"I was telling people before the season started that we weren't going to be anywhere near the top of the conference this year," Wilson said.
Britt graduated the bulk of its 2011 team, which finished as Mid-South co-champions and the earned the No. 1 playoff berth. But Wilson said leadership from Weaver and Wylie developed throughout the season.
"After our second (regular-season) loss to South View, our seniors really started communicating better," Wilson said. "Then, the whole team started to believe in each other as they started coaching each other and motivating each other in games and practices. That translated into wins as the season went on."
With the players coaching each other, and Wilson, involved in calling every play of a game and teaching the young players to harness their natural talent, the Bucs peaked at the right time. Britt won 11 games in a row before losing the opener in the regional finals.
Weaver said Wilson's power to motivate was the key to the team's success.
"She makes you want to play your best all the time."
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.