Cherokee’s Elyse Kresho and River Ridge’s Amanda Fulton each played key roles in their respective teams’ marches into postseason play.
Kresho finished the year with a 15-5 record and a 2.54 ERA across 113 innings. Her 15 wins were second only to Fulton, who went 18-5 with a 1.51 ERA across 143 1/3 innings.
For their success, Kresho and Fulton are the 2021 Cherokee Tribune Softball Co-Pitchers of the Year.
Fulton’s strong pitching played a major role in River Ridge’s run to the Class AAAAAA state championship game.
“She was awesome this year,” River Ridge coach Andrew Marinelli said. “She is humble and works her tail off at practice. She had some big shoes to fill. We lost Sydney Osada, who went to the University of Georgia. Amanda took the bull by the horns and went with it. She was in the zone, hitting her spots and changing speeds. She knew exactly what we needed from her, and she did it.”
Fulton led River Ridge to a 26-9 overall record with an 11-3 mark in Region 7AAAAAA. She led the county in strikeouts with 143, and her ERA was good for second-best.
“I can not say enough about my amazing teammates and coaches and the unbelievable season we had,” Fulton said. “I am so proud to be a Knight, and this is a year I will never forget.”
Kresho was also pivotal for both her team’s postseason success. Cherokee finished with a 26-9 record, going 14-1 in Region 5AAAAAAA.
Kresho struck out 114 batters to only 25 walks, but her production was not limited to just pitching. She also hit for a .469 average and six home runs while spending time in the outfield.
“Even though she was pitcher of the year, she really contributed everywhere, whether it was in center, on the mound or at the plate,” Cherokee coach Tonya Carlisle said. “The difference in Elyse is she is just a bulldog. She is going to compete every time out.”
Kresho believes one of the reasons Cherokee experienced so much success this year was that players spent time outside of practice building a culture. The Lady Warriors pushed one another all season, and Kresho said they knew exactly what they were capable of in 2021.
“It feels good to be rewarded for it, but it honestly comes back to my team,” Kresho said. “They had my back in the hard situations, and when things did not go well, they were there to pick me up and make plays. It is more of a team thing. We were all a part of it.”
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