Payne Receives Gamer of the Week Honors
Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc. and The Putnam Herald are pleased to present this week’s Female Gamer of the Week to, senior, Gracie Payne of the St. Albans high school softball team.
St. Albans softball just wrapped up their season on Wednesday in the AAA State Championship. St. Albans started the year 28-0 and did not lose until Game 1 of the Regional against Greenbrier East, before taking the last two games to punch their ticket to the state tournament. The Red Dragons defeated Washington in the elimination game (5-0) but came up short in the state championship against Cabell Midland (4-9). The game was so intense that the St. Albans fans were lined up along the entire fence line cheering the whole time. “We just collectively, as a team, decided to put it all up on the line, leave it on the field. I am really proud of the girls,” said senior Gracie Payne.
Gracie is an All-State outfielder and was named to the second team AAA All-State team as a freshman and sophomore and named to All-Mountain State Athletic Conference first team designated hitter as a sophomore. She was named All-Mountain State Athletic Conference second team 1st baseman this year. This season she had a .394 batting average, 43 hits, 23 RBIs, 33 runs, and a 9.75 fielding percentage. “Gracie is a special kid. She has a work ethic that is almost unmatched and a huge heart for softball. To be able to watch her grow into the player and person she has become over the last four years has been a huge honor for me as a coach. I couldn’t be prouder of her, and I am so excited to see her play at Wesleyan next year,” said Coach Christian Watts.
Gracie started playing softball when she was four years old and really started to love it when she realized that she had a future in the sport and had the ability to take it to the next level. She has been working the last four years trying to achieve that goal. In November she officially signed with West Virginia Wesleyan to continue her softball career and study biology.
Please look next week for the naming of the female Gamer of the Year Sponsored by Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc., and The Putnam Herald.