Suffolk’s public schools produced three softball players that were named to the all-district first team, led by King’s Fork High School sophomore Sydney Wash, who was also named the 2013 Southeastern District Pitcher of the Year.

Nansemond River High School senior Sydney Glover made the first team as an outfielder and Lady Warriors freshman Jaclyn Mounie was named to the team as a utility player.

For Wash, clinching the Pitcher of the Year honor was satisfying because it was her goal.

“It definitely means a lot,” she said. “That’s probably one of the biggest accomplishments I’ve ever had. I definitely was aiming at it.”

“She’s well-deserving of this, no doubt,” Lady Bulldogs head coach Richard Froemel said.

During the season, he made it clear he thought she was the best pitcher in the district, and felt she should have been recognized as such last year, when she only made second team.

Though 2012 was a successful year for Wash, this season took things to a new level, with impressive statistics that spoke for themselves.

During the regular season, she pitched 119 out of the 120 innings that King’s Fork played. Of the 1,741 pitches she threw, 1,249 of them were strikes and only 492 were balls, resulting in 170 strikeouts and a 1.35 earned run average. Her opponents had 83 hits, she only walked 10 batters, and only hit five all year.

“Nicole (Belote) has helped me out a lot, and she’s got me where I am today,” Wash said. “Jim (Inzana), the guy that I take lessons from Virginia Wesleyan (College), he helps (as the) pitching coach, he definitely helped me a lot too. Johnny (Holloman) and Nicole calling the pitches, as well, definitely helped me throw the right pitch in the right situation.”

In the remainder of her high school career, Wash said her goal is to reach 500 strikeouts, a mark easily within reach on her current pace.

Nansemond River’s Sydney Glover had been known primarily for her pitching until this season when tendonitis in her wrist limited her time on the mound. This fact only made her inaugural first team appearance that much sweeter, because it proved her versatility.

“It made me feel really good, and I was just happy that I could contribute to my team and that my contribution actually got me an award,” she said.

Lady Warriors head coach Gabe Rogers said, “She batted .538, had a .600 on base percentage, led our team in runs. She was the spark plug to what got our team going.”

Adding to the impressive nature of Glover’s success is a glowing academic record that has her bound for an Ivy League school, Yale University.

“She’s maintained all this as well as performing at this high of a level on the softball field,” Rogers said. “She is the poster child for what a true student-athlete should be.”

As Glover moves on to college, she leaves Nansemond River’s softball team in the capable hands of rising freshmen like fellow first-teamer Jaclyn Mounie.

Mounie said she had a team-first focus on the field but was happy to have her individual efforts acknowledged.

“It made me realize people did recognize me and know I’m there,” she said. “So, I really did just go out there and play for my team, because I knew we had a lot of talent this year, and wanted to succeed.”

“She played at one of the more demanding positions on the field,” Rogers said. “As a freshman, she was capable to just step right in and perform that at a high level. She, game after game after game, would make just tremendous plays at shortstop, and showed a lot of composure.”

Offensive statistics weighed heavily in the voting by coaches for first-team selections, and Mounie did not disappoint there either. She produced 22 RBIs, 15 runs scored and only struck out twice all year.

As the fifth-highest vote-getter among district infielders, Mounie also received a spot on the all-district second team. She was joined there by freshman teammate Lauren Maddrey as a pitcher and Lakeland High School junior Sarah Bowyer as a catcher.

Receiving honorable mention were Lakeland freshman Katie Peelen and junior Summer Parker, King’s Fork junior Kayla Harbin and Nansemond River seniors Jazmine Card and Hope Mounie.