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Among them are the hard-hitting, crowd-pleasing softball players from Draughn, East Burke, Freedom and Patton, whose regular seasons started last week.

Last year, the Draughn softball team was the county’s best, posting a 17-8 record, including 10-2 en route to a second-place finish in the Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference. Draughn made a second-round appearance in the NCHSAA 1A state playoffs.

East Burke’s Lady Cavaliers finished 10-14 overall, including a 4-11 mark that placed the team sixth in the Catawba Valley 2A Conference. East Burke reached the first round of the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs.

Freedom softball went 8-16 overall, finishing fifth in the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference with a 3-7 league mark. Freedom made the first round of the NCHSAA 3A state playoffs.

Patton also finished 8-16, going 4-8 in the Mountain Foothills 7 1A/2A Conference to place fifth. Patton fell shy of the 2A postseason.

Here are a dozen players from those teams to watch this spring.

Draughn High School Ava Aldridge

Aldridge returns to the Lady Wildcats as a junior outfielder and first baseman after a sophomore season that saw her hit .434 with 24 RBIs and 24 runs scored. She tallied three home runs and six doubles while drawing 15 walks and stealing three bases. Aldridge also posted an .880 fielding percentage.

Braylen Clontz

Now a sophomore infielder and pitcher, Clontz made an immediate varsity impact as a freshman last season, hitting .397 with 24 RBIs and 24 runs scored. Clontz posted one home run and three doubles, drawing 16 walks and stealing six bases. Her fielding percentage was .891.

Cydnee Deal

Deal, a junior outfielder, hit .475 as a sophomore with 20 RBIs and 23 runs scored. All eight of her extra-base hits were doubles as she earned nine walks and recorded two stolen bases. Deal posted a fielding percentage of .868.

East Burke High School Addy Fortenberry

The Lady Cavaliers’ senior pitcher is back for her final campaign in the circle after posting a 5.38 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 24 walks allowed across 67 2/3 innings of work as a junior. She hit .255 with eight RBIs and two runs scored, tallying three doubles. Fortenberry was strong in the field with a .917 percentage.

Amanda McLean

Another impactful freshman last spring, McLean returns as a sophomore catcher for East Burke after hitting a team-second-best .400 with 26 RBIs and 14 runs scored. McLean hit nine of the team’s 13 home runs and had six doubles with one stolen base. Her fielding percentage was best among the team’s full time players at .990.

Kyndal Morrison

Now a senior, Morrison led the Lady Cavaliers as a junior by hitting .441 with six RBIs and 19 runs scored. She had one triple and 11 doubles and led the team with 15 stolen bases. Morrison had a .866 fielding percentage.

Freedom High School Englani Campbell

The Patriots’ senior infielder and pitcher returns to the lineup after leading the team with a .388 batting average last spring, tallying 12 RBIs, 17 runs scored, three home runs, two doubles and six stolen bases. Across 16 innings in the pitcher’s circle, Campbell had an 8.75 ERA with eight strikeouts. She posted a .814 fielding percentage.

Keileigh Clontz

Freedom’s catcher and infielder hit .315 as a sophomore last spring with six RBIs and 15 runs scored. She hit one home run and posted two doubles and four stolen bases. Clontz had a fielding percentage of .860.

Daniell Robinson

A standout pitcher and third baseman for the Patriots, Robinson now is a senior after posting a 5.11 ERA with 110 strikeouts and 58 walks allowed across 113 2/3 innings in the circle last year. She hit .304 with 14 RBIs, 15 runs scored, four home runs, five doubles and three stolen bases. Also a strong fielder, Robinson had a .917 percentage in that category.

Patton High School Jolann Buff

Catcher and infielder Buff immediately was valuable to the Panthers as a freshman last spring, hitting .333 with 19 RBIs and 16 runs scored. She hit two home runs and five doubles while stealing three bases. Buff was the team’s best fielder with a .993 percentage.

Marleigh Carswell

Patton’s top pitcher has begun her senior season after posting a 3.26 ERA with 142 strikeouts and just 21 walks allowed across 135 1/3 innings of work last season. She also led the team with a .397 batting average, tallying 24 RBIs, 10 runs scored, two home runs, 10 doubles and three stolen bases. Carswell’s fielding percentage was .864.

Kara Redwine

A utility player for Freedom, Redwine is now a senior after a junior year that saw her hit .296 with three RBIs and 21 runs scored. She had one home run, three triples and a team-high 16 stolen bases. She also was a strong fielder with a .899 percentage.