She’s earned another honor.
After a standout senior year, the Tennessee Softball Coaches Association named Elizabethton’s Lauren Brickey to the 2018 Class AA All-State Team for the third-straight time.
“To be honest, I don’t really pay attention to my stats,” said Brickey. “But this does mean a lot to me, and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and my coaches.
“I work hard all the time and to get this accomplishment is big,” Brickey added.
Even though Lady Cyclones didn’t get the chance to return to the state tournament this year, Elizabethton still had a season of firsts. The Lady Cyclones went utterly untouched in the Three Rivers Conference regular season for the first time in program history. And it was the third-straight year the Lady Cyclones earned a berth into state sectional after winning the district title.
“At the beginning of the year, I don’t think a lot of people thought we would make it to sub-state,” said Brickey. “I am not going to lie, a lot of us on the team didn’t think we were going to make it that far. We just came together and figured out that if we wanted to make it back to where we made it last year, we had to work harder. I am just really proud of my team, and I am very thankful for the four years that I have had at Elizabethton.”
In 2018, like years past, Brickey was an all-around force for the Lady Cyclones. In the circle, Brickey went 18-4 while maintaining a .444 batting average at the plate. Brickey finished the season with ten home runs and 50 RBIs.
“It is just big for her to make All-State, especially her senior season,” said Elizabethton head coach Ken Hardin about Brickey’s award. “I think they took into consideration her pitching and batting. She won 18 games and batted over four hundred. She also had a lot of home runs and RBIs, and it is big for her to get the honor again.”
With her high school career in the books, Brickey will now turn her attention to Walter’s State Community College where she will play softball for the Lady Senators.
“I am very excited,” said Brickey. “This is something that I have dreamed about ever since I was a little kid. It is cool that they just got back from the World Series in junior college. I hope I get that experience with them.”