Hines Furniture Player of the Year: Austin Windham (baseball), Elizabeth Hussey (softball)
Between Friday, July 12 and Sunday, July 28, we'll be unveiling The Sumter Item 2018-19 Player of the Year for 24 sports in The Sumter Item and on TheItem.com.
Then, on Monday, July 29, The Sumter Item will launch the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year Contest, giving fans the opportunity to vote for the top overall athlete from among the 24 individual winners. Fans will be able to vote in print, on our website and on social media. Further details about the contest will be available in the coming weeks.
AUSTIN WINDHAM
Robert E. Lee Academy
Baseball
Position: Pitcher, Infielder
Pitching stats: 10-0 record, 62 innings, 86 strikeouts, 12 walks, 0.91 ERA, opponents batting average .117
Hitting stats: .283 average, 28 RBI, only 8 strikeouts in 110 plate appearances
‘He was dominant all year, and he’s been dominant the last three years. He only lost two games during that time, and both of those were to Pee Dee in the state championship. You can’t ask for any more than that.’ -- REL Head Coach David Rankin
‘We had a great team. Everybody could hit, so we were able to score runs. I just went out and pitched and held them down. All I did was throw strikes. They just weren’t able to hit it. I had a great pitching coach, and he called a great game.’ -- Austin Windham
ELIZABETH HUSSEY
Laurence Manning Academy
Softball
Position: Pitcher
Pitching stats: 10-5 record, 54 hits allowed, 9 earned runs, 153 strikeouts, 23 walks, 0.71 ERA
Offensive stats: .317 batting average, .386 on-base percentage, 5 doubles, 1 triple.
‘I didn’t get to play for 19 months (recovering from a torn labrum). It was just motivation that kept me going. I knew it was going to be a successful season because of the therapy I went through. I was stronger than I ever had been in the past.’ -- Elizabeth Hussey
‘Considering she was coming back from an injury, she did an exceptional job for the team. She had 153 strikeouts. Most of the time she was the calm in the storm for us. The team seemed to feel so much more at ease with Liz on the mound.’ -- LMA Head Coach Glenda Hodge