Baltimore Sun 2024 All-Metro softball: Crofton pitcher-outfielder Lynsie Herman named Player of the Year

Here are The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro softball teams for the 2024 season.

Player of the Year

Lynsie Herman, Crofton, senior, pitcher-outfielder

To say that this year was a magical one for Herman might be a bit of an understatement. The senior did pretty much all you can do to will her team to the state title, even though the Cardinals fell a bit short.

A four-year starter at Crofton, Herman played three years on varsity and one on the junior varsity (Crofton, a new school, did not field a varsity team her first year). She was a team leader each season.

“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime player,” Crofton coach Sarah Bible said. “She was as talented a kid as I’ve had in my 31 years as a coach. She definitely played the game the right way.”

How dominant was Herman this season? She faced 340 batters and gave up just 30 hits and 12 runs. She recorded 197 strikeouts and a 0.52 ERA. For the year, she averaged 15 strikeouts per game and just 3.8 pitches per batter.

Herman was an equally important part of the Cardinals’ offense. A leadoff hitter all four seasons, she batted .547 in 2024 and contributed 13 stolen bases while striking out twice.

It can be said that Herman saved her best for last. In the state quarterfinals, she pitched a three-hitter, striking out 21 batters in 12 innings before the Cardinals fell to eventual Class 4A state champion Leonardtown, 3-2.

“That was a heartbreaker for sure,” Herman said. “We all worked very hard, and it could have gone either way. We did the best we could do, but it didn’t end the way we wanted.”

Herman will move on to the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she will play softball next year for the Seahawks. She thinks the program will be a great fit for her.

“It was always one of my top schools,” she said. “I went to some camps and really liked the coaching staff. I loved the campus, and it’s right by the beach. It checked all the boxes.”

Even though the Cardinals came up a little short, Herman said she will miss Crofton and her time there.

“It was great [to be at Crofton]. I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. Everything happens for a reason, and I was fortunate to go there,” she said. “I loved my time there.”

Coach of the Year

Sherry Hudson, John Carroll

Sherry Hudson and the John Carroll softball team entered the year on a mission. You could call it revenge, but maybe redemption is a better word.

Hudson led the Patriots to a 17-2 record and a 6-3 victory over Archbishop Spalding in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship game. The win avenged losses to the Cavaliers in the league final in each of the previous two seasons.

“We had six seniors, and what they went through the last two years, making it to the championship and not coming out on top motivated them,” Hudson said. “They were definitely on a mission this year.”

Hudson played softball in college at Hofstra before coming to John Carroll. She had a short stint at the school before returning for good in 2016. Her record since then is 81-60. This year was her second IAAM A Conference title, with the other coming in 2017.

The Patriots were a marvel of consistency. After losing to Spalding in early April, the Patriots beat the Cavaliers on April 30. That victory earned them the top seed in the playoffs and set up the championship matchup with second-seeded Spalding.

“After last year, and how close we came, you could tell they were focused,” Hudson said. “They knew what they wanted to do, and they got it done.”

Hudson also credits her assistants, Sierra Mizurak and Erica James, with much of the team’s success. She said she could see where the team was headed back in December when they started doing strength and conditioning drills to prepare for the season.

“It was a team that was motivated by the losses from the previous two years,” she said. “They were a bunch of women who just cared about each other and cared about John Carroll softball.”

First team

Sophie Anderson, John Carroll, senior, infielder

Anderson hit seven homers and drove in 37 runs to lead the top-ranked Patriots to the IAAM A Conference title. She batted .585 with a .616 on-base percentage and will play at UMBC next season.

Lilly Baldwin, Patterson Mill, junior, utility player

Baldwin did it all for the Huskies, posting a 10-1 record as a pitcher with a 1.48 ERA. She was equally impressive at the plate, where she hit .403 with 31 hits and two homers.

Madison Burris, Northeast-AA, sophomore, outfielder-first baseman

The leader of the Eagles’ offense, Burris hit .575 with a .617 OBP and 24 RBIs. She recorded four triples and two homers at the plate and only struck out three times all season.

Marley Connor, Crofton, junior, third baseman-pitcher

Connor was an offensive force for the Cardinals, hitting .547 with a .609 OBP and nine homers. The University of Albany commit had a 0.81 ERA as a pitcher, only giving up 23 hits.

Abbie Frisvold, Reservoir, junior, utility player-pitcher

Frisvold posted a 9-4 record as a pitcher with 86 strikeouts. At the plate, she hit .609 with eight doubles, three homers and 27 RBIs. She played pitcher, catcher, shortstop, third base and outfield for the Gators.

Reese Holden, Glenelg, senior, catcher

Holden led the Gladiators to the Howard County title this season, batting .510 with a .542 OBP. She hit eight doubles and two home runs while recording 64 putouts in 65 chances behind the plate.

Jasmine Kline, Francis Scott Key, sophomore, pitcher-outfielder

Dominant again this year, Kline led the Eagles to the state semifinals. She posted a 17-1 record in the circle, allowing 35 earned runs and recording 171 strikeouts. She also hit .400 at the plate with six homers and 40 RBIs.

Abby Magdar, Mt. Hebron, sophomore, pitcher

Voted Howard County Player of the Year by the league coaches, Magdar went 12-6 from the circle with a 2.37 ERA. She contributed at the plate, too, with a .394 batting average, .463 OBP, five triples and a grand slam.

Audrey March, Patterson Mill, junior, first baseman

The leader of a balanced Patterson Mill offense, March hit .493 with a .547 OBP, eight doubles and four homers. She recorded a .974 fielding percentage in 151 chances.

Presley McGinty, Northeast-AA, sophomore, pitcher-third baseman

McGinty compiled a 2.17 ERA for one of the area’s best teams. She also hit .500 at the plate with a .537 OBP to help lead the Anne Arundel County champions.

Alana Watts, Chesapeake-AA, senior, second baseman

Watts returned in a big way after missing all of last year with an injury. The CCBC-Catonsville commit hit .544, and she set a school single-season record with 12 home runs while tying the program mark with 54 RBIs.

Second team

Jayda Betts, Archbishop Spalding, senior, outfielder-infielder

Maddy Burns, Fallston, senior, pitcher-outfielder

Savannah Claycomb, John Carroll, sophomore, outfielder

Kimani Dennis, Dulaney, sophomore, infielder

Addison Dunlap, Perry Hall, sophomore, catcher

Emily Hamp, Carver A&T, senior, catcher

Zoey Pachoca, River Hill, junior, shortstop

Savannah Reedy, Patterson Mill, junior, infielder

Cambell Sagin, Reservoir, junior, first baseman

Lilly Tinker, Dulaney, senior, pitcher

Sally Trent, Severna Park, senior, catcher

Sydney Weaver, Eastern Tech, senior, outfielder