Hartley in running as state's best in softball

Miss Softball will be named from a list of six finalists at a June 24 awards banquet in Orlando.

By GREG AUMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2000

Hernando junior Chrissy Hartley, whose pitching helped the Leopards reach the Class 3A state championship game, has been named one of six finalists for the Florida Athletic Coaches Association's Miss Softball award.

Hartley, who posted a 15-2 record and 0.76 ERA in addition to leading the team with 23 RBI, was honored by the FACA as the Class 3A Player of the Year. The overall award winner will be announced at the Florida Dairy Farmers Sports Awards banquet in Orlando on June 24.

"I was really happy when I found out," said Hartley, who recently was selected by area coaches as Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year. "Coach (Ernie Chatman) told me and I said, "Oh, my God, are you serious?' I didn't expect it at all."

Chatman said he wasn't too surprised, given Hartley's statistics and her play in the post-season as the Leopards won their first fast-pitch regional title before losing in the title game. The 6-foot junior's ability to excel both on the mound and at the plate helps her stand out among a talented class of athletes, he said.

"She hits with a high average and she's pitched with a low ERA, so her statistics can line up with anybody's," Chatman said. "I can certainly see how she's justified for such an honor."

Hartley struck out 164 batters in 107 innings, but was just as deadly with a bat in her hands, tying a school record with 12 doubles. In Hernando's 6-0 win over Navarre in the state semifinals, Hartley pitched a three-hit shutout and drove in the game's first two runs.

FACA ALL-STARS: Hernando seniors Katye Altieri and Beth Chatman competed as part of the West squad in the FACA All-Star Game in Orlando on Saturday. Chatman pitched in the team's first game, a 3-1 loss to the East, and played first base in a 6-1 loss to the North. Altieri lined up in the outfield in both games.

"The hard-throwing pitchers just dominated," said Ernie Chatman, who was an assistant coach for the West team and will be the squad's head coach next year. "The East team had six pitchers who had won state championships. It was certainly good to have been there."

Beth Chatman finished the season 9-0 with a 0.47 ERA while batting .317 and scoring 24 runs. Altieri, who played both centerfield and second base, was second on the team with a .432 average, scored a team-best 31 runs and had nine extra-base hits, including her first career home run in Hernando's district opener.

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