North Augusta pitcher Karly Heath has been one of the most dominant members of the Yellow Jackets' softball program in recent years, and she closed her high school playing days by being named the best player in the state Monday.
Gatorade announced that Heath was the South Carolina Softball Player of the Year. The honor also means that she is a finalist for the National Softball Player of the Year award.
The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.
Heath went 21-2 as the starting pitcher for the Yellow Jackets with a 0.16 ERA and struck out 278 batters. Heath threw a seven-inning perfect game against South Aiken on April 13.
She was also efficient at the plate, hitting .541 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI. She scored 56 runs as well.
It isn't Heath's first honor. She was named the Class AAAA Player of the Year as a junior and is a three-time All-State selection. She also won two Aiken Standard Player of the Year awards
PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Russell/The Aiken Standard
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