Tatum Spangler was a dual threat for Coronado High School’s softball team.
At the plate, she hit .625 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs to finish her career with an all-time state-best 243 hits. She also won 13 games at pitcher with a 1.06 earned run average, including 172 strikeouts in 105 innings in being named the Sunrise League’s Pitcher of the Year. “It was really an honor,” she says of the hits record.
Spangler also played on the Coronado volleyball team, which, like the softball team, won the league championship. “It was nice to get out there and try something different,” she says. “It didn’t take away from softball. It strengthened some of my athletic skills for softball.”
Spangler will play softball at the University of Kentucky next season.
Finalists:
• Justice Ethridge, Centennial basketball: Named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 15 points and four rebounds per game to help Centennial win its fourth-consecutive state title.
• Jordan Ford, Shadow Ridge flag football: Established single-season records with 4,570 rushing yards and 57 touchdowns to lead Shadow Ridge to the Sunset Region title and a state runner-up finish.
• Whittnee Nihipali, Shadow Ridge volleyball: Named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, totaled 463 kills, 410 digs, 61 aces and 48 blocks, and helped Shadow Ridge win the state championship.
• Gizelle Reid, Rancho track: Won the state championship in the 400 meters for the second straight season. Also, was part of two state champion relay teams.
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.