Natalie Monge, a senior-to-be on the Sedona Red Rock High School softball team, was recently honored by the Arizona Republic.
Monge was selected to their All-Conference 2A Honorable Mention list, which is decided upon by their sports staff based on statistics, observations and coaches comments.
After missing the first few weeks of the season due to a knee injury, Monge finished with a batting average of .568, tied for first with 2017 graduate Courtney Chalmers and second-best in the 2A Central Region.
Her injury limited her baserunning for a time even after her return, finishing with just nine stolen bases and 12 runs scored.
“Despite the fact she was hurt the first four, five games, she showed she’s one of the best players in the conference,” Red Rock head coach Ethan Hartz said. “She’s extremely talented. She pitched for us, she hit for us, she did whatever we needed her to do. I’m proud of her and I’m happy for her.”
But she did have a team-high 16 RBI along with five home runs in 13 games played.
In the pitcher’s circle she tossed 58 innings, giving up 92 earned runs on 124 hits in addition to 74 strikeouts paired with 36 walks.
In the field she committed just one error and had a fielding percentage of .933.
She was selected First Team All-Central Region as a position player and Second Team as a pitcher.
At the state level, she was a Second Team All-Conference 2A pick, which is voted on by coaches and released by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.
