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Posts Tagged ‘Stella Johnson’

Former Wolf sparkles on Kentucky diamond

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on June 3, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Stella Johnson, with mom Mimi Iverson, is enjoying a successful sophomore softball season at Boyle County High School in Kentucky. (Photo courtesy Iverson)

Johnson and a teammate hoist some hardware after winning a district title. (Photo property Boyle County softball)

One of Coupeville’s best continues to kill it, halfway across the country.

Stella Johnson, who was a key player on a Central Whidbey Little League softball team which went to state in 2017, lives and plays in Danville, Kentucky these days.

A sophomore at Boyle County High School, she’s a vital part of a Rebels squad which just won a district championship, and now opens regionals this Saturday.

Johnson and Co. beat Garrard County 2-0 in the championship game of the District 45 tournament.

The Rebels, sitting at 24-6 on the season, open regional play against McCreary Central, needing three wins in as many days to clinch another title.

Johnson is in her second season on the Boyle County roster, having made her debut as an 8th grader.

Her hopes of being a five-year varsity high school player were snatched away, however, when the pandemic erased spring sports last year.

After scoring 16 runs and swiping three bases as an 8th grader for a team which advanced to state, Johnson has racked up 13 runs, six stolen bases, and three RBI in her second go-round for the Rebels.

Stella is the daughter of former Coupeville High School great Mimi Iverson, and is following in the athletic footsteps of older brother Elliott, who found success as a competitive bass fisher after the family’s move to Kentucky.

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Stella’s a star, in record time

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on June 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Former Coupeville ace Stella Johnson, who’s an 8th grader, scored 16 runs for a high-flying Kentucky high school softball team which went to the state quarterfinals. (Mimi Johnson photo)

Two years ago, Stella Johnson and Jill Prince were Coupeville 6th graders, key members of a Central Whidbey Little League softball team which advanced to the state tourney.

Jump ahead to the spring of 2019, and the now 8th graders found themselves on still-successful, but divergent, paths.

Prince swung a big bat for the current CWLL Juniors squad, which finished 13-1, and was a team manager for the high school diamond team.

But, while the CHS sluggers went to the 1A state tourney, where they toppled highly-ranked Deer Park, Prince stayed home.

She’ll get her chance to pull on a high school uniform next spring as a freshman, but not until then.

Johnson, on the other hand, is already a battle-hardened vet for a Boyle County High School team which just ended its run at the state tourney.

Stella and older bother Elliott moved to Kentucky with parents Scott and Mimi after that 2017 little league state tourney appearance, and her new home state allows for a much-longer high school playing career.

As in Johnson appeared in 23 of her team’s 32 games this spring, while still in middle school.

Kentucky is one of just six states, joining Mississippi, Delaware, Alabama, North Dakota, and Arkansas, to allow 7th and 8th graders to play varsity high school sports without restriction.

It actually used to be even more open in Kentucky, until the state tightened things up a bit.

Whitney Creech of Jenkins, the state’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball with 5,527 points, played eight seasons on her high school team.

She went from averaging 2.5 points a night as a 5th grader(!) to tossing in 50.3 a game during her senior season in 2015-2016.

Johnson won’t get to have an eight-season varsity career, but she could easily put in five years.

After playing middle school softball as a 7th grader, she tried out for both middle school volleyball and high school softball during the same week this year.

An offer of a spot came back from both teams, and Johnson opted for the chance to pursue her softball dream.

She pulled double duty, starting at second and short for the school’s JV team, while operating as a courtesy runner for the varsity team’s pitcher and catcher.

Johnson took full advantage of her time on the varsity diamond, stealing three bases and coming around to score 16 times.

That included a game against East Robertson where she tapped home three times in one afternoon.

Her 16 runs was sixth-best on the team, with the top five scorers all being full-time starters.

Boyle County finished the season 26-6, falling 4-0 to the state’s #1 team, undefeated Male High School out of Louisville, in the state quarterfinals Friday night.

For Johnson, getting the chance to kick off her high school softball career before she’s even in high school was huge.

“It was such a great experience for her – her coaches are amazing and her teammates embraced her,” said mom Mimi. “It’s a pretty awesome group of girls. We have been blessed this season.”

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“Our bats came alive!!”

Posted in Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , , on April 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   The Central Whidbey Little League juniors softball squad is off to a 3-0 start. (Mimi Johnson photo)

Roll on, mighty Adrenaline, roll on.

Cruising to its third straight win to open the season, the Central Whidbey Little League juniors softball squad destroyed host Anacortes 15-0 Monday night.

South end transplant Melody Wilkie stalked the pitcher’s circle, whiffing seven hitters and surrendering just three hits.

The only time she was in the slightest bit of trouble came in the bottom of the second, but she quickly got away scot-free.

Having given up a lead-off triple, Wilkie teamed up with catcher Mollie Bailey to nail the Anacortes runner at home on the very next play.

From there, it was smoothing sailing for Central Whidbey, which had its bats swinging hot all game.

The Adrenaline put the game away early, throwing down nine runs in the top of the first, then added two in the second, three in the third and a final run in the fourth.

Central Whidbey piled up 14 hits, led by Bailey, who was en fuego with three singles and a thunderous triple.

“Our bats came alive,” said Adrenaline coach Mimi Johnson. “I challenged Mollie to hit the Ace Hardware sign … and she came close!”

Wilkie, Stella Johnson and Jill Prince chipped in with doubles, with cousins Thora Iverson and Stella Johnson both finishing the game with two hits apiece.

As soon as they got on base, the Adrenaline forced the situation, causing Anacortes to fall apart a bit on defense.

“We capitalized on their errors early with aggressive base running,” Mimi Johnson said. “I have to give props to their catcher Adayla, though – she missed nothing!! She never gave us opportunity to steal home.”

With everything clicking for her team, the sage of the softball diamond sees a successful season playing out.

“We are very excited to see what this season brings with this group of girls.”

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Rain the pain!!

Posted in Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , , on April 23, 2017| 1 Comment »

Mollie Bailey, seen here last season, had two hits Saturday in a win. (John Fisken photo)

The road warriors strike.

Whacking 15 hits, the Central Whidbey Little League juniors softball team scorched host Sedro-Woolley 18-7 Saturday, improving to a flawless 2-0 on the season.

The Adrenaline, who are coached by Mimi Johnson and Connie Lippo, have a 14-player roster which includes three South Whidbey players who were looking for a team after their home town didn’t field a squad.

One of those transplanted players, 8th grader Melody Wilkie, was the star Saturday, smoking four hits, including a double and triple, while teaming with Stella Johnson in the pitcher’s circle.

Wilkie had support, as five other CWLL sluggers rapped out hits.

Audrianna Shaw punched out three singles and a double, while Mollie Bailey, Coral Caveness and Jill Prince had two singles apiece.

Rounding out the attack, Kylie Van Velkinburgh ripped a single, as well.

Central Whidbey scored in every inning, putting up a quick three-spot in the first.

After that, the Adrenaline steadily tacked on runs, building an 11-7 lead after five, before putting the hammer down in the sixth.

Exploding for seven runs, Central Whidbey benefited from big blows by Wilkie, who crunched a triple, and Shaw, who blasted a double.

After road games at Anacortes Monday and Oak Harbor Wednesday, the Adrenaline, which plays on the Coupeville High School softball field, returns home for a game May 3.

The current roster:

Mollie Bailey
Shianna Baker
Krystal Caudle
Coral Caveness
Heidi Clinkscales
Taylor Fifield
Thora Iverson
Stella Johnson
Anya Leavell
Jill Prince
Marenna Rebischke-Smith
Audrianna Shaw
Kylie Van Velkinburgh
Melody Wilkie

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Crushin’ everyone in sight!!

Posted in Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , on May 13, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Prince (Renae Mulholland photo)

   Jill Prince knocked in a pair with a blast to deep right field Thursday, as the Coupeville Crush rolled to its 10th straight win. (Renae Mulholland photo)

(Katy Wells photo)

Undefeated and lovin’ life. (Katy Wells photo)

Rollin’ right along.

Ten-running everyone they encounter, the Central Whidbey Little League Majors softball squad has soared to a 10-0 record this season.

Mixing superb pitching with stellar hitting and inspired defense, the Coupeville Crush have more than lived up to their name.

Their latest victim was Oak Harbor Gold, which fell 14-4 Thursday night.

Crush hurlers Kaela Meffert and Izzy Wells combined to shut down the North Enders at the plate, combining for eight strikeouts while getting a little help from their defense.

Audrianna Shaw patrolled third base with a vengeance, gunning down runners, while both pitchers snagged line drives hit right back at them.

Meffert also teamed with catcher Stella Johnson on a bang-bang play at the plate after leaving the pitcher’s circle to play short.

After running down a fly, Meffert wheeled and fired the ball on a bead to nail a runner headed home, pulling off a sweet double play.

Coupeville got all the offense it would need in the first, plating five.

Sofie Martin kicked things off with a gorgeous single, Meffert was drilled by a pitch, then Coral Caveness laid down a picture-perfect bunt.

After a handful of walks kept the runners moving base-to-base, Wells crunched a single to break things open.

The runs kept coming after that, with four in the second (though Abby Mulholland was denied on a steal of home when plate umpire Jim Wheat stood tall and withstood the screams of agony from Crush fans), one in the third and the final four crossing in the fifth.

Jill Prince crushed “an amazing shot to right” to knock in a pair, then came around to steal home herself, while Meffert, Kenna Somes and Bam Ries all collected base knocks.

The final run, which invoked the 10-run mercy rule, came via Johnson, who took one for the team, getting plunked with the bags juiced.

While the Crush was swinging hot, Coupeville coach Mimi Johnson sent a shout-out to Oak Harbor’s pitcher.

“I will say, Macy Oliver has really been working hard on her pitching! She is developing a wicked curve ball!,” she said. “All in all, it was another fun game!”

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