AGWSR junior pitcher Taryan Barrick was once again selected as one of the best Class 1A softball players in Iowa after she was named to her second-straight Iowa Girls Coaches Association all-state first team.

Barrick led the Cougars to a 28-8 record and an appearance in the 1A state title game, where she had a perfect game through the first six innings before eventually falling to Collins-Maxwell, 1-0.

Barrick led the entire state regardless of class with 392 strikeouts in her junior campaign, nearly 30 more than Abby Kramer from Alta-Aurelia in second. Barrick was in the top five in 1A in earned run average with a 0.93 (4th), wins with 27 (2nd), earned runs allowed with 26 (4th of girls with 20 or more starts) and opponents batting average with a .122 (3rd).

She also got it done at the plate, hitting for a .353 average with 22 RBIs. She tied for fifth in the class in doubles with 15 and hit by pitches with nine.

Cougar freshman MaKenna Kuper earned her second-straight second-team all-state selection as well after another effective year in the batter’s box.

Kuper led 1A in runs scored with 58 as the leadoff hitter for AGWSR, and she finished tied for second in home runs with 10. She also tied for 10th in walks drawn with 24, and she finished with a .430 average and 34 RBIs.

Making her first appearance on the 1A squad was Cougar sophomore catcher Ali Gerbracht, who was selected to the third team.

Gerbracht led the class in sacrifices with 19 hitting in the two-hole for AGWSR, and she had a .367 average with 24 RBIs and 15 walks. Gerbracht’s greatest contribution was behind the plate, however, working with Barrick to stifle opponent batters.

Cougars sophomore Rachel Sicard was selected as an honorable mention for the 1A team, as were the Colo-NESCO trio of Chelsea Henze, Rylee Purvis and Faith Vincent. This was the first all-state selection for all four girls.

Two athletes from the coverage area were selected to the 2A second team with East Marshall catcher Madison Farrington and BCLUW third baseman Kiersten Kruse both earning their first all-state honors.

Farrington finished ninth in 2A in home runs with seven for the regional-finalist Mustangs, and she hit for a .421 average with 16 extra-base hits and a .710 slugging percentage.

Kruse hit for a .438 average for the Comets with 23 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

East Marshall pitcher Kodie Hoskey appeared on the 2A third team for the second-straight selection. Hoskey allowed just 33 earned runs this season, the seventh-least for girls with 20 or more starts. She also had a 1.89 ERA and 147 strikeouts , the 14th and 17th-best marks in the class.

Mustangs sophomore Reagan McIlrath and junior Melinda Puumala were both selected as 2A honorable mentions for the first time in their career, as were Grundy Center’s Kyah and Landry Luhring and BCLUW’s Bailey Ashton and Parker Scurr.

West Marshall senior Brooke Snider finished her career with a second-straight selection to the 3A second team. Snider hit 10 dingers this season and had a slugging percentage of .838, both good enough for the eighth-best mark in the class. She also hit four triples (tied for 11th) and stole 29 bases (9th) while recording a .423 average and 35 RBIs in the leadoff spot.

Trojans sophomore Renae Schaper made her first appearance on the all-state squad, garnering a third-team nod. Schaper was third in 3A with 19 doubles, and she hit for a .402 average with three home runs and a .652 slugging percentage.

Two earned academic all-state

A couple of area girls were also tabbed to the academic all-state team.

Colo-NESCO’s Molly Barten and South Tama County’s Saylor Upah were chosen to the group of 40 academic all-state players for their work on and off the diamond.