Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2009

Connell's Molsbarger the All-Area MVP

By Jack Millikin, Herald staff writer

Debbie Molsbarger didn't mind being left off the Tri-City Herald's All-Area softball team last season, despite earning SCAC East MVP honors for the second straight year and leading Connell to state for the third straight season.

In 2009, the spirited Eagles senior simply returned to what she'd done the previous three years -- dominate the 1A ranks with a dazzling repertoire of pitches and a solid bat. She picked up her third SCAC East MVP award and led the Eagles to a third-place finish at state

With yet another impressive year on the mound (16-0, 155 strikeouts during the regular season) and at the plate (.575, 28 RBIs, 20 stolen bases), the Columbia Basin College-bound star earned one final honor to cap an illustrious prep career -- the Herald All-Area MVP.

"At least I got it my senior year," Molsbarger said. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates, who helped me get noticed and seen."

Molsbarger will play both softball and basketball at CBC, but she doesn't expect to get much of a break before the winter hoops season begins.

"I have to lift all summer and then it's fall ball," said the 5-foot-5 guard who became just the seventh player in Connell girls basketball history to break the 1,000-point barrier.

Molsbarger, who also played soccer, earned 12 varsity letters and led her teams to 10 state appearances. The Eagles were 22-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state heading into the 1A tourney. Connell lost its first-round game against Castle Rock but rebounded to win its next five to take third.

"That was a hard time, but we had a good time," Molsbarger said.

Jerry Humphreys of Walla Walla earned his second Herald Coach of the Year nod in three seasons after leading the Blue Devils to a sweep of the CBBN league and district titles, plus their first Eastern Regional championship. To top it all off, Wa-Hi capped its first-ever trophy finish at state, beating Auburn-Riverside 4-1 to finish third.

"I thought we had a pretty solid team and a good-hitting team with lots of potential, but I didn't think we could win state," Humphreys said. "It was great to see them develop.

"This team is definitely up there with any in my nine years (as coach)."

Molsbarger, an all-area first-team pick in 2007, earned her second first-team selection along with Kamiakin's Allegra Wilde.

Rounding out the first team are Alexis Bobadilla and Hope Klicker of Walla Walla, Shelby Gonzales and Jessica McIntyre of Moses Lake, Stephanie Chrystal of Kamiakin, Taylor Bakos of Kennewick, Eden Garza of Othello, Kaylie Winston of Pasco, Sydney Cejka of Richland, Chani Brisby of River View and Caitlin Klepper of Southridge.