Security Federal Athlete of the Week

Partnering with Security Federal, the Warren County Sports Authority will begin to honor a standout local athlete each week. The WCSA and the Friendliest Bank in Town love seeing great athletic achievement and there are plenty to pick from every week in Warren County. From winter to summer, spring to fall, and on courts, fields, diamonds, dance floors and anywhere else an athlete can succeed, Security Federal and the Sports Authority are going to be on the lookout for the best of the best!

MADISON HOLLIS, WCHS SOFTBALL

Week of April 18-24

Throw a dart at the Lady Pioneer lineup last week and there’s a good chance whatever name it hit would make a good case for being the Security Federal Player of the Week. The WCHS softball team is rolling, winning all five of its games last week while clinching a regular season co-championship.

Junior hurler Madison Hollis may have shined the brightest of all. Hollis was in the circle starting in three of the victories, including a 11-strikeout gem to start the week against Rockvale. She followed it up with her first high school no-hitter, shutting down Stone Memorial with 10 Ks in a four-inning romp.

That game was stopped by run rule because of Hollis’ hitting. She enacted the mercy rule against the Lady Panthers by crushing a grand slam, her fourth homer of the season. The ball was still rising as it left the park, only coming back because it hit about 30 feet up on the light pole that towers over left field.

She would add her fifth homer against Cookeville Thursday, part of a 19-2 demolition of the Lady Cavs that secured the team’s third district title in the last four seasons of action (no team won in 2020, the Lady Pioneers won the regular season in 2017 and tournament in 2018).

Hollis is putting together an MVP-worthy season together for the Lady Pioneers. She has a 10-2 record in the circle with a 0.99 ERA. She has more strikeouts (77) than hits allowed (63). Hollis is also hitting .305 with five homers and 17 RBIs.

Honorable Mention: Rhealee Johnson, WCHS softball

Flip a coin between Hollis and Johnson for who had the best week on the diamond for the Lady Pioneers. Hollis earned a slight edge for her domination of the circle, but Johnson was red hot at the plate for Warren County.

The senior third baseman, who is already signed to play at University of the Cumberlands next fall, hit three home runs in the last three game’s of the week, starting with a bomb against Stone Memorial and continuing with round-trippers against Cookeville and DeKalb County.

Johnson is hitting .403 this season and leads the Lady Pioneers with six home runs and 26 RBIs. She has been particularly lethal in district games, finishing with a hit in all eight contests (the Lady Pioneers were 7-1 in those games). With big games against Stone Memorial and Cookeville last week, Johnson finished district play 14-of-28 (.500) with two homers, 14 RBIs and 10 runs scored.