April 20, 2024

Briley has MVP-caliber night in Waukee

By KALEB CARTER
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Creston senior Taylor Briley connects on a pitch during the first game of the IGCA All-Star softball game Monday in Waukee. (CNA photo)

WAUKEE — Taylor Briley hit a home run in her last day wearing a Creston Panthers uniform.

Briley took part in the 32nd annual Iowa Girls Coaches Association All Stars games Monday at Waukee High School.

She made up for an error with a three-run blast to give her squad a 5-4 lead in the bottom half of the fifth of the evening’s first game.

“I saw my pitch that I like, I like that not-too-high but kind of inside and I saw that so I just swung and took it and it felt really nice,” Briley said.

Her squad, the “Red” team, won game one 8-4.

“It was definitely a good feeling because we were down and even though we were all like ‘this is just for fun and stuff’ part of us were like ‘yeah we want to win.”

Hitting out of the two-spot in the second game, Briley went 2-for-3 with a line drive single in the first and a bloop single in the third. The first hit allowed her to score the first run of the game in what ended up being a 3-1 win.

Briley impressed with her glovework despite committing two throwing errors.

“It was good,” Briley said. “I felt like I played really well and you know, this is my last time in the Creston uniform so, bittersweet, but it was fun.”

While donning her Creston jersey one last time, Briley took the field with five future Des Moines Area Community College teammates.

“It’s very exciting because I got to have the chance to play with girls that I’m going to play with in the future,” Briley said.

Van Meter’s Bailey Richards, ADM’s Molly Jacobsen, Martensdale St. Marys’ Jamie Jordan and Carlisle’s Gabby Schnathorst all played on Briley’s Red squad. All of them have DMACC in their futures, where Taylor Briley will be their teammate.

Highland’s Cheyann Adamson, and Boone’s Breanna Hunter played for the Blue team against the Red team in the last game of the evening.

The day left her ready for more.

“I’m very excited for the future,” she said.

Per tradition at the game, coaches and those connected to the game of softball were honored with enshrinement in the Iowa Girls Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Several southwestern Iowa coaches were recognized as coach of the year for their respective districts. Winterset’s Steve Corkrean was named Class 4A west district coach of the year. Murray’s Danny Jensen was named Class 1A south central district coach of the year. Brian Sweet of Martensdale St. Marys earned the honors in the southeast district of Class 1A.

Tom Bakey went into the IGCA Hall of Fame as coach of West Des Moines Valley and Bob Ligouri went in for Des Moines East.

Cathy Creighton and Mark Amadeo, both of Urbandale, went into the Hall of Fame as umpires.