GREEN COVE SPRINGS - Clay High softball coach Matt Lewis has seen his share of Florida Dairy Farmer nominees in his nearly three decades in the dugout for the Blue Devils, but a freshman?
"Sadie Russo was a special player this year on a team noone expected anything big," said Lewis, who had his freshman pitcher Sadie Russo nominated as a possible Florida Dairy Farmer's Class 4A Player of the Year with a shot at being selected as the Florida Dairy Farmer Miss Softball Player of the Year. "There have not been many freshman to just get on the list of players, let alone to become the Miss Softball selection at the end of all the voting. I'm extremely proud and Sadie deserves the choice."
The Florida Dairy Farmers Association has a long history of selecting the best athletes in Florida in all high school sports with the majority of them being upper classman. Lewis noted two previous Blue Devils as Class players of year nominations, but had never landed one.
"Cindy Hudgins, a pitcher for our state champion team of 2001, got on the list as a freshman and Kaitlin Kenney in the 2009 season, also," said Lewis. "Just as an FYI, Sadie's pitching coach is Heather Schlichtman-Scharf, an Orange Park High pitcher in 2000 that, at one point, held the career wins for University of Arkansas."
For Lewis, who was excited in his preseason to have a new batch of young faces to mentor through the year, was highly optimistic about the freshmen and sophomore faces on his roster.
"She was a quiet competitor," said Lewis. "We lost a lot of tight games that, with a young team, is something we learn from and move on."
For one, Clay freshman pitcher Sadie Russo, the year finished with a 13-3 record on the mound with a cool 1.44 earned runs average with 96 strikeouts as she was on a team that featured just one senior.
"A 13-3 record after last year's team and with a bunch of new faces is awesome," said Lewis, who was also chosen as a possible Class 4A coach of year nominee. "She's not a pitcher that will get 300 strikeouts, but she could and she worked all season, remember, as a freshman, in developing a changeup and understanding my pitch calls from the dugout. That's a big part of being a freshman pitcher."
Russo, in Clay's 4A group, led Lewis young team to a 15-11 overall season record, a district title and a region playoff berth against eventual region finalist Arnold High and got hit with a 10-1 loss.
Lewis called Russo's district championship win over Menendez in extra innings as her best showing of her strength to move the team.
"She went the whole route, extra innings, throwing 140 pitches," said Lewis, who won the game with a walk off 5-4 finish. "She didn't give in, didn't want to come out. Menendez had six or seven seniors on that team with good bats."
Russo's name on a list chockful of softball athletes heading out to NCAA Division I universities next fall is impressive on its own; Charlotte Maddox, 6A-Oakleaf High senior heading the Dartmouth, Leah Stevens and 5A-Matanzas senior pitcher heading to University of Florida.

Florida Dairy Farmers Softball Players of Year nominees

Class 6A: Charlotte Maddox, Sr., Oakleaf pitcher, 10-7, .84 ERA, 124 Innings, 141 Ks, .378 batting average, 20 RBIs, district champion, region semifinalist
Class 5A: Olivia Sikes, Sr., Fleming Island, INF, .544 BA, 17 doubles, 27 runs, 28 RBIS, One error in 109 chances. District runnerup, region quarterfinalist; Kerra Clarida, Middleburg, Sr., 1B, .425BA, 10 doubles, 6 HRs, 28 Runs, 31RBIs, .979 fielding percentage; Middleburg coach Ashley Houston, 19-9, district title, region semifinals
Class 4A: Sadie Russo, FR, Clay pitcher, 13-3, 1.44 ERA, 103 innings, 96Ks, 48 Walks, district title, region quarters, CHS coach Matt Lewis, 15-11, district title.
Class 2A: Kadence Massey, JR, Keystone Heights pitcher, 3-9, 2.96ERA, 102 innings, 114Ks, KHHS coach Jessica Marquart, 9-17, district runnerup, region quarters.