ALL-CVA SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Danielle Dike, Fluvanna County

In her last at-bat as a member of the Fluvanna County softball team, Danielle Dike demonstrated what being a team player is all about. Trailing eventual Group AA champion Broad Run by seven runs, Flying Flucos coach Nick Ward gave Dike instructions about what to do if she saw a pitch inside.

Sure enough, Spartans pitcher Caitlyn Delahaba threw inside — and like clockwork, Dike turned her back, was struck by the pitch and gave Fluvanna a much-needed baserunner.

“That at-bat sticks out to me,” Ward said. “She could have very easily done something else. One of the best things about Danielle is that she isn’t selfish. She doesn’t mind being walked. She’s very selective. When she does swing she waits for her pitch. She finds it, and then she cranks it.”

While her unselfish nature makes her an ideal teammate, her swing in the batters box and defensive prowess at third base makes her an ideal player.

Dike hit .339 this season, a year in which pitchers like Micalah Sacre of Orange County and Victoria Scott of Monticello were pitching two- and three-hit shutouts with relative ease. In her senior year, the Fluvanna slugger hit three home runs, drove in 19 runs, slugged .804, and led her team to the Jefferson District final and the Region II semifinals.

“It was a bumpy season, but we did pretty well,” Dike said. “It was by far one of the best seasons I can remember. We were able to get over those bumps.”

Bumpy is a kind way to describe it. A late season team crisis saw the Flucos change coaches, and Fluvanna athletic director Scott Morris brought in Ward to finish up the season. It was the second time in her four years with the team that Dike had to endure a coaching switch, but with the familiar Ward, Dike’s play picked up. Caught in a bit of a slump, Dike was struggling with strikeouts.

“When I took over with a month left, I felt like Danielle was pressing a whole lot,” Ward said. “I decided to drop her down to [the eighth spot] in our line up, and then she started swinging the bat like she usually does.”

As the postseason began, Dike’s hitting returned and Fluvanna began to flourish again.

“I just try to hit the ball where it’s pitched,” the right-hander said. “If it’s outside, I’m to right field. If it’s down the middle, I’m going to center field.”

Dike’s strategy has worked since she was in middle school.

“When I first met Danielle I was the assistant coach on the JV team,” Ward said. “She was an eighth grader. We were playing Fuqua and in her first at-bat on the team, she a hit a home run to left-center.”

It was at that moment that Dike realized that she had the potential to be a special player.

“I just remember running around the bases and thinking to myself, ‘Hey, I can do this. I can be a great player,’” Dike said. “Now it’s funny because I’ve had a couple girls come up to me, and they say that they look up to me. It just makes me so happy. They say, ‘I want to be just like you and play just like you.’ It’s such a nice feeling.”

While her talent in the batters box draws the most attention, her arm and her defense at third base is just another set of tools that makes Dike special.

“Danielle’s arm is just tremendous,” Ward said. “It allows her to make some plays that aren’t usually there. She’s not scared and she’s very aggressive. If we needed an out we knew we could get it from her.”

After an outstanding junior year, Dike was highly recruited to play by a handful of colleges. Throughout her travel team’s season last year, she saw various scouts keeping a close watch on her.

“Now I understand what kind of pressure I was under,” Dike said. “But back then I didn’t. I remember playing a game for my travel team and the Georgia Tech coach was in the backstop and I was making all these great plays. I thought, ‘Wow! I think I might be going to that school.’”

In just a matter of weeks, Dike will be making the trip down to Atlanta to attend that school on a scholarship for softball.

“I’m just really excited to be going to a great school, and to be able to get a good education,” Dike said. “And I get to play softball.”

Ward doesn’t doubt his former player will continue to find success as a Yellow Jacket, both on and off the field.

“The thing about Danielle is that she’s not just an athlete,” Ward said. “She’s very smart, and that goes straight into everything she does. She’s very quite, but she’s a kid that works hard all the time, every single day.”

2008 All-Central Virginia softball
First team
Pitchers
Micalah Sacre, Orange - 1st team Reg. II, 13-2, 145 K, 0.27 ERA
Victoria Scott, Monticello - 2nd team Reg. II, 15-6, 260 K, 0.62 ERA
Catcher
Melanie Lamb, William Monroe - 1st team All-JD
Infield
Heather Jenkins, Orange - 2nd team Reg. II, .351, .486 OBP, 7 RBI
Lisa Lee, Buckingham - HM Group A, .459, 10 RBI, 14 SB
Outfield
Ariel Stewart, Fluvanna - 1st team Reg. II, .492, .666 OBP, 20 R
Brittney Gibson, Fluvanna - 2nd team Reg. II, .404, .659 OBP, 14 R
Alicia Humes, Orange - 1st team All-JD, .373, .459 OBP, 1 HR
Utility
Taylor Collier, William Monroe - 1st team All-JD
Player of the Year
Danielle Dike, Fluvanna - 2nd team Group AA, .339, .479 OBP
Coach of the Year
John Henry Ryder, Orange - Led team to JD season, tourney titles
Second team
Pitchers
Javannah Taylor, Buckingham - HM Group A, James River player of year
Tiffany Geer, Madison - Bull Run player of year
Catcher
Paige Pritchett, Orange - .412, 12 RBI
Infield
Shannon Bossieux, Fluvanna - 1st team All-JD, .399, .454 OBP, 8 RBI
Britt Linderman, Albemarle - 1st team All-Commonwealth
Brittney Via, Monticello - 1st team All-JD, .246, 16 RBI, 21 R, 1 HR
Outfield
Brenna Johnston, Monticello - 2nd team All-JD, .391, 14 RBI, 7 R
Marci Christian, Buckingham - 2nd team Reg. B, .444, 32 hits
Sarah Ford, Madison - 1st team All-Bull Run
Utility
Meagan Lesser, Louisa - 1st team All-JD, .333, 10 RBI, 0.53 ERA
Honorable Mention
Pitchers
Brittney Lewis, Fluvanna - 2nd team All-JD, 15-7, 0.79 ERA
Taylor Peed, Covenant - All-LIS, 12-10, 210 K
Catcher
Malikah Davis, Buckingham - 1st team All-James River, .371
Infield
Kim DeAngelo, St. Anne’s - All-LIS, .340, 12 RBI, 12 R, 22 SB
Megan Roberts, Orange - HM All-JD, .339, 1 HR, 11 RBI
Jessica Agee, Louisa - 2nd team All-JD, .371, 7 RBI, 12 R
Outfield
Erin Weaver, Madison - 2nd team All-Bull Run
Lyndsey Epling, Louisa - 2nd team All-JD, .313, 6 RBI, 9 R
Rachel Hellinger, Fluvanna - 2nd team All-JD
Utility
Jordan Aylor, Madison - 1st team All-Bull Run