Vitals: Junior, first base

She's qualified because: Co-MVP of Tri-River Athletic Conference powered Bears to a 32-4 record, a runner-up finish in the Central Section Division I playoffs and a No. 17 overall state ranking in the final Cal-Hi Sports poll. Dodd hit .455 with 20 doubles, four triples, one home run, 36 runs and 35 RBIs in 36 games.

He said it: "She is the best pure hitter I have coached. The biggest thing for her this year is she never really got into a slump. Last year, she went into a slump for a stretch of a couple weeks. This year, she didn't have many games where she didn't have at least one hit." — Buchanan coach Dean Gregory

No disrespect intended to the umpires of the Central Section, but Buchanan High softball coach Dean Gregory will side with the batting eye of Kelsey Dodd every time.

"If she takes a called third strike, I feel like the ump probably missed it," Gregory said of his junior first baseman with the keen knowledge of the strike zone and a sweet left-handed stroke.

Dodd hit a robust .455 with a .736 slugging percentage to power the Bears to a second consecutive Tri-River Athletic Conference title, into a second straight Division I final and to a No. 17 overall ranking in the final Cal-Hi Sports state poll with a section-best 32-4 record.

"She's a do-everything hitter," Clovis coach Mike Noel said. "If you need a base hit to start a rally, she does that. If you need a clutch hit to knock in a run, she does that. She's a tough out. She hits all kinds of pitches and has a great approach at the plate."

Dodd is The Bee's Softball Player of the Year. Clovis West's Ohio State-bound senior corner infielder/pitcher Leesa Gresham and Bears sophomore center fielder/pitcher Amani Proctor also received strong consideration.

Gresham was arguably the section's most feared hitter and Proctor one of the top table-setters from the leadoff position, and both enjoyed success in spot duty as pitchers.

But it was Dodd who was the model of consistency, never going more than one game in a row without a base hit. She had a .545 on-base percentage along with 36 runs and 35 RBIs in a 36-game season that ended with a 1-0 loss in 15 innings against Stockdale in the D-I final.

"I put a lot of effort into it," Dodd said. "But I couldn't do it without the support of my team. We had an amazing year even though we lost the last game."

During a season in which Dodd stood out in so many ways — including defensively, where she made one error all year at first base — perhaps her most amazing feat was that half of her 50 hits went for extra bases (20 doubles, four triples and one home run).

"Every time she came to the plate, it seemed like she would hit one off the wall in left-center or right-center," Gregory said. "You just came to expect it. I can't remember one cheap hit she had all year. Not one dinker. Everything she hit was hard."

Gregory, who called Dodd "probably the best hitter I've ever coached," said there is a simple reason for her success. She only swings at strikes. Dodd struck out six times all last season.

"She never gets out of the strike zone," Gregory said. "She always seems to get a good pitch to hit and she's willing to take a walk if the pitcher doesn't give in. She is very patient and disciplined. She just does not swing at a bad pitch. I think all season long, I saw her look bad twice on bad swings."

Dodd's success was no accident. She works at it.

Dodd, who started playing softball at age 10, said she spends up to four hours per day working on her game, including sessions with a private batting coach. She hopes to land a scholarship to play softball in college after her senior season.

"Hitting has always been one of my stronger suits," Dodd said. "It was a really good year for me, but I want to improve on it next year so I just have to keep working hard at it to keep it up."