(Elk Horn, IA) — Thanks to big numbers this season, Taryn Petersen of Exira EHK Audubon Softball has been named to the First Team All State Softball team in Class 1A by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association. This is the first year that Petersen has been honored on an all-state team — the Junior hit .529 with 5 HR and 23 RBI; she scored 62 runs, stole 51 bases plus had 9 doubles. The batting average went up 150 points from last year; the 5 homers were more than the last three seasons combined; same with the stolen bases. She is satisfied that her long hours of batting practice is paying off
Petersen also was exceptional at shortstop — committing only four errors with 59 total chances for a fielding percentage of .932. With a Sophomore Lucy Stanerson at Third Base and an 8th Grader Aubrey Nelson at 2nd base, Petersen became a leader on the field
Petersen is now a career .400 hitter (129 hits in 322 AB); she has gone from a support player on a state tournament her freshman year to a star player at the state tournament her junior year. She expected to grow
Exira EHK Audubon was eliminated this year before the state title game and Petersen says they will be extra motivated to be even better next season
In addition to Petersen, Junior Riley Miller was named 2nd Team All State plus Senior Anna Larsen and Sophomore Bryli Petersen were Honorable Mention selections for the Spartans.
Complete Interview with Taryn Petersen
