LAKE COUNTY — Much like the Heisman Trophy is almost exclusively an award for college quarterbacks these days, so too the most valuable player award for the All-Lake County softball team has been overwhelmingly dominated by pitchers in past seasons.
But not this year.
In 2023 a pair of junior position players were at the top of their game both in the field and at the plate. Their individual success also translated into team success as both the Upper Lake Cougars and Clear Lake Cardinals reached the semifinal round of the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs.
Upper Lake’s Ruby Wurm, a catcher, and Clear Lake’s Amber Smart, a shortstop, are the co-MVPs on the All-County team as selected by the Lake County Record-Bee.
Wurm stopped pretty much everything directed her way as the Upper Lake Cougars, under the direction of first-year coach Heather Wurm, won a second straight North Central League II championship, this one an undisputed crown. Their 11-3 season finally ended with a loss to eventual Division 5 champion St. Helena in the semifinals.
A mix of veterans and underclassmen, Upper Lake bounced back from a tough preseason that saw nearly all of the team’s games rained or snowed out. The Cougars went 6-0 in league and 11-3 overall.
Smart, a vacuum cleaner at shortstop for the Clear Lake (13-10), was one of the most reliable players for an up-and-down Cardinals squad that tied for fourth place in the NCL I standings and reached the NCS semifinals where it lost to Division 5 finalist Cloverdale.
Both Wurm and Smart return next season, which is good news for their respective coaches.
All-County Coach of the Year Heather Wurm served as an assistant coach in 2022 when head coach Nick Williamson led the Cougars to a league co-championship. Moving up to head coach this season, Wurm picked up where Williamson left off in transforming a once-underachieving Cougars softball program into a consistent winner.
Upper Lake faces a big challenge next season when it joins the NCL I.
First team
Smart is joined on the All-County squad by Clear Lake senior teammates Grace Gomez, a second baseman, and outfielders Montana Wells and Sierra Bruch. Likewise Upper Lake’s Ruby Wurm is one of four Cougars on the All-County squad. She’s accompanied by junior pitcher Nya Marcks, freshman second baseman Ashlyn Wurm, and senior outfielder Tristin Rhodes.
For the Kelseyville Knights (9-13), All-County players are junior pitcher Jayden Paulich and freshman outfielders Kat Wheelan and Morgan Rogers. The Lower Lake Trojans (3-14) are represented by senior pitcher Keeley Parks and junior first baseman Rebecca Theodorou, while the Middletown Mustangs (6-9) landed senior Jaidyn Brown and junior Breanna Pyzer on the first team.
