Sophomore Ellie Freeth was one of the stars of the Hamilton Emerald Knights’ state championship run in the spring, and the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports recognized her performance by awarding her with its Class D Player of the Year honor for 2025 and a first-team all-state selection.
Freeth pitched a no-hitter against Forestville in the state semifinal in Binghamton, then led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a game-tying home run against Argyle to start Hamilton’s winning rally in the championship game the next day.
Other players picked as players of the year for their classes were Erin McDaid at AA Smithtown West, Ava Zicchinelli at A Miller Place, Skylar Groom at B Chatham, and Ashlyn Wright at C Bloomfield. Lancaster teammates Alyssa Brunner and Brennah DeWald shared the AAA award.
The Emerald Knights finished a 19-2 season with 13 consecutive victories and their first state championship, an emotional run that saw the team and the Hamilton community lose Isadora Catania, the team’s No. 2 pitcher and a varsity contributor as a freshman, whose shocking death came during the Section III playoffs.
Hamilton Teammates Adriana Catania and Rihana Dye were all-state honorees. Adriana Catania, Hamilton’s senior catcher and Isadora’s cousin, joined Freeth on the first team. Dye, the junior outfielder who scored the winning run in the state championship game, was a second-team pick.
Section III was well represented on the four Class D teams. Stockbridge Valley eighth-grader Karalynne Carmon was a second-team pick for the second year in a row, and Poland pitcher Emma Kraszewski was picked for the fourth team as a senior. Kraszewski was joined by a pair of players just across the line in Section IV — Issy Seamon, Richfield Springs/Owen D. Young’s junior shortstop, and Bailey Thayer, a Cherry Valley-Springfield/Sharon Springs freshman.
During their postseason run, the Emerald Knights encountered all-state players Grace Depew and Rebecca Campbell with Argyle in the state championship game, Megan Gruber of Forestville in their semifinal, and Hannah Wist with Edmeston/Morris in regionals.
Six other area players from the Tri-Valley League and Center State Conference were all-state picks in the upper classes.
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Hamilton sophomore picked as state’s Class D softball player of the year
Reporting by Jon Rathbun, Herkimer Times Telegram / Times Telegram
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
