Seneca Valley star pitcher Lexie Hames was named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Softball Player of the Year for the second straight season. Hames, a Clemson commit, led the Raiders to a WPIAL 6A runner-up finish, their fourth consecutive finals appearance. The two-time WPIAL champion went 17-3 with a 0.49 ERA, a WPIAL-best 279 strikeouts and 48 walks this season. She allowed eight earned runs in 116.2 innings.
She dominated opponents on the mound — and was a very talented hitter.
Hames was consistently walked when she had a bat in her hands. Prime example, Hempfield refused to allow her to see a single pitch in the WPIAL championship game this year. Hempfield won the game 1-0 and Seneca Valley left a dozen runners on base. Hames, who was walked 40 times this season, batted .500 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs for the Raiders, who were 16-4 overall. The loss to Hempfield ended Hames high school career, as the WPIAL only advanced one team to the state playoffs in Class 6A. For her career, she was 63-12 with a 0.75 ERA and 951 strikeouts. In her four years, she hit .426 with 37 home runs and 92 RBIs. She was walked 121 times.