John Paul II softball trio leads fan poll for softball athlete of the year
John Paul II is known for producing quality athletes. A couple of weeks ago, fans had the opportunity to let their voices be heard in who they thought deserved to be voted as the VYPE DFW Private School Softball Player of the Year; heard they were! Sitting atop the polls was a trio from the Cardinals' squad: Emma Rodrigues, Taylor Marchin, and Aubrey Hutzler.
Emma Rodrigues
You might recognize Rodrigues' name from a few articles VYPE published during both the softball and track seasons. As a dual-sport athlete, Rodrigues put in the work to make sure she was at the top of her game for herself, her school, and her teammates. Rodrigues accomplished her goals in both track and softball. To cap off her year, she finished at the top of the fan poll with 36.46% of the votes.
Taylor Marchin
Taylor Marchin is an all-around athlete. A recent JPII graduate, she is headed off to Murray State College after a decorated high school career. Marchin was awarded the honor of being named 1st Team All-District, 1st Team All-State, Academic All-District, and State All-Tournament Team during her time with the Cardinals. Marchin recorded seven individual shut-outs, 4 additional shut-outs combined with another pitcher, as well as two individual no-hitters and two combined no-hitters. In the 2021 season, Marchin recorded 166 strikeouts. The star in the circle came in second place in the fan poll with 31.31% of the votes.
Aubrey Hutzler
Aubrey Hutzler is headed into her senior season with the Cardinals after a stellar junior season. Behind the plate, Hutzler posted a .982% fielding percentage while making only 4 errors in 225 total chances. At the plate, Hutzler has a .494 batting average as well as a .571 on-base percentage while recording 31 RBIs Hutzler came in third in the fan poll with 13.54% of the fans' votes.
It's safe to say there is no shortage of talent coming from the Cardinals' softball program. Fans should be excited to watch as this team continues to flourish during the offseason and into next year.