Wayne's most memorable at-bat

Alexis Wayne had 417 at-bats in her five-year high school softball career, but there's one she'll never forget.

The Depew senior, named Western New York's Player of the Year, hit a walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth to beat rival Lancaster. The score was tied 2-2 when Wayne stepped to the plate.

"I figured I'm a senior, I'm a captain, and I've got to step up," Wayne said. "It was like [tied] 1-1, and I just went after the pitch, and it just happened to go over [the fence] and we won. They're supposed to be the better school, the bigger school. We knew it would be a really big win if we came out on top. We knew we would have to play our best."

Wayne leaves Depew having achieved many milestones. The 46 hits she had a sophomore broke the school record of 43 held by Ellie Hanover since 1993. She batted over .500 in her sophomore and junior years and finished with a career average of .427.

Wayne will attend Niagara University in the fall on a partial athletic scholarship.

Wayne was one of 14 players named to the All-Western New York softball team that appears in today's editions of The Buffalo News.

---Mary Jo Monnin

Comments

[Jesse Rosenhahn]

Nevermind I see it posted to the web now :-)

[Jesse Rosenhahn]

Is this the only article on the softball selections? I missed the hard copy in so all I see is what is online here. I agree that a lot of players are missed here. I'm curious as to the difference between the "Buffalo News Player Selections" and to what the Coaches actually voted on. Congrats to Dustin :-)

[TML1000]

I'm not saying it should just be a big school award...but this was a year where the larger schools had many of the top players. You had a team in Clarence that was far and away the areas best team for nearly the entire year and they only get one player on first team. I cannot fathom any players from other leagues having the same success if they faced the competition of ECIC I.

Norton, I'll give you Werth, as I only saw her play one time this year, but I think those six other players I mentioned all can make cases for first team.

If some of the NOL or Catholic teams had played better competition, they might have a case in my opinion but I can not remember any of them beating a large school. Also, none of the NOL teams advanced to a sectional final. Of course they had good years, but I think the kids who played best against the best have to be considered..."the best"...if that makes sense.

Well...it was a good year...see everyone in the fall.

[Norton]

The News really does have to take into account all the leagues. It just can't be a big school award. That being said, I don't understand how Genovese can be the ECIC 1 player of the year (pretty much inarguably the best conference in the area) and not make the All WNY team. It is a serious oversight in my opinion.

TML, with respect to Werth, trust me, she would star at ECIC 1 or any other scholastic league you want to put her in. She is a tremendous player.

[TML1000]

I do not understand the logic to this selection as well as many of the 1st teamers. How do you leave players like Genovese, Koshofer, Pfetner, Nappo, Vazquez and Bartkowiak off of the first team?? Genovese could have been POY and she wasn't even on the team...unreal. Dustin should honestly have been Pitcher and Player of the year. Players like Colonna, Werth, Pullo and Nash all had great statistical years, but they did not face nearly the level of competition as the names listed above. In an effort to have all of the leagues represented, many deserving players were slighted and that is simply wrong.

To have the POY come from a team that did not even make the sectional finals is ridiculous. Yes, she batted nearly .500 but so did many other players. One can argue that Attfield had a better year as a freshman, but you wouldn't dare give the award to an underclassman.