Kosciusko freshman Makynlee Dickerson is the March 14-20 Athlete of the Week for the website Scorebook Live. She received 27,927 online votes, nearly 48 percent of the votes cast for the 10 nominees, to finish more than 12,000 votes ahead of the runner-up, Northwest Rankin softball pitcher Jolie Hays.
“I want to thank all my friends and family who voted for me,” Dickerson said.
She was nominated for four singles and a double in three games at the Spring Fling in Meridian March 19.
Dickerson has been playing softball since she was six years old, and she moved into Kosciusko’s starting lineup last year as an eighth grader. “I grew up playing it and I love the sport.”
She started 2021 at second base but moved to shortstop midway through the season. “She really owns that position now. She is always in the right place,” said coach Tony Terry. “Offensively, she has come a long way.”
She said shortstop is more difficult than second base. “There’s a lot of ground to cover and you have to do a lot of things, covering second and third, things like that.”
As leadoff batter, she said her role is to wear down the pitcher and get on base. Through games last Saturday, she led the team in runs scored with 17 and was second in batting average (.467), on base average (.586), hits (21) and doubles (6).
Dickerson batted .327 last year when Kosciusko won the state 4A championship and was 5 for 13 in the three-game title series against North Pike. That included singles in Kosciusko’s tying five-run rally in the seventh inning and game winning four-run rally in the eighth of the decisive game.
She was also a nominee for Clarion-Ledger girls Athlete of the Week, finishing third.
Dickerson’s teammate Campbell Blaine is a nominee for Athlete of the Week by Scorebook Live and The Clarion-Ledger for March 21-27. She had doubles, a single, a triple and seven RBIs in victories over Lake and Nanih Waiya.
Online voting ends at noon Thursday for The Clarion Ledger and midnight Sunday for Scorebook Live.
Blaine, a Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen as one of the state’s 12 best players, is the Lady Whippets’ centerfielder. The junior is batting .353.
