The 2026 Franklin Free Press All-Franklin County Softball Team
2026 Franklin Free Press All-Franklin County Softball Team
First Team
P - Zoey Blaxton, Jr., BHS
P - Taitum Bishop, Soph., RHS
C - Caleigh Lawson, Jr., BHS
INF - Alyssa Fischer, Sr., THS
INF - Braxtyn Quinn, Sr., VHS
INF - Lexi Little, Sr., THS
INF - Georgia Motes, 8th, PCHS
OF - Bryn Scott, Sr., BHS
OF - Ticelee Gholston, Jr., RHS
OF - Chaley Bullington, Jr., PCHS
UTIL - Jemma Moore, Jr., BHS
Second Team
P - Cadence Kennedy, Soph., THS
P - Mikayla Shotts, Fr., VHS
C - Bella Welch, Sr., PCHS
INF - Kyla Blackburn, Sr., RBHS
INF - Kendra Williams, Soph., BHS
INF - Bri McCulloch, Soph., RHS
OF - Khristyan Huerta, Jr., RHS
OF - Tinlee Parker, Soph., PCHS
OF - Kenzie Elrod, Jr., VHS
UTIL - Shaylyn Bryant, Sr., BHS
Honorable Mentions
Allie Gann, Fr., THS
Charley Lindley, 8th, RBHS
Hadley Griffin, 8th, RBHS
McKenna Young, Sr., RBHS
Shiloh Madden, Jr., PCHS
Sadie Odom, Soph., RHS
Coach of the Year
Jonathan Jones, Tharptown
The Franklin Free Press is happy to announce its 2026 All-Franklin County Softball Team. The All-County Team is made up of players nominated by the head coaches and selected by the FFP sports editor. The Franklin County Coach of the Year is voted on by the head coaches.
This year’s First Team consists of four players from Belgreen, one from Vina, two from Phil Campbell, two from Russellville, and two from Tharptown.
Belgreen’s Zoey Blaxton, Caleigh Lawson, Bryn Scott and Jemma Moore were tapped for the First Team, all central to the Lady Bulldogs’ run to the North Regional tournament.
Blaxton, a junior, makes her second appearance on the FFP All-County Softball First Team after another great season in the circle. Blaxton finished the campaign with 12 wins, 80 strikeouts, and a 3.43 ERA through 153 innings of work. In addition to her effort defensively, she helped her team offensively throughout the year with 22 RBI and 20 runs scored.
Behind the plate for Belgreen was junior Caleigh Lawson, who had a .956 fielding percentage at the catcher position. Offensively, Lawson, a Second Team All-County selection last year, hit .340, had an OBP of .461, and drove in 20 runs for the Lady Bulldogs.
The next First Team selection for BHS is senior outfielder Bryn Scott who was an All-County First Team outfielder last season, as well. In the final season of her stellar softball career, which sees her go down as the program’s all-time leader in hits (245) and runs scored (219), Scott hit for a .414 average and had an OBP of .466; she ultimately recorded 55 hits and came around to score 40 times while defensively finishing with a .941 fielding percentage.
Rounding out Belgreen’s First Team picks is junior Jemma Moore who aided her team both with her bat and with her arm. In the batters box, Moore had 48 hits, including five home runs, for a .364 average, and she finished with 38 RBI and 22 runs scored. In the circle, she ended up with three wins and 37 strikeouts in 50.1 innings pitched.
Vina’s First Team selection is senior Braxtyn Quinn. Batting .411 and only striking out five times all season, Quinn was a hard out in her final year. She finished the season with 27 RBI for the Lady Red Devils and stole 20 bases. This is Quinn’s second appearance on the All-Franklin County First Team.
Phil Campbell’s two All-Franklin County players are Georgia Motes and Chaley Bullington.
Motes, just an eighth-grader, had a very solid year for the Lady Bobcats, playing shortstop and typically batting in the two-hole. Motes finished the campaign with a .389 batting average, and she had an on-base percentage of .455. Her hits included 10 doubles, she drove in 27 runs and she came around to score for her team 32 times. Motes was also a threat on the base paths, swiping 12 bags.
The other Lady Bobcat tapped for the First Team is junior Chaley Bullington who hit for a .421 average, the second best average among nominated position players, and reached base in half of all her plate appearances. Of her hits this season, Bullington had 13 doubles and an inside-the-park home run. Her performances, highlighted by her state record-setting seven-hit game vs. Red Bay, also included 23 RBI, 37 runs scored, and 17 stolen bases.
A pair of sophomores, Taitum Bishop and Ticelee Gholston, were Russellville’s All-County First Team players.
Bishop was the Lady Golden Tigers’ workhorse in the circle this year, tossing 170.2 innings, striking out a whopping 155 batters and finishing the year with a 17-14 record. Allowing 77 earned runs, she ended the campaign with a 3.15 ERA, the best among nominated pitchers. In addition to her pitching duties, Bishop also got the job done with her bat, hitting .381 with 16 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 42 RBI.
Gholston, now another two-time All-Franklin County First Team outfield selection, had the best batting average among nominated players; with 78 total hits from the leadoff spot, including 10 doubles, six triples and a homer, she drove in 23 runs and batted a healthy .435. A threat with her speed, as well, Gholston stole 35 bases and came around to score 54 runs.
The final two All-Franklin County First Team players hail from Tharptown: seniors Lexi Little and Alyssa Fischer.
Little, manning first base for the Lady Wildcats, hit for a .355 average during the campaign while Fischer, playing at the other hot corner, was one of the five All-County players who hit above .400. Little hit two home runs and drove in 22 runs; meanwhile, Fischer, with her .409 average, managed seven homers and had 30 RBI. Fischer was also her team’s top pitcher, completing the year with a 3.58 ERA while leaving 111 runners stranded.
Little and Fischer were coached up by Jonathan Jones, who was voted the Franklin County Coach of the Year. Jones led the Lady Wildcats to a Franklin County Tournament title and to a berth in the Class 2A North Regional. THS finished the year with a 20-19 record.