Burnet softball players named to all-state teams

Two Burnet High School softball players received all-state honors thanks to voters of two different organizations.

Junior catcher Camrynn Guthrie was named honorable mention to the Class 4A all-state team of the Texas Sports Writers Association, while graduate Savannah Gomez was named to the Class 4A all-state team of the Texas Girls Coaches Association.

Lady Dawgs head coach Hailey Wooten noted the state has some great athletes and the competition is fierce.

“Along with other good players, you never know (what voters will decide), especially if we don’t have a good season,” she said. “I wasn’t sure but definitely surprised and pleased.”

As part of the nomination process, Wooten submitted statistics.

Gomez had a season batting average of .453, 23 RBIs, a fielding percentage of .921, and one home run in 2022. Last season, Gomez hit seven homers.

The coach noted there are plenty of coaches of opposing teams relieved that Gomez has graduated.

“Coaches have a hard time forgetting who the great athletes are,” Wooten said. “They don’t want to face certain athletes. They make complimentary comments.”

While Gomez’s stats are self-explanatory, Wooten noted the graduate’s presence will be missed.

“She’s always been a leader, that’s one of the qualifications,” she said. “She’s played center field since her freshman year. She was vocal, she was the most experienced. She covered the most ground; she has to cover left center and right center also. That’s the spot you put your most experienced outfielder. She has a great arm, and she’s accurate.”

Guthrie, who was named the district’s catcher of the year in 2020 and named second team all-district in 2021, had a .975 fielding percentage and a caught-stealing percentage of .403, a .481 batting average, and .524 on base percentage “against some of the toughest teams in the state,” Wooten said. The catcher also hit seven homers in 2022.

Wooten summed up Guthrie.

“Be afraid of the calmest athlete in the arena,” she said. “You wouldn’t know if Camrynn was having her worst game or her best game. She trusts the process because she’s put in so much work.”

The coach said she knew Guthrie’s impact on the program immediately after watching the player throw in 2020.

“You could tell she was going to be elite,” she said. “I heard a lot about her her freshman year, but I didn’t see her in softball (immediately). She played volleyball and basketball. When she stepped on the field, she had a high-level throw.”

Guthrie has attended throwing camps and academies that helped her create powerful throws that are on target. Wooten noted Guthrie has been clocked on throwing overhead in the 60s mph. When catching for the Lady Dawgs, Guthrie tries to pick off the runner on first base. If that ball gets past first base, the runner is fast enough to score.

“Catcher is new to her,” Wooten said. “She plays outfield for her select team. When she started high-level throwing, she was learning from the outfield. She can definitely put the ball on the money. She practices a lot. I trust Camrynn to make that throw to first because she is so accurate.”

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