Monett’s Bailey named Springfield Sports Commission Awards Boys Golf Player of the Year at annual banquet

Seven other local athletes and the Mt. Vernon Lady Mt’neers softball team also nominated for awards
Tuesday, June 20, the Ozarks celebrated the area’s best athletes and teams. The annual Springfield Sports Commission Awards ceremony was held at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds E-Plex on Tuesday night. The area’s best athletes and teams gathered to be recognized for their achievements for the fall and spring sports seasons.
Monett’s Bailey wins Boys Golf Player of the Year
Monett’s Jaxson Bailey was named Boys Golf Player of the Year. A senior, Bailey was the Class 3 state-runner-up after firing a 73-74 147 at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield. He was the district individual champion, and tied for first- and won on the third playoff hole in the Big 8 Conference meet at Neosho. He also won the Missouri State Relays, Reeds Spring, Bolivar and Marshfield. In the MSU Relays, it went to a five-way playoff lasting four holes, with Bailey birdieing the final hole.
Other nominees
Other Lawrence County nominees included Marionville’s Wil Carlton for Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Marionville reached the Class 2 state quarterfinals, and Carlton was a big reason why. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals and had a 1.88 assist-to-turnover ratio. He was voted All-State in Class 2 and earned Player of the Year honors in both the Southwest Conference and in District 12.
Miller’s Addison Stockton was nominated for Girls Performance of the Year. It was a tremendous volleyball season for Miller, which reached the Class 1 state championship game for the second year in a row. One of the great shorelines was that of Addison Stockton, who had 47 digs in a five-set loss to Advance. That total is tied for third-most all-time in the MSHSAA record book. That’s also an average of 9.4 digs per set which is an incredible statistic.
Monett’s Katherine Simmons was nominated for Girls Soccer Player of the Year. A junior goalkeeper, Simmons earned Goalkeeper of the Year for the Big 8 Conference, First Team All-District and Goal Keeper of the Year. She was responsible for five shutouts and had a total of 145 saves. As her coach put it, Simmons was a real game changer, as she made everybody around her even better. It’s no wonder that Monett made her the team captain for this past season’s team.
Also from Monett, Konner Poynter was nominated for Boys Track Athlete of the Year. Some stories are simply harder to believe than others, Poynter took up the 300-meter hurdles in mid-April and then went on to win the event at the Class 4 MSHSAA Track & Field Championships. As a senior he ran it in 38.33 seconds, winning by more than a second. He also competed at state in the 200-meter and the 110-meter hurdles.
This year also saw three Mt. Vernon athletes along with the Mt. Vernon Lady Mt’neers softball team nominated.
Isabella Mosley and Allie Schubert were both nominated for Girls Tennis Players of the Year. Mosley and Schubert qualified for state in doubles in 2021. The two returned this past year to help lead Mt. Vernon to an 11-3 team record, and a second-place finish in the Class 1 District 10 championship. Mosley and Schubert had a solid season in 2022, including a third-place finish at the Show-Me Spotlight, and won the Joplin Tournament.
Harley Daniels was nominated for Softball Player of the Year. Daniels was the key piece of the Class 2 state champion Lady Mt’neers (37-1), largely contributing both in the circle and a the plate. She finished the season with a 29-1 record, boasting a 1.62 ERA and 229 strikeouts, which broke her own single season strikeout record of 226 which she set her sophomore year. At the plate, Daniels slashed an impressive .545 average with 20 doubles and 44 RBI, she was named the Big 8 Conference Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year, in addition to earning First Team All-District, All Region and All-State honors and All-State Pitcher of the Year. She was also named to the Final 4 All-tournament team. Daniels will be attending and playing softball on scholarship at State Fair Community College in Sedalia.
The final Lawrence County nomination went to the Lady Mt’neers Softball Team who was nominated for Girls Team of the Year. Mt. Vernon captured its second softball state championship in history, and its first since 2016, with a 6-0 victory against West County in the Class 2 finale. Daniels pitched seven innings, yielding five hits and one walk while striking out nine. Daniels also supplied a run-scoring double before Cheyenne Bieber hit a two-run triple. Hali Stokes’ single pushed the lead to 4-0. Coached by Matt Schubert, who was named the Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year, the Mt’neers stormed through the postseason, with 13-3 and 13-2 wins and finished 37-1. In addition to their success on the field, the team also had 14 players receive Academic All-State Honors and had an overall 3.84 team GPA.
Those who were nominated all agreed that even though they weren’t selected as the winners, it was an honor being nominated.