Tonia Witt Photo
South Warren shortstop McLaine Hudson insists that her team likes to play the best teams and “want their best” when they do play.
They certainly got that last week in the state tournament quarterfinals when South Warren beat Madison 4-3 in eight innings on a two-run homer by Layla Ogden after Central took the lead with a solo home run in the top of the inning.
South Warren will take a 43-0 mark into today’s state semifinal matchup at 3:30 p.m. against Highlands (35-6) at John Cropp Stadium on the UK campus. Bullitt East (31-4) will play George Rogers Clark (38-5) in the second semifinal at 6:30 p.m. with the title game Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Spartans remain the favorite to win the state championship and would become the state’s all-time winningest team if they do that. Three unbeaten teams Greenwood (44-0 in 2013), Male (39-0 in 2019) and Ballard (39-0 in 2022) have won the state title. Greenwood has the state record for season wins with 44 while McCracken County won 43 in 2016. East Carter (2018), McCracken County (2014) and Allen County-Scottsville (2011) all won 41 games.
“We embrace the pressure. I love hearing people in the stands saying we are overrated and what not. This team’s embraced it, I’ve embraced it, and we know that we have some sort of target on our back, but we embrace it for sure,” Hudson said.
The South Warren senior, a Florida State signee, has more than embraced the pressure. She’s thrived on it so well that Andy Villamarzo of Rivals.com has her on his national high school player of the year watchlist.
She’s a two-time Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year. As a junior she hit .619 with 20 home runs, 60 RBIs and 73 hits in 38 games. She had 10 triples, 11 doubles, and 18 walks while only striking out four times. This season she has 26 home runs, 95 hits, 25 doubles, 78 RBI’s and 49 stolen bases.
Hudson leads the state in batting average (.730), home runs, hits and runs (103) and is second in RBI to teammate Parker Willoughby (80/78).
Hudson will be the single-season and career all-time leader in hits, runs, home runs, and batting average when her career ends. She has 436 career hits, 89 home runs, and 296 RBI. She broke the records for more hits in a season, career hits and career home runs set by Kaylee Tow in 2017.
“She is a very humble athlete. She deals with pressure very well. She feels the pressure, but she does what she does to help us win,” South Warren coach Kelly Reynolds said. “She’s just a great athlete, and she’s just been an elite player for us now for six years.”
Reynolds is not sure if another player will ever be able to match the numbers Hudson has amassed.
“There might be one to do what she has done but it won’t be easy. There may be a girl who comes through years and years down the road, but McClain is so competitive and she wants the competition. That’s what I appreciate the most about her. She is never satisfied. No matter what she has done, she wants to do more,” Reynolds said.
Hudson really has not thought a lot about back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
“It’s a very prestigious honor but I am just enjoying spending all this time with my teammates and have not really thought about anything else that much,” Hudson said. “I am so honored but winning state is the main goal. Not all the (postseason) games are going to be pretty and this one (against Madison Central) wasn’t but it shows the grit of this team. We are not going to give up.”
