Nail, Jones, Keef claim other top honors

Molly Benefield burst onto the scene last year with a strong freshman season.

Luckily for her program, the Good Hope standout continued to hone her craft this past spring — just check out the numbers.

Benefield notched a 17-4 record, 1.08 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 142 innings on the mound, helping her earn Class 4A second-team All-State honors at her position.

At the plate, she batted .348 with 26 RBIs.

Those contributions allowed the Raiders dominate their county competition en route to claiming another county crown. Good Hope also earned an area championship and advanced to the North Regional before ultimately seeing its season come to an end.

Benefield played a huge role in that success, and for that, she headlines The Times’ All-Area softball team as Overall Player of the Year for the second straight year. Holly Pond’s Maggie Nail (Hitter of the Year) and Hanceville’s Josi Jones (Pitcher of the Year) garnered the other top accolades, while Good Hope’s Phillip Keef snagged Coach of the Year honors.

See capsules for each honoree below as well as the full All-Area softball team.

Editor’s Note: The All-Area softball team was picked after reviewing the 2025 season and speaking with local coaches. However, with a limited number of spots, it’s possible some deserving players were left out.

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PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Name: Molly Benefield

School: Good Hope

Class: Sophomore

Highlights: Compiled a 1.08 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 142 innings. Held opposing hitters to a .159 batting average against en route to a 17-4 record | Compiled a .348 average with 26 RBIs and 12 walks | Class 4A second-team All-State (pitcher)

Coach Speak: “Molly worked extremely hard this year. She puts in a lot of extra work after practice and during the offseason. Molly understands that to get where she would like to be, she has to work and get better every day.” — Phillip Keef

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HITTER OF THE YEAR

Name: Maggie Nail

School: Holly Pond

Class: Junior

Highlights: Compiled a .684 average with a .719 on-base percentage, 1.806 OPS, 39 hits, 19 stolen bases, 17 runs, 14 doubles, 10 RBIs, five walks, three triples and a home run | Class 3A second-team All-State (infielder)

Coach Speak: “Maggie is a great hitter. I believe it’s the direct result of how much hard work and discipline she puts into her training. I also believe she is such a mentally tough athlete who never quits and always has a great attitude. She is the type of player that is always encouraging her teammates in really every aspect of the game. I think she could play any position for us and be successful.” — Zach Qualls

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PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Name: Josi Jones

School: Hanceville

Class: Sophomore

Highlights: Compiled a 2.66 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 100 innings. Held opposing hitters to a .178 batting average against | Compiled a .467 average with a .509 on-base percentage, 1.156 OPS, 49 hits, 38 RBIs, 32 runs, 11 doubles, nine stolen bases and four triples | Class 3A second-team All-State (utility)

Coach Speak: “When Josi was on the mound, batters never knew what was coming. She can throw about 20 different pitches. At the plate, she usually came through in the clutch with runners in scoring position.” — Wayne Davidson

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COACH OF THE YEAR

Name: Phillip Keef

School: Good Hope

Highlights: Helped guide the Raiders to a 24-13-1 record, county championship and Class 4A, Area 13 title. Good Hope also advanced to the North Regional.

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First Team

Lainey Evans, Addison

Brooklyn Ingram, Cold Springs

Reese Hopper, Cullman

Ayda Payne, Fairview

Addison Phillips, Fairview

Haley Lay, Good Hope

Natalie Miller, Good Hope

Kylee Smith, Good Hope

Lizzy Steed, Good Hope

Kynzlee Farr, Hanceville

Isabella Spinks, Hanceville

Bryleigh Basinger, Vinemont

Tori Vines, Vinemont

Katie Beth Yovino, West Point

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Honorable Mention

Addison: Mackenzie Carter, AnnaBeth Powell

Cold Springs: Sadie Smith, Kaydance Williams

Cullman: Hattie Graham, Abby Maples

Fairview: Emily Benson, Ava Pruett

Good Hope: Addyson Burgess, Campbell Koch

Hanceville: Karrigan Pipkin

Holly Pond: Alana Folds

Vinemont: Abby Kuykendall, Haley Millwood

West Point: Macie Brown, Lauren Windham