Perry eighth-grader Lydia Olejniczak wasted little time in drawing the right kind of attention to herself, as her stellar play on the diamond has earned the shortstop a spot on the Class 4A All-State Third Team.
She joins Winterset’s Jena Young (First Team) and ADM’s Aliya Young (Third Team) as the only eighth-graders selected in 4A by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association. Among the five classes, only six eighth-graders earned All-State honors, with only 14 total freshmen chosen.
Olejniczak hit .405 and posted on-base and slugging percentages of .467 and of .620, respectively. Hitting exclusively from the lead-off spot, she finished with 32 total hits, including three doubles, a triple and four home runs, driving in eight runs in the process.
She scored 22 runs, was safe on 11-of-12 stolen base attempts and struck out just 11 times in 90 total plate appearances.
A rare eighth-grade starter in the fiercely competitive Raccoon River Conference, she had 56 assists and 54 put-outs while seeing 131 chances at the busiest defensive spot to create an .840 fielding percentage.
The Jayettes finished 5-24 overall and were 0-14 in RRC play, with her inclusion a testament to the high regard the IGCA viewed her statistical output.
