Jason Koon

With the 2025 softball season in the books, here are the Hickory Daily Record’s choices for the best players in Catawba County.

Anicka McFarland, St. Stephens, Player of the Year

McFarland was one of Catawba’s elite softball players coming into this season. When she took her game up another notch for her senior year, it set her apart from the field.

McFarland was one of the most dominant two-way players in North Carolina this spring. As a pitcher, she finished tied for 11th in the state in strikeouts with 247. She did it while facing just 516 batters. In other words, about half of the batters she faced never made it out of the batter's box.

In the second game of the season, McFarland struck out 18 batters against Freedom High. She sat down 17 against Newton-Conover a few we

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