Photo: Bill Wilson/The Anniston Star
Spring Garden reached its first state tournament last year behind Blevins. She was the driving force behind the Panthers' return this year, as well.
Blevins dominated from the pitching circle this year. She finished the season with a 25-8 record and a remarkable 0.95 ERA. More impressively, Blevins struck out 421 batters in 214 innings, while only allowing 100 hits.
"She's able to go out there no matter who we were playing and make a dent in their lineup all by herself with her strikeouts," Spring Garden coach Ann Welsh said. "She's got a lot of speed, she's very accurate in hitting her spots and she has movement on the ball too. I think it's just the power. She's a strong girl."
Blevins finished the year with nine shutouts and five no-hitters.
Her pitching prowess was enough to earn serious accolades by itself. Add in her .510 batting average and 48 RBIs and it's easy to see why she has been named The Star's Area Player of the Year.
Twenty-two of Blevins' 53 hits went for extra bases, which means the Spring Garden cleanup hitter didn't often miss RBI opportunities.
While Blevins has established herself as a slugger, she said she prefers the pitching circle to the batter's box.
When it came to the biggest stage — the state tournament against Lynn — Blevins was at her best. She set a state tournament record by striking out 21 in 3-2 win.
Here's the scary thing for area rivals: Blevins did all that as just a sophomore.
She's back next year. She's hungry as well.
"We're not losing anyone this coming year so I think we have a good chance of winning state this year," Blevins said. "This year makes us feel really confident and I think we're getting stronger as a team."
Spring Garden is in the game any time Blevins takes the circle.
Welsh said the sophomore has established herself as a special talent. Proving Welsh's point, Blevins has already set a new school record in career strikeouts.
"Around here you just don't see pitching like she has," Welsh said. "As far as going into next postseason level you see it more. She has helped us take that next little step."
Eventually, Blevins wants to play college ball. Welsh thinks if she continues to improve that shouldn't be a problem.
For now, though, Blevins is focused on making a bigger impact on the 2010 state tournament.
"I had a great year and we did really well as a team," Blevins said. "I work hard at home and hard work pays off. Maybe I can have another great year next year."
