Buckingham County High School’s varsity softball team struggled some this year, but coaches in the district and beyond did not overlook the performances of several Lady Knights players, led by Emily Gormus, a standout who has now graduated.

Gormus was versatile for Buckingham (7-9), playing first base and serving as a key presence in the circle along with sophomore Mia Garrett.

As a first baseman, Gormus made the All-Region 2C first team, the Class 2 all-state second team and the All-James River District second team.

Lady Knights also making the all-district second team included Garrett, as a pitcher, junior Jayda Chambers, as an outfielder, and sophomore Tyshea Chambers, as a designated player/flex player.

Evaluating his team’s representation among the different level of awards, Buckingham Head Coach Mark Christian said, “We did pretty good.”

Reflecting on his team’s performance this season, the coach said, “We underachieved some, and I don’t know exactly as to why.”

He described the year as having ups and downs, with youth, weather and the school year’s schedule contributing to inconsistent play in more ways than one.

“We had more downs than we did ups, but I’m positive for next year, for sure, because I’m bringing back a lot of kids again. It’ll be more than I did last year,” Christian said.

He expressed appreciation for Gormus, highlighting why she received the first-team regional honor.

“Her previous reputation and (coaches) that did see her this year, they knew what kind of a ballplayer she was,” he said. “She’ll be greatly missed.”

In 44 at-bats, the four-year varsity player led the Lady Knights this season with 17 hits, including six doubles, and she tied for the team-high in runs scored, with 17, and home runs hit, with three. She had 13 RBIs, a batting average of .386, a .460 on-base percentage and a team-high .909 slugging percentage.

The internal team award winners were as follows: Most Valuable Player: Emily Gormus; Most Improved: sophomore Skyler Jamerson; Pitcher of the Year: Mia Garrett; Knight Award: sophomore Tyshea Chambers; Offensive Award: sophomore Alivia Newton; Coaches Award: senior Raven Morgan.