After leading the Lady Lions to a Class 3A State championship during her senior season, Daniel High School’s Carley Hoover was named the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year on Monday.

CENTRAL — The accolades continue to roll in for recent Daniel High School graduate Carley Hoover.

An All-State pitcher for the Daniel softball team, leading the Lady Lions to their first-ever State crown last month was just the beginning of what has been a stellar few weeks for Hoover, to say the least.

Just a few days after her graduation June 1, Hoover was named the Gatorade South Carolina Softball Player of the Year for the second year in a row, but the crown jewel of an already-packed high school trophy case came on Monday, when Gatorade announced Hoover had earned National Player of the Year honors.

Hoover, a Stanford University signee, was surprised with the news by former Cardinal and Olympic silver medalist Lauren Lappin.

“It felt great to surprise Carley with the news and invite her into one of the most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports,” said Lappin, a former US National Team elite member.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Hoover as the nation’s best high school softball player.

A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Hoover from nearly 373,000 high school softball players nationwide. Hoover is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 6-foot-2 senior right-hander led the Lions (24-4) to the Class 3A state championship this past season, posting a 16-4 record in the circle with a 0.15 ERA and 338 strikeouts in 138 innings.

A four-time All-State selection and the High School Sports Report Class 3A Player of the Year, Hoover batted .500 with four home runs and 45 runs scored.

Hoover has maintained a 3.84 GPA in the classroom. Also a volleyball standout, she was president of her senior class and has volunteered locally delivering food to the needy and coaching youth softball players.

“I think she’s the next great pitcher at Stanford,” said Derek Allister of OnDeck Softball. “She’s the kid who can get them to the World Series. She throws gas. She’s one of the few kids legitimately in the upper 60s. I think she’s a great kid and she’s tough, too.”

Gatorade has been honoring the nation’s top high school players for nearly 30 years.

“Without question, Carley is deserving of recognition as the nation’s best high school softball player based on her statistics on the mound and the impact her accomplishments have had on Daniel High School’s success,” said Gatorade vice president of global and sports marketing Andrea Fairchild. “But she is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young athletes of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. She represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient.”

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track and field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA Today High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning, WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie, NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith, two-time beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh and three-time 200-meter World Champion Allyson Felix.

T. Ed Garrison

ANDERSON — Former Senator T. Ed Garrison, a lifelong farmer and supporter of Clemson University, as well as the namesake of the university’s T. Ed Garrison Arena, died Sunday of natural causes at age 91.

Garrison was a 1942 Clemson graduate and served as a pilot in the Pacific Theatre during World War II before entering the political arena.

He was instrumental in bringing about the state’s first regional tourism and historic preservation office, Pendleton District Historical, Recreational, and Tourism Commission, to serve Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties, said Pendleton District Commission executive director Vicki Fletcher.

“During his tenure in both houses, T. Ed Garrison was a recognized leader in the areas of agriculture, forestry and natural resources, serving in both the House and Senate on committees for those industries so close to his heart,” Fletcher said. “The Garrison family farmstead, Denver Downs Farm, is one of the state’s premier agri-tourism sites and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.”

Clemson University board of trustees vice chairman and chairman of the agriculture and natural resources committee, Bob Peeler said “the Clemson family is saddened to learn of the passing of one of our own.”

“He had a long life of service, and we are forever grateful for his many contributions, which enhanced the quality of life for all South Carolinians,” Peeler said. “We will hold him and his family, many of whom are also Clemson alumni, in our hearts and memory in the days ahead. He will always be a special part of Clemson’s history.”

Supporters packed the sidewalks and roadsides from Easley to Seneca on Monday as the annual “Honoring Their Service” parade made its way to Keowee Key.

By Nicole Daughhetee

Courier Staff

UPSTATE — For the last few years, Keowee Key has hosted more than 140 members of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) from Camp Lejeune, N.C., and members of the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment from Greenville, as part of an annual “Honoring Their Service” event.

The 2013 program began with the arrival of the Marines on Monday, where a motorcycle escort awaited them at the J.B. “Red” Owens Complex in Easley. From there, hundreds of motorcyclists, with support from law enforcement organizations from the counties and towns along the way, escorted the heroes through the towns of Liberty, Norris, Central, Clemson and Seneca to their final destination inside Keowee Key, where they will enjoy a variety of activities throughout the week.

Along the route they traveled, the Marines received waves and salutes from local residents who lined the streets to show their respect and support as the Marines passed through.

Josh Garrison, an Easley resident, joined one of the groups along U.S. 123 in Easley to show his support. He has participated in the event since its inception.

“I’ve had several friends who have served. I went to church with Barrett Austin,” Garrison said, referring to the Pickens County soldier who lost his life overseas following an explosion earlier this year.

The “Honoring Their Service” event began at Keowee Key several years ago when a partnership of sorts was forged between Keowee Key residents and Roger C. Peace Hospital. From there, the event has grown to include other upstate municipalities like Seneca and Easley.

“95 percent of the residents at Keowee Key are retired military. We have a lot of time on our hands and we have the amenities to be able to offer these men and women,” Timothy Callahan, one of the event founders and organizers, said. “We kept it in our gated community the first year only because we wanted to make sure we could deliver what we promised.”

“Honoring Their Service” is more than a motorcade; it is a several-day event designed to help service men and women returning from combat by offering them much-needed rest and relaxation, and it is a way to show them that local communities of Americans really do care about and appreciate what they are doing.

“It is amazing the capacity for compassion I have seen here in the Upstate,” said Callahan.

The program, which began with a request to assist with a waterskiing event, has since evolved into a fantastic event which involves hundreds of volunteers from within and outside our community. The initial event was contained totally inside the gates of Keowee Key, but it now actively involves the towns of Easley (the staging area of the motorcade), Seneca (the Veterans’ Appreciation Event), Salem (with a meeting with the mayor and a home cooked breakfast put on by the town) and Clemson (for a tour of the Clemson University football facilities and Death Valley stadium on the day of their departure).

“During the day we provide activities such as water-skiing, jet-skiing, kayaking on both Lake Keowee and down the Little River, swimming, boating, fishing, archery, golf, tennis, hiking and if time permits, resting,” Callahan said.

The Roger C. Peace Rehabilitation Hospital in Greenville partners with Keowee Key and provides therapists, equipment and other support to ensure the safety of guests as they indulge in these activities

“Honoring Their Service” is all about what we as a community can do for these men and women who make sacrifices to protect our communities through their military service, said Callahan.

“Many of these warriors have emotional wounds that can’t be seen from the outside, but they aren’t looking for sympathy,” said Callahan. “Shock and awe have become overused and trite, but these guys can’t believe that all of this is done just for them.”

Pam Kimmell and her 12-year-old niece, Karlie, were also along the motorcade route with American flags in hand.

“I believe that you should honor our Marines — our military,” she said. “They sacrifice so much for us.”

For more information, please visit www.c4warriors.org, where you will find information about the event, as well as information on Communities for Marines, which is a charitable 501(c)3 organization that was set up to sponsor these events All contributions are tax-deductible and may be sent to Communities for Marines, P.O. Box 607, Salem, SC 29676.

Contributions are used to cover costs like bus transportation, lunches, a formal dinner, a departure breakfast for the guests, and essential items needed to assure the event is a success.

BLWS

EASLEY — Ten local baseball players, representing all four Pickens County high schools, will have a chance to help the S.C. District 1 host team return to glory at next month’s Big League World Series in Easley.

Easley High is the most well-represented school on the team’s roster, which was unveiled Monday at the J.B. “Red” Owens Complex in Easley, site of the tournament, which is scheduled from July 25-31.

A trio of former Green Wave standouts will return to the team from last season in Wil Hartsell, Stephen McKnight and Will Porter, currently on the rosters at Charleston Southern, Anderson University and Lander, respectively. In addition, current Easley players Brandon Hood, Brice Maready and Casey Woody are first-year players for the host squad.

Daniel High will be represented by returning pitcher Daniel Nations and first-year player Robert Kosch, now teammates at Newberry College, while Pickens graduate Matthew Eubanks will be back this year and join Liberty grad Javy Taylor, his teammate at North Greenville University, to round out the local representatives on the team.

The host squad finished 4-2 in last year’s series, losing in the championship game to Puerto Rico, and has not won a tournament crown since 2007. The host team has won four world titles, including three in a row from 2003-2005.

“In the last 12 years this host team has had some of the finest talent in South Carolina and in the United States,” district administrator Tommy Keef said. “We’re the only host team that has ever won a World Series out of about 77 years of history with Little League, and I’ve got a feeling that 2013 — 13 is my lucky number — will have us win another championship and keep the tradition going.”

The only other returning player from last year’s team is T.L. Hanna’s Max McDougald.

Headlining the group of newcomers is University of South Carolina commitment L.T. Tolbert, a rising junior at Wren High School.

Rounding out the roster are Taylor Cothran and Adam Hill of T.L. Hanna, Jake Crawford of Belton-Honea Path and Zach Biggers and David Medlin of Walhalla.

The Big League World Series is in its 13th year in Easley and pits 11 teams of 16-19 year olds from around the world in an eight-day tournament to determine a champion each year.

This year’s championship game is set to be televised live by ESPN at 8 p.m. on July 31.