The American Family Insurance ALL-USA softball team for the 2015-16 season was selected based on performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.
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Player of the Year: Ashlee Swindle, Curry (Jasper, Ala.)
Sherwood High School’s Ashley Barber-Strunk is the 2016 ALL-USA Softball Coach of the Year (Photo: Gary Peters)
Coach of the Year:
Name: Ashley Barber-Strunk
School: Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.)
Record: 20-0
In her first three years in charge, Barber-Strunk has yet to lose a game as head coach of the Warriors. That’s 60 wins, zero losses, and three Maryland Class 4A state titles under her watch.
Overall, Sherwood owns a state-record 103-game winning streak and has won five state championships in a row — a streak that began under previous coach Pat Flanagan. But the Warriors are Barber-Strunk’s team now, and the success has caught the attention of one famous Sherwood alum.
Just how dominant were the Warriors in 2016? They allowed 10 runs all year, with seven coming in a victory against rival Northwest (Germantown, Md.). The two runs Sherwood surrendered in the title-game triumph against Chopticon (Morganza, Md.) were the only runs the squad allowed in its final eight games.
The battery of senior pitcher Jaime Schmier and junior catcher Brittany Mathis led the way on the field while Barber-Strunk steered the ship from the dugout, guiding the Warriors to No. 8 in the USA TODAY High School Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Super 25 rankings.