In her only year on the Lady Bulldog varsity team, she saw limited playing time but her impact on the team went far beyond the number of games played or a batting average.

Bulldog coach John Toolan said Martin embodies the idea that while not everyone can be the best player on the team, they can be the best teammate.

Martin has been named the 2024 Whitney Megan Langley Memorial Scholarship winner.

Langley, a 2006 Crestview graduate, was a star on the softball team and was playing at a junior college in Alabama when she lost her life in a car accident.

The scholarship is selected by the Crestview softball staff and awarded by the Langley family, including her parents, Greg and Marge, and her siblings.

Martin is honored to receive the scholarship and was quick to say there were other deserving players among the senior class.

“I was surprised, really surprised,” she said. “There is such a good group of girls out there that could have gotten it.

“It’s going to help a lot because I’m going to go into nursing. I know people will always need help and that I can benefit a lot of them (those needing help as a nurse).”

Toolan said he was vaguely familiar with the Whitney Langley story when he was named the Crestview coach last summer, and he wanted to know more and do more for the scholarship.

“I knew the story, that she (Whitney) had been killed in a car wreck but that was about it,” he said. “I reached out to Mrs. Langley because I had some ideas to do a tournament.

“I was looking for things to build off, but the biggest thing I had to build on was a tragedy. I reached out to Mrs. Langley and told her I wanted to build this program, and I think this will help and she jumped on board.”

As the tournament honoring Whitney Langley grows, Toolan wants it to serve as a fundraiser for the scholarship that adds money to the Langley family donation.

“I want to build the tournament and give money to the scholarship. I don’t know what that looks like, but I want to build the scholarship,” Toolan said.

Toolan said Martin was the obvious choice for the scholarship because of her hard work and dedication to the program.

“I’ve known Kayla a while,” he said. “She may not be the most valuable player, but she will be the most valuable teammate. I want this program to be known for working hard and doing right in all we do and that’s Kayla and her family.”

Marge Langley is grateful for the way Toolan has embraced her daughter’s legacy and proud to have Martin win the scholarship.

“The Whitney Scholarship is for teamwork, dedication and commitment to the team,” she said. “We are so touched to know our daughter was being honored … Obviously, Whitney made an impact on people’s lives.

“It really blessed us when John shared the commitment Kayla had for the team. He said he could count on Kayla and her parents for that support. She was dedicated and committed to her team, which is what the scholarship is about — commitment, dedication and hard work.”

As interim coach, Toolan simply had to step in and do the softball. The camp was already scheduled and set in place by the previous Lady Bulldog coach Michelle Howard.

“Trying to get through your banquets, your graduations and then put this together is tough,” Toolan said. “I learned a lot this year because last year I didn’t have to deal with the graduation and the banquet. The camp was kind of my first job.

“This year was a little different, so you live and learn.”

The part Toolan and his staff of players serving as coaches didn’t have to learn was softball. The Lady Bulldogs were quick to shout words of encouragement to the young ladies that might one day coach another generation of players.

“We didn’t have as many players as last year, but we had plenty, 25 or maybe 30,” he said. “We didn’t advertise the camp as much because we were busy with everything else. At the end of the day, we met our goal.

“We didn’t have as many kids, but I think the quality was much better ball players. We could have pitched to the girls, and they would have hit it all day.”

Most softball and baseball camps follow a similar script of things to work on. The only difference might be when hitting or fielding is taught. Some sort of softball/baseball game is played near the end of each day of the camp. Camps focus on hitting, fielding, throwing and base running in one order or another.

Teaching those things is important, but the most important part of Lady Bulldog camp was growing softball in the Crestview community.

“I have such a great group of players here that I told them that the biggest and most important thing was to have fun,” Toolan said. “Teach softball and have fun because we want to grow the sport.

“The younger kids look up to these ballplayers and want to be like them. It was amazing to see the little girls watch our players like they were superstars.”

Crestview had another chance to exorcise the demon Niceville softball represents on Thursday in the District 2-6A tournament championship game in Niceville.

In the end, the Lady Eagle dominance continued in a 9-0 win.

Things started off well enough for the Lady Bulldogs in the top of the first inning.

Ava Secor was hit by the first pitch of the game. Moriah Keith followed by drawing a walk.

Cambell Toolan led off the Lady Bulldogs second with a double but that was the extent of Crestview’s offense until the fifth inning.

Riley Cooper reached on an error with one out and Paige Dietz singled for the second Crestview hit of the game. Dietz’s hit would be the last of the season for the Lady Bulldogs.

Toolan walked in the seventh inning and Copeland was hit by a pitch.

Niceville never had a big inning, but the Lady Eagles did score two runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings and three runs in the third to cruise to the win and claim the championship.

In years past the Lady Bulldogs would be preparing for the opening round of the playoffs as the district runner up and would travel to the top seed in District 1. But now Crestview is at the mercy of the computer formula that places rest of the playoff teams in the region to go along with the four district champions.

The Lady Bulldogs will finish the season with a 14-10 record if they don’t make the playoffs.

First-year Crestview coach John Toolan hated to see the season end but took the loss in stride as part of the learning curve for him and his team.

“Overall, you have to compete,” he said. “It’s been one of the best seasons with the record in the last 10 or 15 years.

“You’ve got to compete, and we did. I learned a lot in my first season. I told them we are going to start tomorrow getting ready for next year.”

Secor wasn’t the only Lady Bulldog to score as Crestview crossed the plate nine more times. The final run came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Mayson Feller scored from second on a Julian Forrest hit to close out the 10-0 win.

Crestview pitcher Cambell Toolan and the Lady Bulldogs set the tone of the dominant performance over the Dolphins early. Toolan retired the side in order in the first and second innings.

Secor’s run was the first of five in the Lady Bulldog first.

Secor walked, stole second base and third base and scored as Tianna Hill grounded out to second base.

Feller doubled and scored as Forrest reached on an error. Toolan was safe on a Dolphin fielder’s choice that didn’t produce an out.

Moriah Keith scored Forrest with a sacrifice fly to center. Toolan scored when Riley Copeland’s baby pop fly between the pitcher circle and second base fell in no man’s land.

Bella Gibbons, who was the courtesy runner for Copeland, the Crestview catcher, scored as Taeia Schriner announced her return from an injury with a double to deep left field.

Crestview added a run in the third inning when Keith singled and scored when Copeland was safe on an error.

Schriner picked up her second double of the fifth inning scoring Toolan and Gibbons, running for Copeland. Schriner scored on Paige Dietz base hit.

Toolan continued to keep the Dolphins at bay working into the fifth inning.

With two outs and nobody on base, coach John Toolan decided to call it a night for Cambell and turn to Forrest to close out the game. Forrest faced five batters, gave up one hit and struck out two as she completed the team shutout.

Coach Toolan was pleased with the performance of his team.

“I thought we were disciplined at the plate,” he said. “With their pitcher, we had to stay back and wait on the ball to get to us.

“I was disappointed that we had a little lull in scoring there, but I was happy with the way we responded.”

Lady Bulldog pitcher Julian Forrest held Paxton to one hit and one unearned run as Crestview rolled to a 14-1 in five innings.

Forrest and the Lady Bulldogs were denied a shutout when the umpiring crew failed all interference on a Paxton runner going into second base when it seemed obvious that runner did not give herself up and allow the Crestview defense to make the play.

The only thing the run accomplished was it kept Paxton from being shutout.

“The sticks got going pretty good tonight,” Crestview coach John Toulan said. “Jules pitched a good game, and we got off to a good start for the week.

“I’d like to build some momentum going into the district tournament next week.”

A two-out rally by the Lady Bulldogs in the bottom of the first inning gave Crestview a lead that was never challenged.

Mayson Feller and Forrest drew back-to-back walks to start things off. Cambell Toulan followed Forrest and walked. Freshman Riley Copeland emptied the bases with a triple.

Ava Secor, a freshman, drew a two-out walk and scored as Feller reached on a base hit.

Crestview scored three runs in the third inning and seven in the fourth to close out the win.

Forrest, Copeland and Irie Wolfgramm scored in the third inning.

Feller, Forrest, Copeland, Wolfgramm, Paige Dietz, Bella Gibbons and Secor all scored for Crestview in the fourth as the Lady Bulldogs took the impressive win.

Of course, the most important numbers were those on the scoreboard at the end of the game. Baker fans left the home park happy as the Lady Gators took a 4-3.

All of Catholic’s hits and runs came off Baker starting pitcher Victoria Beckworth.

Beckworth wasn’t bad in the three innings she worked. By the same token, she wasn’t fooling the Catholic batters either.

Baker coach Mark Wilde made a pitching change in the top of the fourth inning turning to Hannah Twitty, a Bishop State College signee.

Twitty held Catholic in check the rest of the way allowing three walks and striking out seven batters in holding the Lady Crusaders scoreless over the final four frames.

Twitty had defensive help her Lady Crusader counterpart didn’t. There was no bigger defensive play than the one the Gators made in the sixth inning.

In one of the more unusual doble plays, Twitty started and finished the twin killing. With nobody out, the Lady Crusaders had a base runner at second base after a walk and wild pitch.

Catholic then tried to drop down a bunt with Twitty bouncing out of the circle to field the ball and throw the batter out at first base. Lady Gator first baseman, Jenna Fedorak, quickly threw behind the base runner that had been at second and strayed past third base after advancing on the play at first.

Victoria, who had moved to third base after Twitty took over in the circle, made ran the base runner toward home. After a couple of more tosses to narrow the hot box, Twitty took the final throw to make the put out and the plate.

Baker got the scoring started in the bottom of the first when Emily Whiddon walked and later scored on a base hit by Carlie Hopps.

Catholic tied the game with a run in the top of the second. Baker matched the score when Beckworth, who walked, scored on a Mylee Frazier double.

The Lady Crusaders scored two runs in the top off the fourth to take their only lead of the game.

The lead lasted about 10 minutes as Baker scored two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Hopps had an infield single and came in to score when Beckworth reached on an error by the Catholic right fielder. Fedorak, who walked, scored from third when Justyce Johns reached on a fielder’s choice as St. John was out at third base.

Baker coach Mark Wilde attributed the success of Twitty to her being more of a power pitcher than Beckworth with Catholic unable to time their bats to the uptick in speed.

Wilde said it was defense that won the game for Baker and that’s what pleased him the most.

“You know, we didn’t give up a run because of our defense,” he said. “That’s what strikes me. They had to earn every run.”

Laurel Hill did outscore Destin 8-3 in the final three innings, but the 16 runs the Sharks scored in the first two innings was the difference as they won 19-8. The game ended after five innings on the mercy rule.

Destin scored eight runs in both the first and second innings and added two runs in the top of the third to take the commanding lead.

The Lady Hoboes needed to score five runs in the bottom of the third to cut the Destin lead under 15 runs and avoid an even earlier exit as a game ends when a team is leading by 15 runs or more after the third inning.

Laurel Hill sent 11 players to the plate in the third inning and scored seven runs.

Ironically, the inning started with an out when Savannah Riley was thrown out at third base while trying to give her team a spark and stretch a double into a triple.

Ralee McDonald, the lone senior on the team was next and reached on an error. McDonald later scored as did Andrea Barnhill, Neveah Langford, Ava Steele, Alia Henderson, Skylin Baggett and Kailen Martin.

Riley scored the Lady Hobo run in the fifth inning.

Baggett had a rough start in the circle for the Lady Hoboes and was the losing pitcher of record giving up 16 runs in two innings. Riley was able to come in and hold Destin to three runs in the last three innings to give Laurel Hill the opportunity to claw their way back into the game.

Laurel Hill coach Kasey Campbell was pleased with the way her girls battled, but she had one wish that might have changed the outcome of the game.

“They started extremely late, but once they started hitting, they didn’t let up,” she said of the team’s effort to mount a comeback. “I just wish we had started that way.

“I hope the girls remember how it feels when we started hitting in the third and fourth inning.”