Perry County Central freshman Averie Ratliff earns first team all-state honors
Perry County Central freshman Averie Ratliff hit .520 with 66 hits and earned Class 2A first team all-state honors.
Few freshmen make a statewide impression in high school softball. Perry County Central’s Averie Ratliff did it with a season that put her among Kentucky’s best and gave Commodore fans a player they can follow for years.
Ratliff was named First Team All-State in Class 2A when the Kentucky Softball Coaches Association released its 2026 honors in mid-June. The selection capped a standout season in which the freshman hit .520 with 66 hits, 52 runs batted in, 14 doubles, five triples and six home runs. For Perry County Central, it was a rare early breakthrough that confirmed Ratliff as more than a promising underclassman. She was one of the main reasons the Commodores stayed in the hunt deep into the spring.
The numbers carried even more weight because they came in a program that expects to compete at a high level every year. Perry County Central won the district championship game against Hazard 4-0 on May 19, then kept its season alive into the 14th Region Tournament before Letcher Central ended the run with a 7-1 semifinal win on May 28. Ratliff’s production helped drive that push, and opposing teams never found a clean answer for her once she reached the plate.
The KSCA’s all-state honors are divided into three classes based on KHSAA track-and-field alignment, and the selections are voted on by association members. That made Ratliff’s inclusion in Class 2A first team all-state a statewide recognition, not just a local nod. It also underscored how quickly she established herself against older, more experienced competition during her first varsity season.
For Perry County Central, Ratliff’s honor points to both what she already did and what may still be ahead. A freshman finishing a season with those totals gives the Commodores a centerpiece player before she has even fully entered her high school career. In Perry County, where softball success is measured in district titles, regional runs and players who can carry a lineup, Ratliff has already become one of the names fans will be tracking next spring and beyond.
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