Congratulations to Chelsea Abbott of the BFA St. Albans Comets for being named Vermont's 2011 Softball Gatorade Player of the Year! Chelsea has worked very hard! Not only is she the top pitcher in the State, she's one of the most feared power hitters and a strong student. Congrats to Chelsea's teammates as well, as Gatorade is truly a tribute to the Comets as a team, as each player contributed to the success that helped earn the recognition!

Chels is th 4th Comet to win the award, joining Ashley Stebbins in '01, Jenna Walsh in '02, and Katelyn Billings in '06. So cool to see one of Kate's nex gen pitching students achieve this! Plus, now I'm even more proud that this is the kid who broke my toe with a fastball as I caught for her in winter pitching clinic. Toebreaker rocks!

Here's a borrowed photo of Chelsea and her folks after the award announcement and a photo of her bringing heat ... plus flashbacks to Kate's gatorade moment and her on the mound -- and images of her with Chelsea, Celsey, and Caitlin after the 2005 and 2006 championship wins ... Good times. There's quite a bond there. Coach Johnson would be verrrry proud.