By Andy Walter

GEORGETOWN — Sussex Central High softball player Madge Layfield was voted this week’s State News Athlete of the Week.

The senior pitcher helped the Golden Knights reach the DIAA state finals for the third time in four seasons last week. Layfield threw 18 shutout innings out of 20 total frames over three state tournament games.

In last Friday’s 2-0 state championship game loss to Caravel, Layfield threw a three-hitter with eight strikeouts.

Layfield, who will continue her career in college at Central Arkansas, finished with over 1,000 strikeouts in high school. She picked up most of the pitching decisions for a team that went 74-14 over the past four seasons.

Central coach John Wells said Layfield’s impact on the program was “immeasurable.”

“With her on the mound, we had a chance every game to win,” he said. “It’s an extraordinary feeling to have.

“We’ve had some great pitchers in the past. When you get somebody special like that .... it’s really special to have.”

Because of the COVID pandemic Layfield’s eighth-grade year, Wells said he wasn’t sure how good the youngster would be when she first got to high school.

But when Layfield struck out 20 in a 2-1 eight-inning loss to Smyrna in her debut, Wells knew that she was going to be really good.

“Nobody knew,” said Wells. “We weren’t even sure who we were going to start in preseason. ... She got the nod for the start and that was pretty much it.”

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