Maddison Ruiz named MVP of District 16-5A

May 29, 2025

By Clay Whittington

The Belton Journal

Maddison Ruiz is headed to Angelo State, and she will be taking District 16-5A’s most prestigious award with her.

After experiencing one of the most successful careers in Lake Belton history, the Lady Broncos’ standout senior pitcher was recently named the league’s most valuable player, and it is easy to see why.

She was flawless on the mound, winning all six of her appearances and allowing only one earned run in 33 innings pitched as Lake Belton went undefeated en route to the championship. Along the way, Ruiz struck out an astounding 74 batters.

Equally impressive, she delivered at the plate.

With a .567 batting average, Ruiz connected for four home runs and 16 RBIs.

The performance helped propel the Lady Broncos to an overall record 35-4 (10-0) and into the regional final for the second consecutive season.

Defending state champion Melissa however, ended Lake Belton’s run and Ruiz’s high school career, which saw her named all-district newcomer of the year and pitcher of the year along with earning a spot on the Texas Sportswriters Association All-State Third Team in prior seasons.

While she received the loftiest accolade, Ruiz was surrounded by teammates on the superlative list.

Lady Broncos senior Alexis Ortiz was named offensive player of the year, sophomore Madison Perkins was named defensive player of the year and sophomore Briley Updyke was named catcher of the year. Additionally, Lake Belton head coach Kelsie McEachern was named cocoach of the year, sharing the award with Killeen Chaparral head coach Jessica Harborth.

Ortiz was responsible for 20 runs scored, 19 hits, 16 RBIs and 11 stolen bases to go along with a .594 batting average, while Perkins had a perfect fielding percentage along with a strong offensive showing. She had a .704 batting average with 19 hits, 13 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Behind the plate, Updyke allowed only two passed balls in 29.2 innings. The Lady Broncos also had three first-team selections in sophomores Analicia Diaz, Madison Nader and Bysen Gott and two second-team members — senior Trista Shaka and junior Natalie Hosch.

The Lady Tigers also accounted for multiple spots on the list with Tara Stone collecting the team’s only superlative, being named pitcher of the year. The freshman struck out 38 batters as Belton (6-4) finished in a three-way tie for second place. Hailey Schutz, a senior, and sophomore Reagan Stuart were placed on the first team for Belton, and teammates Presli Thompson, a junior, and sophomore Andalyn Logan landed on the second team.

Lake Belton’s Lilliana Hererra, Addison Sims and Alaysha Williams and Belton’s Jacklyn Munoz, Lauren Vazquez and Iris Molina were honorable mentions.

Rounding out the superlatives, Chaparral senior Mikayla Hudson was named utility player of the year and Waco University freshman Zaneria Hughes was named newcomer of the year.