Selected by Staff Writer Greg Riddle, in consultation with area coaches

Plano East senior Taylor Jones ended her high school softball career with "one of the best games I ever pitched."

But even though Jones flirted with a no-hitter – which would have been just the fourth in the history of the Class 5A state tournament – Plano East lost, 1-0, in 10 innings to nationally ranked Spring Branch Smithson Valley in a state semifinal. What made the loss even more painful for Jones was watching Smithson Valley beat Pearland, 1-0, in the championship game and realizing how close Plano East was to becoming the second UIL softball team to win a state title after being the No. 4 seed from its district.

"I was really upset," Jones said. "I knew in my heart we could have beaten them. We were so close."

Jones was close to unhittable against a Smithson Valley team that finished No. 7 in the ESPN RISE national rankings. Jones had a no-hitter through the regulation seven innings, finished with a two-hitter and allowed just an unearned run.

Jones retired 13 in a row at one point, with only three of those outs coming on strikeouts. It showed how far Jones has come since her freshman year, when she pitched in a few games while serving primarily as the designated hitter for Plano East's varsity.

"She was just trying to blow it past them and use her speed [as a freshman]," Plano East coach Karen Kalhoefer said. "The next three years, she developed pitches and understood that it's not about how fast you can throw, it's your ball movement and hitting your spots."

Jones was 9-3 with five shutouts in the playoffs. Seven of those wins came against teams that won or shared a district title.

Notable: Jones was an all-state selection, was named to the all-tournament team at state and was the District 8-5A pitcher of the year. She was 23-14 with a 1.20 ERA, 278 strikeouts in 2582/3 innings and 17 shutouts. She hit .287 with two home runs and 17 RBIs.

Did you know? Jones will play softball for Northwood University in Cedar Hill next year. She plans to major in business management and would like to work in the sports entertainment field.

Notable: In her first full varsity season, McCoy was 21-16 with a 0.93 ERA and 356 strikeouts in 242 innings. She was named District 9-4A pitcher of the year. She helped Centennial earn a share of the 9-4A title and reach the regional quarterfinals.

Did you know? McCoy struck out 21 in a 10-inning win over McKinney, which was ranked 17th in the state at the time.

Notable: Coleman led Celina to a 37-6 record, the District 9-3A title and a state runner-up finish in Class 3A. Celina beat nationally ranked Van in the regional final and also posted wins over 5A state semifinalist Cedar Park Vista Ridge, 4A state semifinalist Mesquite Poteet and 2A state champion Brock. In four years as Celina's head coach, Coleman has guided the team to two state tournament appearances.

Did you know? Coleman pitched two years for the River City Rascals, an independent minor league baseball team.

Notable: The Central Arkansas signee was 31-10 with a 1.70 ERA, 413 strikeouts in 2752/3 innings and 14 shutouts. Baker struck out 18 in seven innings against both Temple and Frisco Liberty. She was an all-state selection and led Poteet to the 4A state semifinals. She hit .363 with 33 runs and 27 RBIs.

Did you know? Baker plans to major in nursing.

Notable: The UT-Arlington signee was 27-2 with a 0.32 ERA, 300 strikeouts in 195 innings and 21 shutouts. She hit .308 with three home runs and 28 RBIs, and she was named District 5-5A MVP. She helped Keller earn a share of the 5-5A title and reach the regional quarterfinals.

Did you know? Lyles plans to major in business.

Notable: Mendez, who will play for Navarro College next season, was 18-6 with a 0.27 ERA and 485 strikeouts in 205 1/3 innings. She hit .378 and was the District 6-4A co-MVP and an all-state selection. She didn't allow a hit in four consecutive playoff games leading up to the regional final. Then in a 1-0, nine-inning loss to Angleton in a state semifinal, Mendez struck out 17 – five short of the 4A state tournament record.

Did you know? Mendez wants to pursue a career as a physical therapist.

Notable: Rodriguez, who has committed to Northwest- ern State, was 24-5 with a 1.24 ERA and 247 strikeouts in 186 innings. She hit .500 with 25 runs, 26 RBIs, 11 doubles, three triples and one home run. She was named District 10-5A pitcher of the year and led Rowlett to the 10-5A title and to the regional quarterfinals.

Did you know? Rodriguez wants to study sports medicine and become a trainer. She has already worked with doctors and nurses as a member of Health Occupations Students of America.

Notable: The Northwest- ern State signee was named all-state after going 31-4 with a 0.79 ERA and 298 strikeouts in 204 innings for 3A state runner-up Celina. She pitched two perfect games, five no-hitters and 15 shutouts. She hit .414 with two home runs and 37 RBIs.

Did you know? Roos holds the 2A state tournament record for strikeouts in a game with 16 for Aubrey against Pattonville Prairiland in 2007.

Notable: The Stephen F. Austin signee was an all-state selection and hit .414 with 31 runs and 47 RBIs for District 16-4A co-champion Midlothian. She had 15 doubles, three triples and four home runs. She was named the 16-4A defensive player of the year.

Did you know? Caruthers may try to become a softball coach. She said Midlothian's coach, Olympic gold medalist Jennifer McFalls, got her interested in that profession.

Notable: The Tulsa signee nearly won the Triple Crown among 5A area players in the regular season. Cobb ranked first in RBIs (48) and was second in batting average (.631) and home runs (seven). She was named District 10-5A offensive player of the year, and 54 percent of her hits went for extra bases.

Did you know? Cobb also played volleyball and golf at Lakeview. ... Cobb plans to major in nursing.

Notable: The Texas signee was the District 6-5A co-MVP, an all-state selection and was ranked the nation's 15th-best senior by ESPNU. Hoagland hit .457 with 33 runs, four home runs and 29 RBIs for 6-5A co-champion Flower Mound. She was walked 21 times, including twice intentionally with the bases loaded.

Did you know? Hoagland plans to major in broadcast journalism and hopes to become a commentator.

Notable: The District 15-4A offensive player of the year hit .453 with 19 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 54 RBIs. She scored 52 runs, stole 17 bases, had a .791 slugging percentage and hit .563 with runners in scoring position. She helped Forney win the 15-4A title and reach the 4A Region II final.

Did you know? Steed has already attracted interest from several Division I programs, including Oklahoma and UT-Arlington.

Notable: The District 6-5A offensive player of the year hit .537 with 39 runs and 33 RBIs. She had 15 doubles, four triples, five home runs and a .851 slugging percentage. She helped Marcus earn a share of the 6-5A title and reach the 5A Region I final.

Did you know? Wallace would like to major in pre-med.

Notable: The Central Arkansas signee was an all-state selection and was named the state's Class 4A-5A softball player of the year by the Texas Girls Coaches Association. Barsoum hit .472 with 51 runs, 23 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. She had a 30-game hitting streak and had a hit in all but three of her games for 4A state semifinalist Poteet. She was the District 15-4A defensive player of the year.

Did you know? Barsoum wants to be a teacher or coach.

Notable: The Tulsa signee hit .494 with 59 runs and 48 stolen bases for 4A Region II finalist Forney. She had a 29-game hitting streak and had a hit in 40 of her 44 games. She hit .542 with runners in scoring position and was named District 15-4A MVP.

Did you know? Everett was a first-team all-district pick in volleyball as a senior. ... Everett plans to major in nursing.

Notable: Shelton was named District 9-4A defensive player of the year as a shortstop. But as an outfielder, the Baylor signee was ranked the nation's 20th-best senior recruit by ESPNU. She hit .391 and had 36 stolen bases.

Did you know? Shelton was named 9-4A's top hitter in volleyball as a senior.

Notable: Michele led the area in home runs with nine and was named the offensive player of the year in District 7-5A. She hit .519 for 7-5A champion SGP, and 50 percent of her hits went for extra bases as she also had 15 doubles and three triples. She scored 35 runs and had 29 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .981.

Did you know? Michele has attracted interest from Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma State.

Notable: Cantu, who has committed to UT-Arlington, was named District 9-4A MVP. She was 26-7 with a 0.95 ERA and 311 strikeouts in 198 innings. She pitched 17 shutouts, including four straight to open the playoffs. She hit .438 with six home runs and 30 RBIs and led Wakeland to a share of the 9-4A title and to the 4A Region II semifinals.

Did you know? Cantu has a 4.0 grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society.

griddle@dallasnews.com