CHICAGO — Less than a week after helping Billing West to the Class AA state softball championship, pitcher and first baseman Tatum Bush has been named the Gatorade Montana softball player of the year, the organization announced Friday.
A 5-foot-9 junior right-handed pitcher, Bush compiled a 13-0 record in the circle and threw four complete-game shutouts in the state tournament, where West went 4-0 and outscored opponents 19-0. Bush finished the season with a 0.69 ERA and 172 strikeouts as the Golden Bears went 23-3.
At the plate, Bush batted .538 with 25 RBI and seven home runs.
“Tatum Bush has been a driving force for the Billings West High School softball program ever since she stepped on the field her freshman year,” Billings West assistant coach Taylor Carpenter said in a Gatorade news release. “A key characteristic that stands out about Tatum is her humility. Time and time again, she has proven to be an impressive athlete, but her quiet confidence is what makes her a standout individual.”
Also according to the release, Bush has maintained a 4.67 weighted GPA, was her junior class president, organized a middle school softball camp as part of her Platinum Program capstone project and donated time to community service initiatives through West's Key Club and National Honor Society chapter.
Faith Howard of Helena High won the Gatorade softball award last year.
