Burnet softball player’s BA ranks in top 50 in the state

CAPTION: Burnet lead-off batter Journey Denton performed that role beautifully by getting on base, typically with a powerful hits. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

Burnet High School softball player Journey Denton recently learned of another achievement during her final year in Kelly green.

Denton’s .656 batting average ranked No. 31 by Texas High School Softball in a leaderboard that included players in Classes 2A-6A.

“I’m just grateful for it because I’ve put in hours and hours of hitting with my dad (Chris), with my select coaches and with my high school coaches,” she said. “To see it finally pay off is – I’m very, very grateful for it because to end my senior season better than I started as a freshman is crazy and amazing.”

Denton, who was named the 2026 District 24-4A Utility Player of the Year, noted statistics are only one part of the sport.

“Yes, that’s a great thing,” she said, “but I feel like stats are such a small picture of the game because you can have a really good day at the plate and not get the results you want or have a really bad day at the plate and get the results you want. So I think stats are a small part of the game, and I think there’s a bigger picture of it. But I am very grateful of how my stats did end up looking.”

Denton, who also was a third team all-state member and first team all-district member in 2023 as an outfielder, completed the big picture.

“For me, I just love the game top to bottom,” she said. “I love competing, no matter what. Competing is the biggest thing to me and anything that I can help my team do. Even if that means that I have to get out, but I moved (a teammate on the) bases, it’s worth it to me. Because it benefits the team and it helped the team compete against whomever.”

The Lady Dawg competed in volleyball, basketball and track before she graduated in May. She was the lead-off batter last season and played in the outfield and sometimes at pitcher. Before that, she was the shortstop. Denton was a four-year letterman in softball and was on the 2023 team that reached the Class 4A regional quarterfinals, the best finish in school history.

Though she graduated, she isn’t done playing softball. She signed with Tarleton State University and was playing select ball with Buzz Gold out of Waco. The squad has played in tournaments in Plano and Oklahoma and will travel to St. Louis, Mo., which will be Denton’s first time to visit the city.

“I want to be remembered as a leader,” she said. “As a good leader, a good positive leader, who brought the energy to the game, helped her team get better, helped her team win, wanted to compete with her team. Just being a positive leader who made an impact on the girls below me and the girls beside me, too.”