Chronicle columnist Ann Killion was named California Sportswriter of the Year on Thursday by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, capping an inspiring stretch that saw her cover a gamut of events ranging from the NFC Championship Game to the World Series.

Killion, a Bay Area native who joined The Chronicle in 2012, was one of 100 sportscasters and sportswriters of the year to be honored, hailing from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Here in California, she joins long-time Dodgers’ broadcaster Vin Scully, who was named Sportscaster of the Year.

Nationally, the NSSA named Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci Sportswriter of the Year and honored Bill Raftery, Dick Schaap, Hal McCoy and Lesley Visser as part of the largest class of Hall of Fame inductees in the organization’s 56-year history.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by my peers and be part of a group that includes the very best in our business, such as Tom Verducci and Lesley Visser, who was a pioneer for women in our profession,” said Killion. “And it’s an incredible, surreal privilege to be listed in the same California induction class with a legend like Vin Scully.”

Killion certainly had plenty to write about in 2014, starting with the 49ers’ run to the NFC Championship Game.

She followed the Stanford women’s basketball team as it battled to the NCAA Final Four. And then covered the Warriors in the NBA playoffs.

Russell Yip / The Chronicle

Killion hit her stride during a topsy-turvy baseball season that featured strong performances from both the A’s and Giants. It all came to a head in October, when the Giants won Game 7 of the World Series.

Killion summarized the unforgettable scene:

The moment came at 8:54 p.m. Central time. The door to the Giants’ bullpen opened, and out strode Madison Bumgarner.The man who owns the World Series.

The Royals fans — all on their feet, losing their minds and their voices trying to will the team to a win — booed their displeasure into the black night. This was the man they didn’t ever want to see again. The player they hoped was too spent to be available for Game 7.

But there he was, walking alone through right field to the mound. If there had been a soundtrack, it would have been wah-wah-waaaaah from the “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

And everybody knew. All 40,535 in the park. All 50 players in the two dugouts. All the coaches, and front office people, and vendors. All the viewers in front of their televisions.

The game was over. The World Series belonged to the Giants.

“Ann Killion stepped up to every challenge in 2014, delivering a clear voice that was heard above the din,” said Chronicle Sports Editor Al Saracevic. “She always knew what to write, and when to write it. I believe Ann has a special connection to Bay Area sports fans, having grown up among them. She understands them. She is their voice and their conscience. And it all comes through in her writing.”

Headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association membership consists of approximately 800 leading sportscasters and sportswriters from throughout the country. And more than 80 sports media legends have been inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame, which began in 1962 with the induction of Grantland Rice.