O'Fallon Patch Spotlight Athlete Of The Week: Abby Hlavaty, Fort Zumwalt North Softball

From the moment she steps into the eight-foot around high school softball pitcher’s circle, sophomore hurler Abby Hlavaty is telling the world, she’s in charge and they better not forget it.

And if opposing batters didn’t know or somehow weren’t aware that Hlavaty felt that way, they’d find out as soon as the lefty fireballer threw her first warm-up pitch, that she means business.  

That’s because Hlavaty, this week’s O’Fallon Patch Spotlight Athlete of the Week, tends to grunt and yell out loudly when she pitches.

It’s a habit Hlavaty says helps her focus and create more power for her pitches, but she also acknowledges that her primal grunts probably scare the heck out of opposing batters as well.   

“The screaming puts momentum into my body, making me want to push off the rubber more,” Hlavaty said. “And it intimidates the batter, so I know I’m going to strike them out.”

Zumwalt North Head Coach Steve Siebert said Hlavaty is definitely in charge out on the field. 

“She’s become really consistent. She just kind of proved herself from day one," he said. "She always threw hard, but she’s getting smarter and smarter, and her pitching is just getting better and better.”

That’s almost tough to believe considering how good Hlavaty was last season, when she led the Panthers to the playoffs, by going 15-9 in the circle, and earning second team all-conference honors, all while starting on the varsity as a freshman for Zumwalt North.

“I couldn’t believe it when I found out I made all-conference,” Hlavaty said. “I was so excited. But I want to do even better this year.”

Indeed she must, because Hlavaty is already off to a fantastic start this fall.

Just three weeks into the season, and she’s already got eight wins, putting her more than halfway to last year’s total.

And at the plate, Hlavaty has been one of the best hitters in the area, with a .586 batting average (17 hits in 29 at-bats), with two home runs and 15 RBIs.

“Over the summer, I wasn’t hitting that well,” Hlavaty said. “But I started going to an instructor, Andi Allen down at Fast Pitch Academy, and she’s really helped me a lot.”

Siebert said Hlavaty tended to dip her shoulder when she swung, which forced a lot of pop-ups and soft groundouts, and led to Hlavaty hitting just .095 her freshman year.

“She had a really big swing too,” Siebert said. “But she’s cut that down now. She’s always had a lot of power. But now she’s got a nice little short swing and she’s been just great at the plate.”

Hlavaty’s hot hitting and masterful pitching have helped the Panthers to a 9-5 record so far this season, which included three exciting tournament wins over Westminster Christian, Fox, and Kennedy High Schools over the weekend.

Zumwalt North was scheduled to take on district rival Fort Zumwalt East in a critical GAC North game Monday afternoon, at East High School, but the game was cancelled due to the weather. 

The Panthers and Lions are tied for second place in the conference, but the winner of Monday’s game would have taken sole possession of second place, and be in prime position to pounce on first, should current league front-runner, Fort Zumwalt South, falter at some point this season.

“I think we can win our conference this year,” Hlavaty said.

She added that the team has some phenomenal players and she's happy to be a part of it. 

“And I have to mention my catcher (fellow sophomore Abby Tillotson). She’s the best. She’s my favorite catcher. She just helps me so much," Hlavaty said. "She always knows what to say to me to calm me down. I just love her, she’s the best.”

Now that’s a combination worth screaming about.

And a big reason why Fort Zumwalt North’s Abby Hlavaty is this week’s O’Fallon Patch Spotlight Athlete of the Week.