This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
04/19/2019 12:00 AMAva Gladwin put together a great campaign with the Guilford softball team last spring. Now a senior, Ava is looking to follow up last year’s success by having another excellent season, while helping the Indians continue their recent run of success.
Ava, a senior captain shortstop, has been playing softball since the age of eight. As a junior, she earned a spot on the All-SCC Team for a Guilford squad that notched 16 victories and reached the quarterfinals of both the SCC Tournament and the Class L State Tournament. After losing a few games to start off this year, the Indians put their first win in the books with a 14-8 victory versus Guilford last week.
“I love the mental and athletic pieces of the game. I also love the team atmosphere. It becomes a real family here,” Ava says. “As a captain, I need to be positive on the field and to the team. I have to help keep everyone focused. I also need to be loud on the field at short. I love being a leader in the infield and talking with the girls about where they need to be.”
From an offensive standpoint, Ava’s strategy is to simply get the bat on the ball in order to make things happen. Ava knows that success at the plate doesn’t always stem from swinging for the fences.
“The most important thing for me as a hitter is to just make contact. You just have to worry about getting the ball in play, even with bunting,” says Ava, who bats and throws right-handed. “It’s not all about the home run. You can definitely still be effective with the small-ball approach.”
Ava is the only captain on Guilford’s roster this season. While she has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, Ava embraces being a leader and approaches the role with a positive frame of mind.
“Being a captain is very exciting and I’m grateful for it. It’s a challenge to be the one captain for 18 girls, but the other seniors have backed me up a lot,” Ava says. “I try to be positive for the girls, and we all have the one goal to win. I keep the team motivated and tell them to never give up.”
First-year head coach and former assistant Meghan Wiese has seen the versatility that Ava brings to the field throughout the past few seasons. Wiese adds that Ava also brings plenty of passion to the Indians’ dugout.
“In her sophomore campaign, Ava made the transition to shortstop and has been a staple in the Guilford defense ever since. She brings confidence and natural leadership to the team and is sure to include everyone when making team decisions,” Coach Wiese says. “Ava is a dual threat both in the batter’s box and in the field. Whether she is stretching a single into a double or diving for a ground ball, she is leaving it all on the field. It has been an honor to coach Ava, and I look forward to see what her future holds.”
Despite the team’s slow start, Ava says that Guilford is determined to return to the postseason this year. Next year, Ava will attend Albertus Magnus College to study sports management.
“The most important goal for us this year is to make states,” says Ava, who thanks former Guilford softball coach Steve Zajac, her family, and all of her Indians’ coaches and her summer ball coaches. “We had a tough start to the season, but we are still focused toward making states. We have to stay positive, never give up, and give our best until the end in every game.”