OKLAHOMA CITY — Avery Winchell (New Cumberland, Pa.) led the Cumberland County Magic 12U Red with dominating performances at the plate and in the circle, earning her the seventh ASA Junior Olympic (JO) Player of the Week award, presented by Worth Fastpitch and StudentSports.com. Announced today by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball, this utility player (pitcher and first base) helped her team to a 7-0 record and a championship finish at the ASA of PA Invitational in Sunbury, Penn.
“It was a really nice tournament,” said Winchell. “Everything was pretty organized. We all played really well. I had really good defense behind me, and that’s where all the fire came from. It was really good.”
Posting a batting average of .631 with two homeruns and 10 RBI, Winchell also had four other hits for extra bases over the weekend. In addition, she garnered a 5-0 record as a pitcher. Finishing the tournament with a 0.19 ERA with 16 strikeouts, Winchell gave up only nine hits and five earned runs. In her first appearance on Sunday, Winchell threw a no-hitter and ended the game with a two-run walk off home run. She went on to pitch two more games that day, including a four-hit shutout in the championship.
“She’s probably one of our heart and soul players,” said coach Jim Skonezney. “She’s our three-hole batter and is listed as our No. 1 pitcher. She is coming into her own this year. She’s learned how to pitch against quality teams. That transition from 11 to 12 has really made a big difference for her. She has the opportunity to be one of the better ballplayers that I’ve coached.”
Established to recognize JO players 18 years or younger for outstanding play in an ASA/USA sanctioned event, the ASA/USA Softball JO Player of the Week will honor 14 athletes, male or female, from May 9 – August 8 following the conclusion of the ASA/USA JO National Championships. Nominations will be taken on a week-by-week basis (see below schedule) and will be submitted and accepted through http://www.studentsports.com/softball/2014/02/12/asa-player-week-form/ until noon ET every Tuesday. In order to be eligible for the award, athletes must be registered with their local ASA/USA association and must have participated in ASA/USA Softball sanctioned events or tournaments during the week nominated.
2014 ASA/USA Softball JO Player of the Week award schedule
Week 1 (April 30 – May 6): Faith Willis (Liberty, Mo.) – Originals-Shanks
Week 2 (May 7 – 13): Allie Roberts (Rogers, Minn.) – Northwest Diamonds
Week 3 (May 14 – 20): Jordyn Kadlub – Tampa Mustangs
Week 4 (May 21 – 27): Lauren Mathis (Windermere, Fla.) – Windermere Wildfire
Week 5 (May 28-June 3): Mackenzie Dixon (Huntsville, Texas.) – Huntsville Heat
Week 6 (June 4 – 10): Lauren Gohacki (Finleyville, Pa.) – Pittsburgh Diamond Stars 14U
Week 7 (June 11 – 17): Avery Winchell (New Cumberland, Pa.) Columbus County Magic Red 12U
Week 8 (June 18 – 24): Winner announced June 27
Week 9 (June 25 – July 1): Winner announced July 4
Week 10 (July 2 – 8): Winner announced July 11
Week 11 (July 9 – 15): Winner announced July 18
Week 12 (July 16 – 22): Winner announced July 25
Week 13 (July 23 – 29): Winner announced August 1
Week 14 (July 30 – August 5): Winner announced August 8
Honorable Mentions:
Haylee Petre (Atlanta, Mo.) – Haylee’s performance in the circle helped her team, Velocity 12U, go 5-0 in the 16U tournament in the Katz Klassic. She threw three shutouts and struck out 29 batters while giving up one walk and no earned runs.
Jenna Kuhn (Apple Valley, Minn.) – Jenna got it done offensively and defensively to help Eastview Lightning Black to a runner-up finish in the GOLD division at the Eagan Down ‘n Dirty. She batted .750 with two doubles, a triple and five RBI. On the mound, she finished with two shutouts and 25 strikeouts in her 16 innings of work.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed six World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com.
