Sauk Valley Media Athlete of the Week: Ava Valk, Dixon, softball, senior

Name: Ava Valk

School: Dixon, senior

Sport: Softball

Why she was selected: Valk had a triple, double, single and drove in a run in the Duchesses’ 7-2 win over Byron.

She was voted the Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Shaw Media Group Editor Joshua Welge.

How’s the season going so far?

Valk: The season is going well, better than last year for sure. I think we are really connected as a team and knew what we were all capable of.

Your teams have had a lot of success the last few years. What are you most proud of?

Valk: I’m most proud of the year in 2022 where we made it as a team to the regional championship game, which we unfortunately came up short in. But being there in the moment and having the opportunity to play was really important to me.

How, and when, did you start playing softball?

Valk: I started playing softball when I was getting out of coach pitch. I knew this was something I wanted to do for a long time, and I’m so glad I never stopped.

How did you end up as a catcher, and what do you like about playing the position?

Valk: What lured me into being a catcher was watching other girls’ college games, like Paige Halstead for example. I became a fan of hers for a few years now, but mostly because my dad was a catcher for baseball his whole life, and I wanted to be just as good, if not better than him one day. I like being a catcher because I see everyone and everything, as well as keeping everyone alert.

Have you played any other sports?

Valk: I have played volleyball and traveling soccer, other than softball.

What’s your plans after high school?

Valk: My plans after high school is to attend Trinity Christian College to pursue my academic and athletic career in softball, major in nursing and minor in biology.

If you could visit a place in the country or world for a summer vacation, where would you go?

Valk: If I could visit a country it would be Australia or the Fiji islands.

What TV show could you totally binge watch, or have?

Valk: A TV show I have binge watched many times now is “Grey’s Anatomy.”

What’s the last book you read?

Valk: Last book I read was “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen for a school project.