Valley View’s Nevaeh Evans scores during Thursday’s PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal game against Archbishop Carroll at Patriots Park in Allentown. JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Valley View’s Nevaeh Evans throws the ball during a softball game at Valley View High School on April 28. REBECCA PARTICKA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Valley View infielders Cora Castellani (34) and Nevaeh Evans (1) celebrate after a clean inning during a PIAA Class 4A first-round softball game Monday against Northern Lebanon at Valley View High School. JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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Valley View’s Nevaeh Evans scores during Thursday’s PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal game against Archbishop Carroll at Patriots Park in Allentown. JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
BY HOLDEN MOSTOFSKY
CORRESPONDENT
ALLENTOWN — Valley View boasts an incredible senior class.
Three are headed to Division I programs, including Clemson commit Abbi Call, Bryant University commit Zoie Krupovich and Le Moyne commit Ella Swingle.
The Cougars’ fourth senior, Nevaeh Evans, usually flies under the radar, but found herself front and center during Thursday’s PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal matchup against District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll at Patriots Park.
Evans had two of the team’s seven hits and a run in a game where scoring was at a premium. Her effort helped Valley View (22-3) secure a 2-0 victory and advance to face District 1 champion Pope John Paul II (14-9) in Monday’s semifinal at 1:30 p.m. at Lehighton Area High School.
“(She’s) really stepped up for this Cougar softball team this year in every way,” Valley View coach Mia Wascura said. “Leadership, her consistency, she is playing absolutely flawless defense.”
Thursday’s stat line shows the hard work she put in this season. While she is a regular starter in the field, Evans wasn’t in the batting order to start the season.
In 14 games in the lineup, including the last eight as the Cougars eye their second straight state title, she is batting .343 with 12 hits, including a double, eight RBIs and eight runs.
“It’s all about going up to the plate and just looking for the pitch you want to hit,” Evans said. “I have to get on base, that’s all I’m thinking, it’s for my team. It’s not anyone, it’s not about me, it’s about the team.”
That team-first mentality, selflessness and leadership make her so invaluable. Playing for a program that won four straight District 2 Class 4A championships, it’s important to be patient, know your role and seize the moment.
Evans grinded throughout high school career to earn this opportunity, and Thursday proved the culmination of that dedication.
“She never once wavered in her consistent support for the team,” Wascura said. “I’m happy for her. She has a family behind her who is louder than anybody at every game, but I am happy for her in every way, because she’s producing dual defense, she is killing it for us and she deserves every bit of success and happiness.”
After popping out to the pitcher in the top of the third, Evans led off the fifth with a single to left. She advanced to second on Swingle’s bunt and scored on Cora Castellani’s double to give Valley View a 2-0 lead.
She also led off the seventh with a single, and advanced to second on a Swingle walk and third on a passed ball. The Cougars didn’t drive her in, but Evans proved a major threat on the bases and at the plate, putting the ball in play in her three at-bats.
Despite her performance, she made sure to credit her star teammate Call, who almost pitched a perfect game — allowing one hit and striking out 14 in seven innings.
“Abbi pitched a great game today. We played behind her,” Evans said.
While the Cougars shut out Archbishop Carroll, Evans is never satisfied, saying she and her teammates will work to improve their approach at the plate in preparation for the semifinals.
“Going up to the plate knowing what pitch you want, looking for that pitch, and not just swinging just to swing,” Evans said. “If we’re going for the pitch we want, I know we could all get on base all day.”
Evans, who will attend East Stroudsburg University, will cherish every moment she has left playing alongside her teammates at Valley View.
“This team is everything to me. I’m so close with all the girls, I love them all,” Evans said. “They all come ready every single practice, every single game. We’re like a family.”
Evans believes that chemistry helped fuel the team’s incredible four-year run, which she hopes ends in another trip to State College.
“We all love each other, we all play together, we’re all confident in one another’s ability, and even if one of us makes a mistake, we’re picking each other up for that next play,” Evans said.
The winner between Valley View and Pope John Paul II faces either District 7 runner-up Blackhawk or District 10 champion Harbor Creek in Friday’s final at 1:30 p.m. at Nittany Lion Softball Park at Penn State University.