Once again, all six Vipers Softball teams were in action over the weekend, and several players put forth extraordinary efforts.

Listed below are the Vipers Softball Players of the Week for the week ending Sunday, June 25, 2023:

10U

Name: Brielle Bretz
Graduation Year: 2030
Stats: Batted .400 with a .455 on-base percentage, a triple, a home run, and six stolen bases; struck out 21 in 14 innings pitched

“Brielle has been our go-to pitcher all season,” said Vipers coach Josh Kobetitsch. “She keeps us in every game she pitches and really makes it tough on our opponents. You can’t sleep on her at the plate either because she has power that not a lot of 10-year-olds possess. Another player we are very happy to have on our side.”

12U

Name: Emily Stoltz
Graduation Year: 2030
Stats: Batted .706 with seven singles, two doubles, two triples, a home run, and eight RBI with just one strikeout

“Emily has turned a corner offensively,” said Vipers coach Jo Bondra. “She has been working really hard outside of practice and that is definitely paying off. She is making in-game adjustments that have helped her decrease her strikeouts significantly and produce more hits. I am very proud of her and her work ethic.”

14U-Clary

Name: Amelia Clary
Graduation Year: 2027
Stats: Batted .615 with a .688 on-base percentage, five runs scored, and six stolen bases

“Amelia leads off for the 14U Vipers and sets the tone for the rest of the lineup,” said Vipers coach Mark Clary. “Her triple-threat skill set–hit, bunt, slap–keeps the opponents off balance, which she did an amazing job of this past weekend at the Willoughby Starzz tournament. On the basepaths, she is disruptive and finished the weekend with six stolen bases. She continued her solid defensive play at second base with her partner in the middle infield, Sarah Piazza. Amelia is also a standout soccer player and will begin her freshman year at Beaumont School this fall.”

14U-McIntosh

Name: Gracelyn Schultz
Graduation Year: 2027
Stats: Batted .538 with two doubles and two RBI; went 1-0 in the circle with one save and 13 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched

“We ask a lot of Schultz on the mound, and she came through this weekend closing a tough game in pool play and going the distance in an extra innings game in bracket play,” said Vipers coach Greg McIntosh. “At the plate, she had good at-bats and hit the ball hard all weekend.”

16U

Name: Elizabeth Kocsis
Graduation Year: 2025
Stats: Batted .525 with a team-best 10 RBI; led the team with 13 strikeouts in the circle

“Before commenting on Biz, I want to shout out Lily Prebul and Olivia Sacks as they hit their first home runs over the fence of their careers,” said Vipers coach Christian Verde. “Moving on to our player of the week, Elizabeth, she is a prime example of someone who not only wants to be the best but puts in the work to accomplish that goal. She has bought into the program and culture that Coach Jess and myself have been instilling. She is only going to get better, and I can’t wait to see how far her work ethic gets her.”

18U

Name: Gianna Baynard
Graduation Year: 2023 (Wittenberg signee)
Stats: Batted. 600 with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs with seven RBI

“Gianna was the team assassin this weekend,” said Vipers coach Megan Passwaiter. “She executed in clutch situations with runners on base multiple times. On top of her offensive performance, she is a brick wall at first base. We can’t want to see what she can do the rest of this summer.”