Senior spotlight: Knoch pitcher ended high school softball career on good note

By: Jonathan Bombulie
Thursday, April 16, 2020 | 6:01 AM

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After the disappointment of having her senior season canceled began to subside, a thought occurred to Knoch pitcher Amanda Fischer.

She couldn’t have asked for a whole lot more from what turned out to be her final season of high school softball.

In the circle, Fischer went 13-3 with a 1.73 ERA, 109 strikeouts and nine walks. At the plate, she hit .366. As a team, the Knights went undefeated in section play, finished 18-3, placed third in the WPIAL and advanced to the state playoffs.

After all that, Fischer was named Valley News Dispatch player of the year.

“It reminds me that I ended on a good note, at least,” Fischer said.

Fischer’s softball career hasn’t ended, of course. She’s headed to IUP in the fall. In the meantime, she’s fighting off the rust as best she can.

“I still go out every other day to pitch, just to stay in a routine and stay in shape,” Fischer said.

What’s your best memory playing softball for Knoch?

Making it to the state playoffs for the first time in program history.

What’s your best memory as a sports fan?

It would probably be back when Knoch played at Heinz Field (in the 2011 WPIAL championship). I went to watch that. That was a fun time.

Who would you say is your school’s biggest rival?

Probably Ambridge. They were our biggest competition last year.

What’s the best way to avoid boredom when stuck at home?

I haven’t been avoiding it well. I play Wii a lot.

Why did you pick IUP?

I’m majoring in molecular biology, and that major, to begin with, is very hard to find. Once I saw IUP had it, and I was close to home but not too close, and I loved the campus, so I knew it was a good fit.

Molecular biology sounds like serious business, especially with a softball schedule. You ready for that?

I hope I am. I know it’s going to take some learning to figure out how to manage it, but I know I’ll have the resources there.

Is that something you’ve always been interested in?

I loved biology freshman year. Through high school, I took the other sciences, but I didn’t really click with them like I did biology. It’s something I was really interested in.

If you could pick anyone to give a commencement speech at your graduation, who would it be?

I think I would pick the former Knoch coach, Tim Knappenberger. He really had a strong effect on me my first two years playing at Knoch.

If you were asked to give a speech, what advice would you give to underclassmen?

In general, in high school, these are times you only get once. You can’t take anything for granted because you don’t know when it will be over.

Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.

Tags: Knoch