Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Week: May 31, 2021

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, May 30, 2021 | 5:44 PM

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All season, the talk in WPIAL Class 4A softball has been the pitching dominance of Kailey Larcinese of Elizabeth Forward and Payton List of Beaver.

While they certainly deserve their share of the headlines, it might be time to add Highlands pitcher Jaycee Haidze to that list.

“Jaycee works hard and trains constantly,” Highlands coach Jennifer Koprivnikar said. “When we finish practice, a couple of them will continue to work on their own. The girls are all heart. Her endurance is at its peak right now, and I truly felt nobody could outlast her. She gets stronger as the game goes on. We have played games this year that have lasted 2 1/2 hours. She was up for the challenge.”

The challenge last week for Haidze and the Golden Rams began Tuesday with a quarterfinals battle against No. 4-seed Montour. Highlands jumped out to a 5-0 lead early and cruised to an impressive 10-2 win over the Spartans.

“It does always help to get the lead, but she and everyone knew they had to play their best in order to keep the lead,” Koprivnikar said. “We did make our share of mistakes for the day but managed to recover and come out ahead.”

Haidze not only led the way in the circle with a complete-game, 10-strikeout performance, she also helped the Golden Rams cause on offense with a pair of hits, including a double.

“Jaycee is an all-round talented player,” Koprivnikar said. “She has pitched well every game, but she also played short for a few games for us and first. She is batting .513 and has her share of extra-base hits and home runs. She also has 30 RBIs for the season so far.”

The win moved Highlands, winners of eight of its last nine games, into the 4A semifinals and a showdown with 2019 WPIAL champion and top seed Elizabeth Forward.

“We were pretty confident,” Koprivnikar said. “The team just seems to get stronger and stronger as the season progresses. They have bonded in a way that I haven’t seen before as a coach. They genuinely like each other and seem to be hanging out on and off the field. They are constantly encouraging each other and always pick each other up. You have to believe you’re the best team on the field to come off of it with the win.”

After grabbing an early lead, Highlands got down 4-1 heading into the seventh inning.

The Golden Rams raised some eyebrows with a three-run rally in the seventh inning off Larcinese to tie the score, and then they scored two more runs in the eighth inning to pull off the stunner.

“They have a confidence in themselves and a passion for the game. That’s rare to find,” Koprivnikar said about her team. “They believe in each other, the fact that hard work pays off and that the only way to get to where you want to go is together. Once something happens for one of them, that’s all they need to get the job done. It’s contagious.”

Haidze struck out 10 in arguably the biggest win in the program’s history.

“Jaycee has a calm, quiet confidence,” Koprivnikar said. “She doesn’t get worked up and puts everything she has into every pitch. Her strength and endurance help her maintain that for the whole game. Technically, though, it’s her ability to read the batter and hit her spots.”

Highlands will try to become truly golden Wednesday evening when it faces No. 2-seed Beaver in the WPIAL 4A championship game.

Will beating Larcinese and EF help prepare the Golden Rams for List and the Bobcats?

“Absolutely,” Koprivnikar said. “Beating Elizabeth Forward in the way that we did was a huge confidence booster for us. The ability to come back in the way that we did just helped our bond and the confidence we have in each other get stronger.”

2021 Trib HSSN Softball Players of the Week:

Week 8: Zoe Mangan, Chartiers Valley

Week 7: Maddie Griffin, Ligonier Valley

Week 6: Reagan Milliken, Bethel Park

Week 5: Olivia Zimmerman, Indiana

Week 4: Bella Hess, Chartiers-Houston

Week 3: Lauren Yuhas, West Mifflin

Week 2: Kailey Larcinese, Elizabeth Forward

Week 1: Mia Edwards, Shenango

Tags: Highlands