Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Mt. Pleasant’s Abby Swank

By: Anthony Difilippo
Monday, June 27, 2022 | 12:40 PM

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Coming into 2022, Mt. Pleasant’s softball team was without six seniors from the previous season.

And in 2021, the Vikings won both a WPIAL and a PIAA championship, so it is a memory no one would soon forget.

With the inexperience on the team this year, Mt. Pleasant started 2-6 but quickly bounced back by rattling off five wins in a row in the middle of the season.

They ended up losing in the WPIAL semifinals to Avonworth, but senior Abby Swank still saw a lot of positives.

“As we moved on through the season, we improved, and we started to understand what we needed to do,” Swank said.

Swank, a pitcher, first baseman and outfielder was one of just four returning starters from the 2021 team.

Swank finished the season with 23 RBIs, one of the highest marks in the WPIAL.

She partly attributes her success to her approach with runners in scoring position.

“I try to at least put the ball in the outfield or pull the ball,” Swank said. “If there’s any chance a runner could score, I want them to score.”

Swank is going to West Liberty to continue her softball career.

With her senior season just completed, Abby Swank took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

How did you get started with softball?

Whenever I was 4 or 5, I started playing coach pitch. From there, I’ve played ever since.

Is it important to learn how to play a variety of positions?

Yeah, because I just want to help my team as much as I can.

How did you land on the decision of going to West Liberty?

I always knew that I wanted to play softball in college. During my junior year, I visited a bunch of different places. West Liberty always felt more like home to me than all of the other places.

What is your biggest strength moving forward?

I feel like I know how to work as a team. I feel like I’m always able to put myself out there for my team.

Is there an area that you are looking to improve on?

I feel like I get into my head too much. I don’t feel like I should do that as often.

What is a memory that stands out from your high school career?

Definitely karaoking on the bus on the way back from winning the state championship.

Do you have a favorite karaoke song?

Not one in particular. It was sort of all over the place.

What are your plans for the summer before you start college?

I plan to play travel softball and then we’re going on vacation. I don’t know where yet, but we’re either going to go to Tennessee or the beach.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant