Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Week: May 10, 2021

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, May 9, 2021 | 10:31 PM

If a high school softball player can hit five home runs in a career, that is a pretty good accomplishment.

If a scholastic player hits five round-trippers in a season, that earns all-star consideration.

If you hit five in a week? You get the Trib HSSN Player of the Week.

Bethel Park senior Reagan Milliken had just another week at the office in helping lead the Black Hawks to three more victories.

“Reagan is mentally tough at the plate,” Bethel Park coach Heather Scott said. “She is very patient. Teams are careful with her because she has been tough all year. ”

The Ohio State recruit has to be patient because most teams won’t pitch to her. When they do, good things happen for the Bethel Park.

On Tuesday, Bethel Park played a nonsection game at one of the top teams in Class 4A, West Mifflin. Milliken had two hits and a pair of RBI, including a home run in a tight 3-1 victory.

“Her home run really changed our energy,” Scott said.

The next day, it was a matchup with another top 4A team as Bethel Park hosted Montour.

After a sacrifice fly in her first at-bat, Milliken hit an inside-the-park home run, followed with an outside-the-park home run, then was hit by a pitch in her final at-bat as the Black Hawks prevailed, 10-3.

On Saturday, the Black Hawks returned to Section 1-6A play against Canon-McMillan.

“Against Canon-Mac, she had another two-home run day,” Scott said. “Reagan’s strength is her hitting and being mentally tough.”

Her two homers were her seventh and eighth of the season as she had four RBIs in the Black Hawks’ 9-5 victory over the Big Macs.

The victory improves Bethel Park to 7-0 in the section and 13-0 on the season. After tying for the section title in 2015 and 2019, the Black Hawks have clinched their first outright section championship with no signs of slowing down once the postseason starts.

“The season has gone well,” Scott said. “We have a lot of games left and have to keep our energy up.”

With one section game remaining and a few nonsection games lined up, Bethel Park is expected to be the top seed in the Class 6A softball playoffs as Milliken and fellow starting seniors Lauren Caye, Delaney Nagy, Gianna Sciullo and Sami Stephenson try to help win the school’s first softball championship.

“I am happy with their performance so far,” Scott said. “We can’t let up, and we have to stay focused. We’ll continue to take it one game at a time.”

2021 Trib HSSN Softball Players of the Week

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: Bethel Park