Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Week: May 3, 2021

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, May 2, 2021 | 9:54 PM

First, there was Haleigh Zimmerman hitting eight home runs for Indiana softball before graduating in 2019.

That same year, sophomore Sara Zimmerman hit .514 in helping the Little Indians win 12 games and reach the district quarterfinals.

Now a senior, Sara Zimmerman is hitting .455 with two home runs with 11 RBIs — second on the team — for an Indiana team (7-5 overall) that is in a battle for third place in Section 1-5A with Franklin Regional and Woodland Hills.

However, another Zimmerman sister — freshman Olivia — is the latest star from the first family of softball in Indiana County.

Olivia Zimmerman leads the Little Indians with five home runs, 17 RBIs and six wins in the circle. She was named Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Week.

“I am not surprised about her overall success,” Indiana coach Harold Wilson said. “She is a strong pitcher with good command of all her pitches.”

Indiana was a .500 team when last week began with a trip to Penn Hills on Monday. Indiana took control early and cruised to a 13-1 victory.

“Olivia’s ability to keep the batters off-balance was the key,” Wilson said.

Olivia Zimmerman allowed one earned run on two hits in six innings with 16 strikeouts. She also was 3 for 3 at the plate with a double, triple, home run, two runs and two RBIs.

On Tuesday, Indiana returned home for a key section battle with Woodland Hills. Once again, Olivia Zimmerman was outstanding in the circle and at the plate.

“She was working one batter at a time and keeping them to only one hit,” Wilson said.

Zimmerman was 1 for 2 with an RBI double and threw a one-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts.

“Her pitching has been very strong,” Wilson said. “Olivia continues to work on improving her pitches.”

Olivia Zimmerman is 6-4 this season with a 2.65 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings. Her control has been outstanding with only 22 walks.

At the plate, the freshman is hitting .543 with 12 extra-base hits.

“Her offense has been very strong,” Wilson said.

She leads or is tied for the top spot on the team in hits, RBIs, doubles, triples and home runs.

While Olivia is the last of the Zimmerman sisters, they do have a little brother, Michael, in middle school.

The two section wins last week have Indiana in good shape for a playoff push, but the Little Indians have two big games coming up this week.

“As a team, we need to keep improving as we head to the playoffs,” Wilson said.

On Monday and Tuesday, they face the two teams they are tied with in the loss column. Indiana visits Woodland Hills on Monday and hosts Franklin Regional on Tuesday.

2021 Trib HSSN Softball Players of the Week:

Week 4 — Bella Hess, Chartiers-Houston

Week 3 — Lauren Yuhas, West Mifflin

Week 2 — Kailey Larcinese, Elizabeth Forward

Week 1 — Mia Edwards, Shenango

Tags: Indiana