HOWELL — Howell softball coach Lauren Evans doesn’t take chances when Zoey Overton is at the plate.
Evans knows Overton is going to pull the ball hard somewhere, and doesn’t want “somewhere” to be too close for comfort.
“No matter what, Zoey’s putting the ball in play hard,” Evans said. “If she’s up, I’m not standing anywhere near third base when I’m coaching third.”
Most of the balls Overton has been crushing this season have wound up in the field of play and more than her fair share have cleared the fence.
Overton has followed up an outstanding freshman season with a sophomore campaign that validates her ranking as the No. 1 player in Livingston County on the Livingston Daily’s preseason list.
Overton is hitting .568 with seven home runs, six doubles and 31 RBIs in 44 at-bats. She has struck out only three times.
Overton has already eclipsed last year’s totals of six home runs, 11 doubles and 24 RBIs, which were compiled in 99 at-bats.
Her improvement is more mental than physical.
“I definitely think I’m not getting in my head as much,” said Overton, the Livingston Daily’s Athlete of the Week. “It’s really a big improvement. Last year, I was really down on myself in the beginning. Once I realized it’s just a game and I have to have some fun with it, things just got better from there.”
Overton’s stat line got a major boost in the second game of a doubleheader against Milford on April 24. In that game, she went 5-for-6 with three home runs, a double, nine RBIs and five runs.
Her RBI total ties the ninth-highest in state history, according to records submitted to the Michigan High School Athletic Association. According to those records, it ties the county mark of nine set by Hartland’s Madelin Skene against Clarkston on April 15, 2017.
Her three home runs ties the second-highest in state history and matches the county mark shared by Hartland’s Skene (2017 vs. Clarkston) and Hannah Mourad (2018 vs. Brighton).
“That was a really big game for us,” Overton said. “I feel like my energy was up. I was super hyped about everything.”
For the doubleheader, she had four homers and 13 RBIs. For the week, she had five homers and 19 RBIS in five games.
More importantly for the Highlanders, all five of those games were victories as they continue to challenge for a KLAA West championship and a spot in the state rankings. Howell is 12-1 overall and 7-1 in the KLAA West.
“It’s been great,” Overton said. “I feel like our team has really been pulling together. I know we have a really young team. Everyone’s starting to really get comfortable and starting to have fun. It’s getting fun for everybody. Winning is very fun.”
Overton is one of three sophomores who saw extensive playing time last season as freshmen on a district championship team. Before the season, Evans told Overton, Clem Stevens and Caitlin Watripont more would be expected of them as young leaders on a team with only three seniors. Junior pitcher Allison Ulanowski is the only junior.
Evans said: “I took the three of them and said, ‘I know you’re sophomores. We don’t have time for you to have a sophomore slump. You’ve got more playing experience than 90% of juniors on other teams. It’s time to help Ali be a junior.’ I told them to step up and be juniors with Allison Ulanowski. All three of them are doing that for us.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@livingstondaily.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Howell softball’s Zoey Overton has already eclipsed big freshman stats
Reporting by Bill Khan, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
