SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
(Presented by Center City Print)
KAYA HANNON, TUNKHANNOCK senior pitcher
Time period: April 10-16
Game One: Hannon limited a Hazleton Area team, averaging 13.4 runs per game, to two runs while working the first six innings of Tuesday’s 12-5 victory in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 game that was the first of Tunkhannock’s three straight against one of District 2’s other defending champions. She struck out nine and walked one while giving up eight hits. Hannon also went 2-for-5 and scored a run.
Game Two: Tunkhannock ended defending state Class 5A champion Pittston Area’s 28-game winning streak with a 3-2 win Thursday. Hannon tossed a four-hitter without walking a batter while striking out nine. She was the only player with two hits in the game in which she opposed 2022 Class 5A Pitcher of the Year Gianna Adams. Hannon also scored a run.
Game Three: The Lady Tigers trimmed the list of unbeaten District 2 softball teams again, knocking it down to two with a 4-3, non-league victory over Mid Valley Saturday. Hannon threw a five-hitter with four walks and five strikeouts while holding the Spartanettes below their average of 11.9 runs per game. She also had a hit and scored.
Season batting: From her leadoff spot, Hannon is batting a team-high .560 with five doubles, eight runs and three RBI. She has at least one hit and one run in all seven Tunkhannock games.
Season pitching: Hannon is 5-0 with an 0.88 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 32 innings. She has walked eight.
About Kaya: Hannon was one of Pennsylvania’s most effective pitchers and one of the key players on what would become two straight trips to Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A state championship games from the moment her high school career started a year late because of the COVID-cancellation of 2020 spring sports. Hannon was a first-team, all-state selection as a sophomore and a second-team all-state pitcher as a junior, according to state sports writers. … Along with current teammates, Hannon played on a Tunkhannock team that went to the Little League Softball World Series championship game. … Hannon has 47 career wins and 484 strikeouts in 346 2/3 career innings. … Her batting average has improved each season from .338 as a sophomore to .442 as a junior to the current .560.
About the Lady Tigers: Tunkhannock is leading two of Pennsylvania most competitive regular-season races. The Lady Tigers lead Pittston Area in WVC Division 1 and lead Valley View, the district’s other unbeaten, in a ratings race for the top seed in Class 4A. Hazleton Area and North Pocono respectively are also part of those races. … Tunkhannock, despite a schedule that also includes the second-place team in the District 2 Class 5A seeding race, Wallenpaupack, has outscored opponents, 78-14.
