Trinity’s Gray always amazed
Olivia Gray batted .611 during her senior season at Trinity and was the state’s Class AAA Player of the Year.
Trinity’s Olivia Gray and Califorinia’s Aaron Previsky are the Observer-Reporter’s softball and baseball players of the year.
Much of Olivia Gray’s childhood was spent on a softball diamond. The Trinity senior shortstop’s career began in TWIST softball, and it did not take long for her to wow players, coaches and parents by making outstanding plays look routine.
As her head coach during those early years, Shawn Gray still remembers exchanging looks of amazement with his assistant coaches as his daughter made a diving catch or a spectacular throw.
Almost nine years later, Shawn Gray, who coached Trinity the past two seasons, still cannot believe his eyes when his daughter makes a marvelous play.
“There are times when my jaw drops and I say, ‘Holy moly, she actually made that play,'” Gray said. “It is still fun to watch her play the game. She’ll give me 110 percent every time she’s out on that field. She doesn’t care about her body. She’ll throw her body in the dirt. It’s just fun to watch her shine.”
His jaw dropped quite a few times this spring. Olivia Gray, who will wear blue and gold for Pitt’s softball team next season, had another big season at the plate and in the field for Trinity.
She batted .611 with 15 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 44 runs and struck out only once in 91 plate appearances for the Hillers, who reached the PIAA Class AAA championship game, where Gray made several tremendous plays in the field.
The outstanding fielder and right-handed hitter became a three-time all-state selection, the Pennsylvania High School Coaches Association Class AAA Player of the Year and, after a spring that added an exclamation point to her already stellar career, Gray is the Observer-Reporter Player of the Year.
“It’s definitely something I can look back on and say, ‘Wow, I did that,'” Olivia Gray said. “That’s not only an award for me, but for my dad, my mom and everyone who helped me get to this point – my coaches and my teammates. I thank them (because) without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
She has left a legacy at Trinity as one of the top softball players to ever wear blue and gray, and it all began while learning from her father. Shawn coached Olivia since her TWIST playing days. While everyone marveled at her play, she shrugged off the praise.
What Gray focused on was the plays she didn’t make. She saw every play as routine, no matter what others thought. It all began with Shawn, who preached a modest approach and, of course, defense. Even this spring, Gray and senior second baseman Madison Hornak each took 50 ground balls front hand and back hand at every practice.
This season, when fans cheered or the dugout was abuzz after one of her marvelous defensive plays, Gray shrugged her shoulders.
“My dad keeps me grounded,” Olivia Gray said. “It’s something I grew up doing, so I’m used to it. I expect to make those plays, so when I do, it’s more like, ‘Well, I should have made that play, not wow, I just made that play.’ He would always tell me great, next play.”
Gray is not only humble on the field but off. A member of student council, Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and the swimming team last winter, Gray always found time to visit special education classes and donated her time throughout the district, even when Trinity embarked on its historic run.
Once it began, Gray and the Hillers could not be stopped. Even with opponents pitching around her, Gray found a way to continue to drive in runs and help one of the top offenses in the WPIAL.
Gray enjoyed every moment, good and bad, with her father watching closely.
“She has far exceeded my expectations,” Shawn Gray said. “What she’s accomplished these last four years has been really fun to watch. From a coaching perspective, it’s a player you hate to see move on because you have to fill her shoes. But as a parent, I’m just happy for my daughter. For her to be able to achieve this is wonderful.”
Olivia Gray, a four-year starter for Trinity, has improved her batting average each season while scoring at least 30 times and hitting at least five home runs. She is focused on not stopping there.
Gray enrolled at Pitt this week with the goal of becoming a physician’s assistant. Now, she is looking back at the program’s run, which she enjoyed with the same players she began her career years ago and a father she gives much of the credit.
“He’s definitely made me into the player I am today,” Gray said. “I can thank him for that. It’s something I’m going to have to get used to in college with him not being there, but I really enjoyed playing for him and him teaching me. Without him, I definitely wouldn’t be here. To go through that journey with him was a blessing.”