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Gatorade 2019 - 2020: Player of the Year

Softball - Connecticut

athletes playing Softball
The POY Logo
SOFTBALL

Abby Ota

Shortstop
JOEL BARLOW HS
REDDING , CONNECTICUT
JUNIOR
Height: 5-FOOT-3
Press Release

Peak Performance

.725

2019 batting average

44

Runs scored

38

Stolen bases
“Abby is an absolute terror on offense. Everybody knows exactly what she’s going to do, but she’s hard to stop. She has incredible speed, but it’s not just that—she has great baserunning ability, and she really knows how to play the game.”
Craig Sears
Head Coach - Joel Barlow coach
excellence star

Athletic Excellence

The 5-foot-3 junior shortstop batted .500 at the PGF Premier 18U Nationals last summer and was named a First Team All-American by Extra Inning Softball. Ota led the state in hitting with a .725 average for the Falcons (17-7) during the 2019 high school season, also scoring 44 runs and stealing 38 bases without being thrown out. She was a First Team All-State selection and ranks as the nation’s No. 81 prospect in the Class of 2021 by Extra Inning Softball.

a graduation cap

Academic Achievement

Ota has maintained a 3.11 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall.

first place ribbon

Exemplary Character

Also a basketball standout, Ota has volunteered locally on behalf of youth softball programs and her school’s Safe Rides program.