Joining the Mounties
KARNS CITY — A life-altering move at age 9?
Such a thing happened for Karns City senior Ally Walker, who switched from playing baseball to joining softball at that time.
“I owe a lot to Russ Dunn, one of my coaches,“ Walker said. ”He’s the one who convinced me to switch to softball back then. He’s been one of my coaches for all of these years.
“I’m definitely not in the position I am in now without him.”
That position is accepting an opportunity to play softball at Mount Aloysius College, a Division III school based in Cresson, Pa. The Mounties have been to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship game in each of the past three seasons. The team won the AMCC title with a program-record 33 wins — including its first-ever NCAA Tournament win — in 2019.
Walker, a pitcher-first baseman-second baseman for the Gremlins, also considered Butler County Community College, Grove City, Slippery Rock and Clarion before opting for Mount Aloysius. She plans to major in secondary education.
“It’s a beautiful campus away from the city,” Walker said. “I know a couple of girls on the team from Armstrong,. so they will help me in the transition. My first goal there is to pass (her classes), of course. Besides that, I want to make new friends there through softball.
“I never thought I’d be playing college softball. I’m just not ready to give up playing yet. I want to get better.”
She’s already pretty good.
Walker hit .390 for the Gremlins last spring, sporting an on-base percentage of .419. She collected 18 runs scored and 11 RBI while batting in the eighth or ninth position in the lineup. She struck out only five times in 43 plate appearances, missing part of the season due to injury.
Walker also plays for the Pittsburgh Power summer traveling team.
“We used Ally to turn our lineup over, to move people around the bases and score runs herself,” KC coach Mike Stitt said. “I know she’s been hitting the weight room and I can see her being more of a power hitter next season.”
“I can see myself going in that direction,” Walker agreed.“
She has been participating in an off-season weight program with the Power.
Karns City finished 16-3 last season, losing to Punxsutawney in the District 9 championship game. She becomes the third player from that team to move on to college ball, hjoining Ashley Fox (Gannon) and Zoe King (Penn State New Kensington). Three other Gremlins are expected to sign with college teams in the coming weeks.
“This is the kind of program we want to have and continue building. We take pride in it,” Stitt said of moving players on to college. “I’m excited anytime one of our players moves on like this because she is representing Karns City. She’s helping to get the word out there about our program and that will help other players here with college aspirations.”
Walker also played basketball at Karns City through eighth grade. Softball has been her only high school sport.
“I’ve known for a long time this is the sport I wanted to concentrate on,” she said.
Mount Aloysius hasn’t had a losing season since 2016. Jeff Bicko has been the Mounties’ head coach for three years and compiled a 15-10-1 record last year. He is looking at Walker as a potential second baseman.
