The Fight in the Lady Warriors: Ava Guillot leads with grit and perseverance

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Just 10 games into softball season, Grace Christian’s starting pitcher, Rylee Guillot, suffered a season-ending back injury, which left the team wondering how they were going to move forward.

After trying out different pitchers for a few games, Rylee’s big sister, Ava, won the job, moving from shortstop to the circle, which came as a surprise to both of them.

“I was kind of like…maybe it won’t be me, maybe it will be one of the other girls, but at the end of the day, it was me,” Ava said. “It was just kind of like a big jump to reality.”

“I never expected Ava to come in as second pitcher,” Rylee said. “I expected one of two other girls on the team, not Ava.”

Ava had not been in the circle since 7th grade and knew the transition would not be smooth sailing, but the team had her back.

“I was like, I am going to jump in here, they are going to hit off me, they are going to hit bombs. Everything is going to go downhill from here,” Ava said.

“This is the hand we were dealt. Let’s see what we can do with it,” Grace Christian Softball Coach Mark Rosier said. “Actually, the more she did, the better she got. The stronger she got, the more comfortable she got. Her hitting got better. Her whole game got better. All of the sudden, she just took that responsibility and took it upon herself.”

With that responsibility comes the expectation of leading the Grace Christian Lady Warriors back to the semifinals.

“I did not think we could win a game with me pitching, but we have,” Ava said.

“It is amazing because she just helped us and really pulled through for us,” said Rory Decker, a player on the team. “At least for me, and for other girls, it has made us believe we can do this. We have a chance at making it.”

Last week, the Lady Warriors had their first playoff game with a spot in the semifinals on the line. And with the belief of the dugout and arm of Ava Guillot, the chance of making it became the moment they made it to the semis as they run-ruled Family Christian.

“It is just shocking seeing how far she has come, seeing how far the whole team has come. How their defense has become so much stronger, and Ava’s pitching is so much stronger,” Rylee said. “I am really excited to see them go into the semifinal game.”

For her grit and perseverance to lead the Lady Warriors back to Sulphur, Ava Guillot is this week’s ACA Athlete of the Week.

Click here to report a typo. Please provide the title of the article in your email.

Copyright 2023 KALB. All rights reserved.