Trib HSSN softball player of the week – Abby Sutton
School – North Hills
Class – Senior
Position – Pitcher
#Earned – The North Hills softball program has a golden tradition.
The Indians are tied for third on the all-time WPIAL softball championship list along with Neshannock and Riverside with six district crowns.
The latest of those six championships happened in 2021 when North Hills wasn’t expected to go deep into the Class 5A postseason starting as the No. 8 seed.
The Indians first defeated Trinity, 4-2, then stunned top-seeded Penn-Trafford in the quarterfinals, 6-1, upended No. 5 Chartiers Valley in the semis, 5-1, and capped off their surprising run with a rout of No. 7 Armstrong in the finals, 12-2.
Abby Sutton was a seventh grader when North Hills won unexpected gold.
Now as she winds down her final high school days, she would love to lead the way to another stunning run to a district title.
Sutton has had a fabulous senior season both as the Indians’ top pitcher and hitting third or fourth in the North Hills batting order.
In the circle, she has pitched 88⅔ innings while striking out 88 in helping the team to a 10-7 record and a fourth-place finish in Section 1-5A.
At the plate, she is 24 for 48 for a .500 batting average. She has nine doubles, one triple and nine RBIs.
Her on-base percentage is .519, her slugging percentage is .729 and her OPS is 1.248.
Following a rough 1-4 start, Sutton and her five other senior teammates helped guide the ship upward as North Hills is 9-3 since April 2.
In a 16-team Class 5A playoff field, North Hills was given the No. 11 seed, firmly putting them in darkhorse mode.
In the first round against No. 6 Montour, North Hills struck early with two runs in the top of the first inning, then leading 3-1, scored two more in the sixth to pull away to a first-round win, 5-1.
Sutton was 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs. She also picked up the win, allowing six hits and no walks in seven innings pitched with seven punchouts. The run allowed was unearned.
When Sutton began her scholastic career, she was the starting catcher on the 2023 team that won 14 games and lost in the first round.
She moved to the circle as a sophomore and again, the team won 14 games, this time falling in the quarterfinals.
Last spring, she helped the Indians win 17 games and reach the WPIAL semifinals where they lost to Penn-Trafford.
In the PIAA playoffs, they fell in the first round to Red Land.
If the team is going to take the next step and reach the championship game for the first time in five years, they have a big hurdle in the quarterfinals Tuesday when they play No. 3 Penn-Trafford at Plum at 3 p.m.
Abby has had a chance to play with her younger sister this year as the Suttons have formed the North Hills battery with freshman Emma Sutton at catcher for the Tribe.
Abby plans to continue her academic and softball career at Pitt-Johnstown where she will get a chance to pitch and bat. She plans to study biology with the hopes of becoming a physical therapist.
2026 Trib HSSN Softball Players of the Week
Week 6 – Bria Bosiljevac, Shaler
Week 5 – Sydney Gonglik, Bentworth
Week 4 – Bailey Barnyak, Carmichaels
Week 3 – Sydney Sekely, South Park
Week 2 – Emma Herb, Shenango
Week 1 – Addyson Nigut, Elizabeth Forward