Trib HSSN softball player of the week – Irelyn Fisher

School – Union

Class – Junior

Position – Catcher

#Earned – One of the top softball programs in the district set a record this past week, thanks in part to a record-setting performances from its outstanding junior catcher.

Union sits alone when it comes to most consecutive WPIAL softball championship games appearances with No. 7 coming Thursday in a rematch of the 2025 Class A finals against Carmichaels.

The Scotties are alone in seventh heaven, moving ahead of West Greene, which had qualified for six straight Class A finals between 2016-2022.

Skylar Fisher was a member of the 2019 Union team that began this title game run in 2019.

Her father, Doug Fisher was in his first season and continues to be the head coach of the Scotties.

Little Irelyn Fisher was a fourth grader when Union lost to then four-time champion West Greene in the 2019 Class A title game at Peterswood Park, 11-0.

She wondered what it would be like to be part of a team playing on the big stage under the title game golden spotlight.

Her dream came true as a freshman when the two-time champion Scotties fell to Chartiers-Houston, 9-5.

She returned to the finals as a sophomore a year ago, this time finishing in the winner’s circle after Union blanked Carmichaels, 3-0.

Now the rematch is set between the Scotties and Mighty Mikes for high noon Thursday at PennWest California thanks in part to a big week for Fisher.

In the postseason opener for Union following a first-round bye, the Scotties defeated Jeannette 7-1 in the quarterfinals.

Fisher had a monster game, going 3 for 4 with a double and two home runs while driving in all seven of her team’s runs.

The first homer was an inside-the-park home run, which was her 10th of the season and the 31st of her career, breaking the school record set last season by Mia Pruehs.

She later connected on a grand slam, her 11th dinger of the season.

In the semifinals Thursday against Jefferson-Morgan, Fisher was 2 for 3 with another home run and three RBIs as the Scotties outslugged the Rockets, 17-7.

The long ball is nothing new for Fisher, who started hitting them over the fence in T-ball when she was 6 years old.

In her first two years at Union, Fisher was a two-sport star, playing softball and volleyball, which she started playing in seventh grade.

For the season, Fisher is batting .532 (33 for 62) with 12 homers, three triples, five doubles and 40 RBIs.

She has only struck out six times, has an on-base percentage of .603, a slugging percentage of 1.290 and a 1.893 OPS.

Even though she is only a junior, Fisher will continue her academic and softball career in the fall of 2027 at Akron. She plans to study medicine with the hopes of becoming a physician’s assistant.

2026 Trib HSSN Softball Players of the Week

Week 7 – Abby Sutton, North Hills

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