Leopards select Parshall, Sabolek
Bailey Parshall is Belle Vernon's spring sports female selection in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program.
Joe Sabolek is Belle Vernon's spring sports male selection in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program.
Belle Vernon Area Director of Athletics Matt Humbert had a plethora of student-athletes to pick from as the district’s spring representatives for the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar-Athlete honor.
After all, 18 seniors have already signed on with colleges to work towards degrees while continuing their athletic careers.
Humbert, after much deliberation, has chosen Bailey Parshall and Joe Sabolek.
Parshall, who will attend Penn State University on a softball scholarship and has a 3.65 GPA, is the daughter of Kelly and Debbie Parshall of Washignton Township.
Sabolek is the son of Edward and Valarie Sabolek of Lynwood, will play baseball at Waynesburg College, and has a 3.6 GPA.
Both Parshall and Sabolek were appreciative of being chosen.
“It means a lot that BVA chose me to represent our school because it shows that they believe in me and respect my hard work,” said Parshall. “Being able to represent such a great school feels good and I hope I can make BVA proud in the future.”
“It’s a nice honor,” said Sabolek. “I am grateful the administration holds me in high regards.”
It did not take either long to answer, when asked, what their respective highlight of the athletic career has been so far.
“Winning back-to-back basketball section titles is mine,” said Sabolek. “The whole process was a struggle because of being young early and it did not happen overnight.”
Parshall, who has led the softball team to a pair of WPIAL softball titles, chose last year’s championship win as her most memorable.
“The odds were against us because Yough won the state title the year before,” she said with a gleam in her eye while speaking of their title game opponent. “It was a great atmosphere to play in at Cal U as the whole school and community came out to support us.
“And it is always great to beat your rival school in a championship game.”
When asked about the professional athlete that they admire the most, Parshall chose softball pitcher Monica Abbott while Sabolek chose San Francisco pitcher Madison Bumgarner.
“She is the first pro woman softball player whose contract reached one million dollars,” Parshall said of Abbott. “She has always been a big role model for me because of what she has done for the sport.”
“I see a little of myself in him as I try to not show too much emotion on the mound and strive to do well in big games,” said Sabolek of Bumgarner. “He is also humble which is cool because I don’t like when people have that ‘look-at-me’ attitude.”
Both student-athletes chose their respective fathers as the person who has had the greatest influence on their lives.
“He got me involved in sports, taught me most of what I know and really influenced my baseball career,” said Sabolek. “He was always going to Pirates games and he’s the only person I know that has watched every single game for the past eight years, including the bad ones.
“He is a dedicated fan and that’s rubbed off on me.”
“My dad has always been there for me and has always pushed me to be the best I can be,” said Parshall. “He is the person I go to when I need help and has always been my biggest supporter.
“I’ve always looked up to him because he played college football at Lock Haven and I have always wanted to play softball in college.”