Colonials choose Bezjak, Simon
Adam Simon has been selected as Albert Gallatin’s spring representative in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program.
Ally Bezjak has been selected as Albert Gallatin’s spring representative in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program.
Both Ally Bezjak and Adam Simon admitted they would not be where they are at in life without their parents.
Bezjak, 18, is the daughter of Carl and Lara Bezjak, and Simon, 18, is the son of Michael and Teresa Simon.
The Albert Gallatin seniors are standout players on the Colonials’ baseball and softball teams while also carrying a 4.2 GPA.
For their success in the field and classroom, Bezjak and Simon have been selected as Albert Gallatin’s spring representatives in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program.
Bezjak plays third base for head coach Gary Serock’s Lady Colonials, and accepted a full scholarship in the fall to attend Saint Francis University where she will continue to play softball and study nursing.
“I know it is going to be a challenge to play softball and study nursing,” Bezjak said. “My parents have been a huge influence on me, and they push me hard to be the best on the field and in the classroom.
“I am excited to play softball in college. I will focus on my career in nursing after college, and I want to go as high as I can in that field, and possibly be a physician’s assistant. I am also thinking about possibly getting involved in some type of sports medicine. I know that I can’t flinch or feel the pressure.”
Simon, like Bezjak, is an infielder, and although he doesn’t plan on playing baseball in college, remains very competitive and doesn’t like to lose. Simon is batting .531 with one home run, nine RBIs, 17 hits and nine runs as of Apr. 26.
“I think our baseball team is very competitive and gets really mad when we lose,” Simon said. “You can tell if we didn’t win the game. We have been in a lot of games, but haven’t been able to finish them. Baseball is definitely my No. 1 sport.
“Our coach, Ron Popovich, is tough on us, but I know it is because he wants to win so badly. All he wants to do is win and see us do good. We have improved as a team so much this year, and he has stressed that we have a good attitude.”
Simon plans on studying petroleum and natural gas engineering while attending Slippery Rock University.
“I know I want to do engineering, and natural gas engineering is one of the fastest growing majors in the country,” Simon said. “I think that is the smartest choice when you look at the economy.”
Simon’s dad, and his grandfather, Jerry Simon, are constantly involved in athletics, but the younger Simon admits he was never pushed to compete.
“My dad and grandpa are wrestling coaches, but they never pushed me into wrestling,” Simon said. “My dad is an assistant here at Albert Gallatin, and my grandpa is the head coach at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, and also coached at Uniontown, so they are both very serious about wrestling. My dad helps my grandpa at Penn State Fayette, too.
“A lot of times there is an assumption that my dad makes me wrestle, but he always let me do whatever I wanted to do. I did wrestle up until this season, but it wasn’t my No. 1 sport. My dad and grandpa are involved in baseball, too, and my grandpa still umpires. My grandpa has played everything. He was in football, too. They are both still very active when it comes to exercising.”
Simon’s parents have always stressed academics, and he knows he wouldn’t be playing sports if he didn’t succeed in the classroom.
“Everything is a competition in my family, whatever it is,” Simon said. “We are constantly competing, and it is no different when it comes to academics. Between me, my little brother and my sister, if you had the worst report card in the family, you would get harassed. You have to do better than everybody else.
“My dad always told me he could care less what I do on the field as long as I’m smart. I know they want me to succeed on the field, too, but they always stressed doing well in school. I know I wouldn’t be playing sports if I wasn’t a good student.
“I feel like I get a lot of my eagerness to play from my mom. She played volleyball in high school, and she would be harder on me than my dad if I lost. She is competitive and into my games more than my dad, who is more laid back.”
Bezjak and her teammates made history last season in winning the first playoff game in the softball program’s history. The Lady Colonials had another feat in qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time.
“We never expected to make it that far last year,” Bezjak said. “We got into a new section and had some new players that could help us.
“We were really upset when we lost in the WPIAL semifinals, but we were able to come back and get third place to advance to the state tournament. I was able to hit the tie-breaking home run, which is something I will always remember. It was a neat experience to play in the state tournament.”
Bezjak was batting .474 this season with two home runs, 23 RBIs, 18 hits and 12 runs following a 4-3 win over McKeesport on Apr. 26.
Albert Gallatin is hoping to advance further this season. The Lady Colonials were rolling in Section 2-AAAAA play through the first six section games before being tripped up by Connellsville, 4-3, and then losing another close game, 13-12, to Trinity.
“We were very upset with those two loses, but I think it will make us better, and we still hope to win the section and the WPIAL title,” Bezjak said. “We don’t want to look past anyone, but I don’t think anyone plays without wanting to win a championship.”