Q&A with Ava Hodo… The No. 1 Player in the 2026 Extra Elite 100

On June 26, 2023, Ava Hodo was named as the No. 1 player in the 2026 Extra Elite 100.

By the time she had concluded her freshman season at Orange Beach (Ala.) High recently, Ava had already won a truckload of honors and awards.

In addition to being top ranked in her class, the underclass backstop and third baseman had already been named All-American and All-State on the individual side and had captured a PGF National Championship in club play with her Birmingham Thunderbolts team and an Alabama High School State title with her Makos teammates.

Extra Inning Softball’s Brentt Eads recently caught up with Ava and her parents, Jody and Alycia Hodo, to learn more about the softball standout’s background as well as more about the tight-knit family which also includes another athletic younger daughter, Addy age 12.

The younger athlete also plays volleyball and, according to their mom, “is her older sister’s biggest fan!”

Congratulations Ava Hodo!
1st Team All-State! Thank you Alabama Sports Writers Association for recognizing her accomplishments this season! @2026Ava @MakoAthletics pic.twitter.com/OGYxLzVXjw

— Orange Beach Softball (@oba_softball) June 9, 2023

Extra Inning Softball (EIS): When did you first realize Ava had athletic talent?
Jody & Alycia Hodo (Ava’s parents): When she was probably five years old.  She picked up gymnastics very quickly as she was strong and very coordinated. She started having an interest in softball after years of watching her dad compete.  She loved T-ball but quit softball at six or seven years old after being hit by pitch in Coach Pitch! (Cough, Dad! Cough!) She came back after a year and the rest is history!

EIS: What was she like as a toddler? Was she into sports? Music? Dance?
Jody & Alycia Hodo: Ava was a girly girl who loved to sing and dance. She did ballet and tap and she always enjoyed hitting plastic wiffle balls with her little plastic bat. Ava was sweet, shy and loved all animals. We spent most of our time at the beach and at the zoo.

EIS: And what her personality like as a young child… was she precocious? Shy? Life of the party or one who’d hang back in the shadows?
Jody & Alycia Hodo: Ava was very shy when she was little. She preferred to be with us all the time and I think she cried every day of her Kindergarten year! I truly believe that sports helped her find confidence and independence.

EIS: When did she really get into softball and what made it something she really wanted? 
Jody & Alycia Hodo: I would say when she began travel softball. Ava started seeing her skills improve and began to take a lot of pride in her performance.  She was 10 when she joined the Birmingham Thunderbolts and that was a game changer.  It was such a hard decision because she loved her local travel team, but we let her decide and she really wanted to be a Bolt. She was a little nervous at first but grew to love Coach Rocky (Thompson’s Camps. They were challenging and she learned so much from the coaches & older players.

EIS: What’s been a favorite memory of yours when it comes to Ava and her softball career?
Alycia (Mom): The first one that always pops into my mind is the State Championship walk-off home run Ava hit.  She was in 7^th Grade, playing varsity for Orange Beach High and we were a first-year program.  We made it to the State Championship game and were down by one run in the final inning. Daigle Wilson got on base and Ava hit a home run to end the game 3-2. It was a complete team win. So many players contributed in so many ways for us to even make it there. But, as her Mom, I was terrified for her in that huge moment! I sat there with my face covered! It’s not so much the home run that gets me, it was her fearlessness.  I’ll never forget how confident she looked! 

Jody (Dad): There was a tournament in Atlanta, when Ava was about 12, and we had battled back through the loser’s bracket. I think she caught eight or nine games, it was late and she was so tired. She told me that she didn’t think she could catch another inning. I told her to get off the plate (because they had been beating us inside) and try to drive the ball to left center and we would get her a runner. She ended up hitting a home run to left center and ending that game right there. I was so proud of her grit and determination!

EIS: What’s something about Ava that most people don’t know? 
Jody & Alycia Hodo: She still has some of that shyness when it comes to being in the spotlight or receiving attention about her accomplishments. She doesn’t like to talk about it. I like that humble quality about her.

EIS: Today, what are you most proud of when it comes to your talented daughter considered by many (including us!) as the No. 1 player in the 2026 Class? 
Alycia (Mom): I am most proud of her character and her kind heart.  Ava lives life to the fullest!  She makes me proud in the decisions she makes daily, the way that she thinks of other people before herself and the way she works hard to achieve her goals.

*****

Thank you @ExtraInningSB & @BrenttEads! Yesterday’s call was such a surprise! I am so thankful for my Coaches, the @BoltsOrg for the awesome training & opportunities, my amazing teammates & the support of my family & friends! 💜💛⚡️ https://t.co/OtNeENrg88 pic.twitter.com/IVDShhnHop

— Ava Hodo (@2026Ava) June 17, 2023

Extra Inning Softball (EIS): So what was your reaction when you were told you were No. 1 in your class? Were you somewhat hoping or were you trying not to think about it?
Ava Hodo: I try not to let it stress me out. Honestly, just being nationally ranked in the top 100 is a huge accomplishment because there are so many great players in my class. I was hoping to move up this year because I had really good travel & school ball seasons, but I didn’t expect it.  I was super surprised when I received the call from you! My Mom told me it was a call about ACT prep. It was an exciting moment!

EIS: Give us a scouting report on yourself… what do you do well between the lines and what’s something or some area you’d like to improve?
Ava: I feel like my strengths are leadership and communication on the field, being disciplined at the plate, my receiving behind the plate & being able to stay calm and execute in big moments. A few things that I am working on improving right now are hitting change-ups more effectively and getting more strike calls on low pitches… but I’m not giving you too much! 

EIS: What is your earliest memory of softball? What made you fall in love with the sport to where you work on it so much today?
Ava: My favorite early memory was a walk-off hit in 10U at a tournament in Daphne, Ala. It was my first year in travel ball, I was the youngest and most inexperienced on the team.  I had struggled to get in the starting line-up.  I finally did and getting that hit was a great moment for me and my Dad! We had put a lot of work into hitting that season and earning that spot.

My confidence grew from there. I really fell in love with being part of a team and helping contribute to our success. I was shy at school and didn’t have many close friends, my softball teammates became my people.

EIS: Did you ever have a bad experience in the sport when you were younger that gave you thoughts of not playing softball anymore?
Ava: When I was younger, I had a really bad tournament.  It was the USA Elite Select Futures Tournament in Viera, Fla.  Like epically bad for me. I think I had one hit all weekend. I had worked so hard leading up to it and it was probably the biggest tournament that I had played in at that point.  I had hit almost every day to be ready. I was playing good defense, but I let myself get into my own head at the plate and I just couldn’t shake it. I totally let it snowball.

I think that tournament was a turning point for me mentally. When I got home, I took a break and really thought about how that made me feel. After that, I worked hard on not taking one bad at-bat into my next. Failure is such a huge part of this game and being able to adjust and rebound from it is too. 

EIS: Did you/have you played other sports along with fastpitch?
Ava: I played club volleyball as long as I could and now, I’m on my second year of varsity volleyball at Orange Beach High School. It’s my second love!

EIS: Philosophically speaking, what about softball is it that makes you love it so?
Ava: It’s always a challenge and the game teaches you so much! How to fail and get back up, make adjustments & overcome. I love being part of a team the most. It’s definitely a sisterhood and I have made so many lifelong friends.

EIS: Being a catcher, you’re involved in pretty much every play… what is it about being a backstop that makes it such a cool position to play? And makes it that you love doing it, gear and all!
Ava: I love being involved in every play.  It’s a different perspective back there. I get to see every play unfold.  I like to study hitters in the box. During school ball, I get to call pitches. That has been really fun & it makes me so invested in every pitch.  I love supporting my pitchers and having a lot of energy behind the plate too.  I think I love strikeouts as much as they do!

EIS: Your mom said you got sick and felt ill flying to Colorado… any idea what happened or what hit you?
Ava: I felt fine when I left Orange Beach, but got really sick on the second part of my flight from Nashville to Denver. We went straight to Urgent Care, but nothing was coming back positive. I think it was just too soon for anything to show up.

The next week my whole family had Strep so I’m pretty sure that is what it was.  I was treated for a virus at first and a few days later an ear infection. I was really sick for about three days so I missed a lot of Patriot Games. Luckily, I was still able to do a Bolts Uncommitted Workout and play in Boulder IDT!

EIS: What excites you or makes you happy in life (other than the sport we’re talking about)?
Ava: Hanging out with my friends & family, going to the beach, suntanning, boating, tubing and jet skiing. Morning trips to Starbucks with my mom, shoe shopping with my dad, golf cart rides with Addy (my sister) and playing with my cat Marmalade and my dog Pepper!

EIS: Do you have any hobbies or activities you like to do away from the athletic fields?
Ava: I recently discovered that I really love reading books! It started with reading at the airport on my softball trips but now I read all the time!  

EIS: What’s something about you that most people don’t know about?
Ava: That I love PICKLEBALL! Obsessed! My friends and I have pickleball tournaments with trophies and everything. I wonder if there’s intramural pickleball in college…

EIS: What’s your favorite item in your closet?
Ava: 100 percent my swimsuit collection!

EIS: What’s one thing you wouldn’t be caught dead doing?
Ava: Eating seafood (even though I live at the beach)!

EIS: What’s playing in your headphones/iPods right now?
Ava: A mix of rap, country and pop music… everything from Lil Baby to Morgan Wallen to Taylor Swift!

EIS: Do you follow world, national or local news much? What’s one thing that excites you about what’s happening and what’s one thing that scares you about the future?
Ava: I don’t watch the news much, mostly movies or college softball if I watch TV at all.  I love seeing how much our sport is growing. One thing that scares me? Hurricane season!

EIS: Who was your hero growing up, in sports or away from sports?
Ava: My Nonnie (grandmother) She has been battling Parkinson’s Disease for over 17 years.  She’s such fighter and she never gives up!

EIS: Favorite Food:
Ava: Mexican & Italian…it’s hard to pick one

EIS: Favorite Movie:
Ava: The Lion King… forever.

EIS: Favorite Place to Eat:
Ava: Cactus Cantina in Orange Beach, Ala.  Fingers crossed that I will get a burrito named after me someday!

EIS: What would you like to study or major in college… any career aspirations yet?
Ava: I know that I want to be involved in Physical Therapy or Sports Medicine. I also have some interest in Sports Broadcasting.

EIS: What do you want to be remembered for?
Ava: I think I would like to be remembered as a fierce competitor & a great friend.

EIS: Finally, where do you see yourself in 10 years? Geographically, yes, but also what will you be doing or wanting to have or be in life?
Ava: In 10 years, I’ll be 25. I think I will be starting my career in PT (Physical Therapy) and hopefully traveling the world! I think I will probably be living in Orange Beach or another beautiful beach town with my future dog: a Vizsla and Golden Retriever!