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Here’s our TLI for Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: AVERY HOULIHAN
Notre Dame-committed Avery Houlihan, #69 in the 2024 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Illinois Chill Gold, routine practices, PGF Nationals, Bombers Exposure Weekend, Birmingham Thunderbolts, Notre Dame, finance and corporate law, Sis Bates, all kinds of music, “Grey’s Anatomy” and organization.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Avery Houlihan
Hometown: Joliet, IL
High School: Joliet West High
Club Team: Illinois Chill Gold 18U
Graduation Year: 2024
Height: 5-foot-7
Position: SS/2B
Nickname: Ave
Twitter: @A_Houlihan2024
Honors: Illinois Southwest Prairie Conference (SPC) All Conference- Sophomore Year; Daily Herald News All-Area Honorable Mention; #69 in the 2024 Extra Elite 100; and #55 MIF in the Class of 2024.
Travel ball fall stats: .388 AVG, .552 SLG, .461 OBP, 1.013 OPS, 8 doubles, 1 HR and 6 SBs.
High school stats: Sophomore Year — .374 AVG, .484 SLG, .424 OBP, .908 OPS, 6 doubles, 2 triples and 15 SBs.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? My teammates are the people I absolutely love spending time with. I joined the Chill during the summer season of freshman year. I was looking to join a highly-competitive team that would help me reach my ultimate goal of playing college softball. Everyone with the Chill, including Gerry (Quinn) and the coaches, are the most genuine people to be around and are always looking to better everyone during every practice and game.
Do you have any suggestions for training methods or apps and why? I love a routine that helps me stay consistent. We have team practices 1-2 days a week. My other training includes speed and agility once a week with my trainer. Then I lift 5 days a week while doing bands every other day. I also see my hitting coach once a week while fitting in my own hitting a couple (of) other days.
Can you tell us about your experience at PGF Nationals this summer? This past PGF Nationals was such an amazing and memorable experience. In that tournament, our team played three games that went into international tiebreakers. I loved the energy our team carried throughout each game and never once did we let up. What really made this whole tournament so memorable was placing in the top 10 in the 16U Premier Division. I was so proud of our team!
What was your favorite fall tournament/event and why? My favorite fall tournament was when our 16U Chill team went to Texas for the Bombers Showcase. This is where I hit my first home run! I transitioned to a left-handed hitter about a year ago after being a slapper for the last four years. This was just one of those moments that I felt like my hard work finally paid off.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? Our team’s toughest opponent may have to be Birmingham Thunderbolts-Rocky. We played them during the PGF Nationals and ended up winning in 9 innings. This game was intense and we played so well!
Can you tell us about your decision to commit to Notre Dame? After my visit to Notre Dame, I knew this is where I wanted to be! There wasn’t one thing about the school I didn’t love. The campus, the culture, the traditions, the family-feel environment and not to mention the amazing coaches and players truly made me feel like this is the place for me. Everyone made me feel like I was already a part of the Irish family. The best part of this all is that I get the opportunity to play for a highly-competitive team only a couple hours away from home. The decision was so easy and I couldn’t be more excited!
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I am very interested in pursuing a career in finance and corporate law. Math has always been the subject I did well in, so I knew that I wanted to pursue something related to that. I have also been able to see some of the finance and investment aspects through my dad’s job and found it very interesting.
Who is your sports hero and why? My sports hero would have to be Sis Bates. Growing up, she is someone I idolized because I always loved watching her smooth defense.
What’s the best hype song and why? This is, honestly, a hard question to answer. I love all kinds of music, especially ones with a good beat that will get my energy going before a game or during a workout.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? My favorite TV show to binge on is “Grey’s Anatomy.” With there being so many seasons, I always end up finding an episode that I could watch and never get bored with.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? I may be a little obsessed with organization. My friends and teammates who know like to tease me about this!
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