Addy Ballard Named HFL Jr’s Player of the Month for April & Jade Hylton Named HFL’s Sr’s Player of the Month  

Addy Ballard Named HFL Jr’s Player of the Month for April & Jade Hylton Named HFL’s Sr’s Player of the Month 

By: Carson Staponski 

With competition just about in full swing, April brought 2 more brand new Players of the Month! The Heartland Fastpitch League (HFL) is proud to announce Addy Ballard and Jade Hylton as April Players of the Month to continue the Alliance Fastpitch Player Recognition Program! 

First, we’ll highlight the junior division POM from Iowa Premier 12U, Addy Ballard! Ballard is an 8th grader from Des Moines, IA that plays catcher, 3B, and outfield for the Premier. She started playing softball when she was five years old, and her parents have yet to be able to yank her off the field since!

“I would practice for hours and hours after practice and games and never wanted to come off the field.” This constant hard work has paid off! Ballard already has 6 home runs, 48 hits, and a .471 batting average on the season! 

“My favorite thing about Addy is not her impressive stats, instead it’s her drive and desire to get better each day. I have to tell the kid to take a break sometimes as she’s always itching to pick up a softball and go to work,” says head coach Paige Shannon. 

Addy notes her favorite softball memory as when she hit her third home run of the day; “I hit one in each bracket game! I love the energy it brings to the dugout and the celebrations I do with my teammates!” “She has a bright future ahead of her and I’m excited to watch it unfold!” says Coach Shannon. 

Congratulations Addy and good luck in your future endeavors! We can’t wait to see all you achieve! 

Our next player we would like to highlight is Jade Hylton. Hylton is a Junior from Martinsville, VA. She plays for the Williamsburg Stars Gold Bunn. In the fall of ‘22, the University of Virginia will add Hylton as a SS/U player to their roster. 

Hylton originally started playing baseball after finishing tee ball. “I had to make the change to softball when I was 8 years old, which I hated at the time but now realize it was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” says Hylton. 

Her decision was a great one, as Hylton has taken off in fastpitch softball. Last season, she led her team with a .474 batting average, 22 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 56 RBIs. Her head coach, Thomas Bunn, is “glad she’s on [his team’s] side,” as opposing teams tend to make their “game plan around her.” Bunn says “Jade is a true 5 tool player who plays extremely hard and is a great teammate.” 

Congrats on being named the April POM! Good luck in your future, and we can’t wait to see all you do at the University of Virginia! 

What is the Alliance Fastpitch Player Recognition Program?

The Player Recognition Program was built to recognize and spotlight our individual players in each Member League. Each month, registered Alliance Fastpitch coaches can nominate a player from their age division. League Leadership will review nominations and a monthly stats report from AthletesGoLive (AGL) to determine the League’s Player of the Month.

Following the announcement of each League’s Players of the Month, the Alliance Fastpitch will recognize a National Player of the Month. 

To be considered for Player of the Month, your team must score League games in AGL so your stats will be included in the League’s monthly report.