Estep ready to continue her career on the diamond with Maryland

WHEELERSBURG — Anyone who knows or has heard of Wheelersburg Lady Pirates’ Ava Estep knows she is an outstanding softball player and they will sing her praises.

Actually, Estep could sing her own praises. Literally.

You see, Ava Estep can sing.

“She has an amazing voice,” said her sister Bailee Estep.

“I can sing pretty well. That’s actually something people don’t know about me, but I can,” said Estep.

Wheelersburg wide receiver Landon McGraw recently auditioned for American Idol which brought up the idea of the two seniors getting together for a duet.

“Maybe that’s something we can do before we graduate,” said Estep, who helped Wheelersburg go 28-0 last season and win the Division 5 state title.

Singing might be one thing that is in her future, but the concrete event in her life happened on Wednesday when Estep signed a national letter-of-intent to play for the Maryland Terrapins.

Estep talked with North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio University and several other Division 1 programs as well as NCAA 2 and NCAA 3 schools.

“On September one they called me and we set a meeting for some calls and stuff, but overall Maryland was the main one who reached out to me and talked to me consistently through the years,” said Estep.

A speedy and excellent defensive center fielder, Estep hits well and has the ability to steal bases. She is uncertain how she will fit into the coaching staff’s plans for next fall.

“I’m not really sure about (next fall), but the overall vision is to obviously get better,” Estep said. “Coach (Lauren) Karn is very competitive and that’s what I was really looking for in a college to play softball.”

Although Estep can play all three outfield positions, she has an affinity for centerfield.

Estep began playing at a young age and was a catcher. She later switched to softball and she also switched positions.

“When I was younger, I did catch. But with the speed I have, my dad said ‘we can’t keep young catching. We need to keep those knees healthy.’ So, he pushed me to the outfield and I think that was a really good decision on his part.”

Her father is Michael Estep who was a standout at Portsmouth and went on to start at third base for the Ohio State Buckeyes and earned All-Big Ten honors three times.

“I’m really thankful that I have a dad who knows the game really well or I wouldn’t be here,” said Estep.

Estep has also played basketball and volleyball. She didn’t start playing softball until she was 12-years old when she joined the Ohio Hawks team coached by Josh Drake.

“I started playing with him and I began to start liking the game a lot,” she said.

Estep continued playing basketball and volleyball through her sophomore year before focusing strictly on softball. She said that decision helped her improve and get the chance to play at the next level.

In fact, she played travel ball with Team North Carolina which made her realize she had the ability to play at the next level.

“I’m really grateful. A small town girl is not really known to come out and play Division 1 softball or any sport in general,” said Estep. “I’m really thankful to be exposed to the other colleges. If I hadn’t been able to play travel ball with (North Carolina) and they didn’t recognize me I don’t think I would be able to play D1 right now.”

Step said college softball is very similar to playing at the college level.

“I actually just went to a Florida State game and a former teammate of mine, Anna Hinde, plays there. The ball movement and the knowledge of the game is actually insane,” said Estep.

So, what Estep intimidated by what she witnessed?

“It’s not really intimidating. I think I can definitely do this,” said a confident Estep, “People ask me what was your mindset going up to bat. You can’t think about it that hard. If something bad happens, you just compartmentalize and just move on to the next place.”

Estep is glad to have the recruiting behind her as she looks to help her team try and win back-to-back state titles.

“The weight is off my shoulders. I actually committed early, so the weight is off and I can just enjoy my summer and fall ball and high school ball and I’ll be (at Maryland) in a couple of years,” she said.

Estep plans to major in criminal justice.