Postseason prowess set Horvath apart
Savannah Horvath’s usual aggressiveness at the plate all but went away in the final three weeks of her sophomore softball season at Centennial.
In the Bulldogs’ final 11 games of last season, the power-hitting third baseman had no extra-base hits.
She more than made up for it this year.
Horvath hit .585 with 17 home runs and 87 RBIs, school records in all three categories, and totaled 36 extra-base hits to help lead Centennial to its second straight state title. The junior is the Review-Journal’s state player of the year.
“She lost some of that aggressiveness and confidence last year, but this year from start to finish she just maintained that aggressiveness, that 'You’re not going to get me out’ attitude,” Centennial coach Mike Livreri said. “She just went in and was swinging hard.”
She was at her best in the postseason.
In the Bulldogs’ seven postseason games, Horvath went 17-for-22 (.773), including an 8-for-10 effort in the state tournament, with three homers, 19 RBIs and 15 runs. She had two homers, two doubles and 10 RBIs in Centennial’s three state tournament games.
And she did it all while striking out infrequently.
Horvath, who orally has committed to Cal State Northridge, had 76 hits in 130 at-bats with just eight strikeouts, three of those coming in Centennial’s fifth game of the season. She finished the season on a 25-game hitting streak as the Bulldogs went 24-1.
“She got even more disciplined this year,” Livreri said. “She started to lay off the riseballs and the changeups and was sitting on her pitches a lot.”
Her 87 RBIs matched the total put up this season by Cheyenne senior Vanessa Sanders. It’s believed to be a state record, breaking the previous reported record of 72 set in 2008 by Spanish Springs’ Jaci Carlsen.
It didn’t hurt that Horvath had maybe the most enviable spot in any batting order in the state, hitting between two first-team all-state honorees in 2012 Class 4A state player of the year Heather Bowen (.480, five homers, 39 RBIs) and Taylor Huntly (.448, nine homers, 47 RBIs).
“You’ve got Bowen in front of you, Huntly behind you, they had nowhere to go,” Livreri said. “They had to pitch to Savannah or risk getting into big-time trouble. That 3-4-5 was a juggernaut. It has to be the best 3-4-5 I’ve seen.”
Horvath also is a defensive weapon.
She anticipates well, taking away bunts and even catching popups behind home plate. She and shortstop Bowen both have cannonlike arms.
“It’s a steel curtain,” Livreri said. “For a coach, it’s awesome. It seems like they’ve been there forever, but they stepped onto the scene as freshmen and became starters immediately. That left side of the defense is like a death trap for a ball. It’s tough to get a ball through there.
“It’s one of the best offensive seasons maybe ever, and then she shines on defense.”
The scary part, though, is that Horvath has the potential to get better.
“She just has to continue to work hard,” Livreri said. “She wants to be the best. She has to stay humble, stay hungry, challenge herself to get better and make her team better.”
