Holden Pittman
MALE
Holden Pittman // Hauser junior baseball player
Pittman went 3 for 5 with a double, a home run and four RBIs to lead the Jets to a 7-6, nine-inning win against South Ripley in the opening round of the South Ripley Sectional. His three-run homer in the top of the ninth gave the Jets the lead for good.
His performance last week: “I think we pushed through in that ninth inning. It was a tough game. It was late. We used our grit to get through it.”
Do you do anything special to prepare? “I normally start with (batting) tee work in the cage, just to prepare myself.”
Favorite drink: “Root Beer”
Favorite food: “El Jefe”
Favorite class: “I like Anatomy.”
Favorite sports team: “North Carolina”
Favorite athlete: “Shohei Ohtani. He does it all — hits, pitches.”
Role model: “My dad (Brett Pittman)”
Best advice: “Be prepared. Prepare before everything so that you come into whatever you’re coming into ready.”
Athletics goal: “My goal for this year was to make All-Conference, and I made All-Conference.”
If you could travel anywhere: “Hawaii, just because it’s pretty there. It’s nice, and it’s warm.”
FEMALE
Aya Saad // Columbus North junior tennis player
Aya Saad
Saad won both of her No. 2 singles matches in straight sets to help the Bull Dogs to 5-0 wins against East Central and Southwestern (Hanover) in the Columbus North Regional. She also won her match in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Franklin in the Center Grove Semistate.
Her performance last week: “I think regional and semistate went really well. Semistate, I was really excited to use all my energy, and I think I did a good job using my energy and my skill together.”
Do you do anything special to prepare? “I usually sleep well, and I don’t eat a lot of junk food before.”
Favorite drink: “I really like Pink Lemonade.”
Favorite food: “I really like pasta.”
Favorite class: “Any of my medical classes.”
Favorite sports team: “Manchester City”
Favorite athlete: “Coco Gauff”
Role model: “My parents (Philipe and Dorsaf Saad). They inspire me. They moved to America with nothing and built upon a new future in America.”
Best advice: “You can only control yourself, not what others do.’’
Athletics goal: “I hope to make it far in the state tournament next year, and maybe play tennis in college and get a good scholarship.”
If you could travel anywhere: “Athens, Greece. The beach is my favorite place in the world, and I really like the aesthetics of Greece and where it’s located.”
