Penn High School’s Ava Zachary, a Notre Dame signee, won the prestigious 2025 Miss Softball Award.
Video/Photo Gallery is posted below.
The Indiana Softball Coaches Association made the announcement at the North-South All-Star Game at Indiana University on Saturday, June 21.
Zachary, a left-handed hitter who plays third, helped Penn win the 2023 State Championship. She has played on four Sectional and Regional Championship teams in her Kingsmen career, and is a four-time First-Team All-Northern Indiana Conference Selection.
Named a MaxPreps All-American and the National Female Athlete of the Year by the National High School Strength and Conditioning Association, Zachary hit .543 in 2025, leading the Kingsmen to the Final Four.
Zachary drove in 62 runs in 30 games, and boasted a 1.000 Slugging Percentage. She smashed eight homers, four triples and 10 doubles.
“It means everything,” Zachary said. “It’s such a surreal moment. I’m super grateful for this opportunity and the opportunity that Penn softball has given me the past four years. It was an amazing moment to stand up there with all the other amazing talent in Indiana and to hear my name be read.
“This is so much more than an individual award,” Zachary said. “It’s an award for all the girls at Penn who have ever played Softball, and all the girls who played next to me the last four four years and worked so hard and gave such a great effort every day.”
Zachary said she was proud to represent Indiana Softball, and that her winning the award was a big win for the North.
Next up for Zachary is Notre Dame and ACC Softball.
“This award just means I have to get back to work. I have to work 10 times harder now and work to get better day-in and day-out.”
Zachary was elected Miss Softball from a field of finalists that included New Prairie’s Ava Geyer (Western Michigan University), Tecumseh’s Kaitlyn Marx (Southern Indiana), Brownsburg’s Izzy Neal (Ohio State) and Shelbyville’s Addison Steineker (Marshall).
“Ava is the kind of athlete who defines big moments,” said Beth Zachary, Penn’s Softball Head Coach and Ava’s mother. “As just a sophomore, she delivered the game-winning hit and scored the deciding run in extra innings of the 2023 state championship, defeating the No. 1-ranked pitcher (current Florida University star Keagan Rothrock) and the No. 3-ranked team in the nation (3X state finalist – Roncalli).
“That moment didn’t just win a trophy—it announced her as a name to remember and defines her ability to handle pressure and compete with and against the best players in the country,” Beth Zachary said.
Accepted to Notre Dame’s nationally renowned Mendoza School of Business, Zachary is an Academic Honors student who graduated from high school Cum Laude with an Associate’s Degree in General Studies (over 65 college credits earned already) and has maintained a 3.5+ GPA all four years.
“Whether she’s leading a comeback in the seventh inning or quietly mentoring a younger player, Ava Zachary leads with heart, humility, and unmatched work ethic,” Beth Zachary said. “Her impact on the field, in the classroom, and in the community is profound—and lasting.
“It’s hard to imagine someone more deserving of this honor,” Beth Zachary continued. “She represents the very best of Indiana high school softball, and it is with great pride that Ava Zachary specifically represents Penn High School and the Kingsmen Softball program as an Indiana Miss Softball 2025 finalist.
“When asked about her greatest accomplishment or what she is most proud of during her high school career she said, “The opportunity to play on the field beside both my older and younger sisters (Aubrey and Addyson) and with the best teammates in the world and how special that was to me.”
Ava Zachary 2025 Season Stats:
● .543 Avg
● 62 RBI’s in 30 games
● 10 doubles
● 4 triples
● 8 homeruns (2 grand slams)
● Only 10 strikeouts
● .574 OBP%
Ava Zachary Career Stats:
● 128 GP
● .482 Avg
● .544 OBP
● 196 hits
● 174 RBIs
● 169 Runs
● 79 stolen bases
● .926 FLD %
