Swigart plays a waiting game

Grace Swigart continues to train for a softball season that may or may not be played this spring. The Upper St. Clair senior hits off a tee, runs around the neighborhood and plays pickle ball with her grandmother.
“I’m getting work in. Trying to stay in shape as much as I can,” she said. “But I miss spending time with my teammates.”
Since last August, Swigart has spent virtually all of her free time with members of the 2020 USC varsity squad. They played fall ball together. They practiced throughout the winter, lifted weights, trained with Steve Columbine and spent three days a week beginning in February increasing their preparations under the watchful eye of Panthers head coach Bill Aguglia.
“We were all ready to go,” she said.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world, however, the PIAA postponed all spring sports for at least another two weeks after Gov. Tom Wolf issued a “stay-at-home” directive to citizens in six counties, including Allegheny. The initial PIAA delay for all spring sports, as well as the conclusion of the winter activities, was instated March 16.
Swigart said her initial reaction to the news of the season’s postponement was one of “shock” because at the time the virus didn’t seem relevant to Southwestern Pennsylvania.
“I think we all were in a state of denial,” she said. “I have accepted the season may not happen. It seems like a distant reality (to play), but I’m holding out hope. That’s all we can do and keep putting in the work.”
Swigart has worked at softball all her life. Her father, Tyson, introduced her and her older sister, Madelyn to the sport. Her younger sister, Violet, also plays softball while her brother, Tyson, plays baseball.
After several seasons in tee ball leagues, Swigart transitioned to travel softball at age 8. For four years, she played with her cousin, Paige Stevenson, before joining the Pittsburgh Spirit last year to sharpen her skills further.
“I needed to play with older girls to get ready for college,” said the daughter of Marcella Swigart.
Swigart earned a scholarship to West Liberty University. The outfielder is a first-team all-section and all-state performer. She batted .426 with 20 runs scored and 34 RBI for the Panthers.
Right now, she wants one last opportunity to play with her current teammates. Swigart said the situation is “horrible” for the team, but especially for the six seniors on the squad.
“This year was going to be special, particularly for the seniors. Three of us are committed (to colleges). It’s such a scary thing, but for those three who are not they don’t know if they’ll ever play again.”
Because of COVID-19 and the restrictions in place, USC could not travel to Tennessee for a spring training trip. Swigart also acknowledged the possibility of missing out on other senior activities such as prom and graduation.
“At first I was mad to think I would miss out on a lot of things, but now I’m more disappointed. It’s a disappointment to put in all this hard work and not get any recognition. It’s also sad to see the school locked down.”
Swigart also noted missing the socialization that sports affords.
“The whole reason you play is to be a part of a team and I like being around people,” she said.
When she enrolls in college, Swigart said she would like to help people. She wants to pursue a career in medicine.
She said that being a part of something like finding cures for sicknesses and viruses would be “amazing.”
“It’s crazy to think about what is going on right now and the fact that this is going to be something that we read about in the history books,” she said.