Lady Comets’ Avary Brister connects with the ball for a grand slam during play at Valley View in April.
Buck Norton-Jennings file photo | For Abington Journal
ALLENTOWN — Avary Brister was a very effective batter for the Abington Heights softball team as a sophomore and junior.
The senior left fielder’s production soared in 2026, helping drive the team’s run all the way to the state Class 5A championship game.
Along the way, Brister celebrated her 100th career hit in the state semifinal victory.
“I wasn’t sure exactly where, but I knew I was close,” Brister said after reaching the milestone with her second hit and driving in the last run of the 7-0 victory over Upper Dublin to send the team to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association final at Penn State.
After batting .361 and .385 as a sophomore and junior, Brister flirted with the .700 level for much of the season and did not dip below .600 to her final mark of .598 until the state final.
Brister had 12 total extra-base hits the previous two seasons before boosting her power numbers all the way to team-highs of 16 doubles, eight home runs and 44 RBIs. She also led the team in hits (55), stolen bases (eight), on-base percentage (.606) and slugging percentage (1.054).
“I knew I definitely had to step up because we lost a lot of really great seniors,” Brister said. “Coming from someone who batted in the bottom of the lineup and saw everything happen with all of them, I knew that I had to take charge and work on myself and be sure I was able to do whatever I could for my team.
“Everyone else on our team also did that, and we blended really well.”
