Princeton’s Avah Oertel finds power in lucky shirt

Opposing teams couldn’t come up with a scouting report on Princeton’s Avah Oertel to keep her from hitting home runs this season.

They should have checked with her little sister, Olivia. She knew the secret.

“If Daniel wears his lucky shirt, Avah hits a home run,” Olivia, 8, said.

Daniel is Avah’s boyfriend, Daniel Sousa, and if he showed up wearing his good-luck, light blue “Nike Tech” shirt, Avah would hit a home run. If he didn’t wear it, she didn’t.

“Before a game, I would text him and say, ‘You have to wear the Nike Tech,’ because that’s our good luck,” the older Oertel said. “Then when he’d walk up, everyone would look at me and always be like, ‘This is going to be a good game.’

“I think just knowing he had it, gave me confidence at the plate and always made my teammates giggle at him.”

There was one game at Streator that Sousa didn’t wear the lucky shirt “and I struck out every time,” Oertel said.

That’s when Olivia, who Avah calls her best friend and fan, stepped in and asked Sousa, “Where’s it at?”

There’s no doubt Sousa wore out the lucky shirt the week of April 28 when she hit four homers in three games, including a grand slam against Mendota and two round-trippers in one game against Kewanee.

Superstition or not Oertel slugged 12 home runs this spring to tie the single-season school record. Oertel became the first BCR Triple Crown winner since Dawn Nissen in 2002, leading the area in average (.474) and RBIs (43) along with the 12 homers.

Oertel, who also pitched in with a 4-4 record in the circle and team-best 3.35 ERA, third best in the area, earned Second Team ICA Class 2A All-State as a pitcher/infielder and First Team Three Rivers East selection as an infielder.

For all of her accomplishments, she is the 2025 BCR Softball Player of the Year.

“Avah dedicated herself throughout the entire offseason, putting in countless hours to improve her swing and overall game, PHS coach Jhavon Hayes said. ”Avah’s positivity is contagious. She constantly encourages those around her and leads by example, pushing herself and her teammates to be better every day.

“She represents Princeton High School with pride both on and off the field and in the classroom and I’m excited that she has two more years to wear the Tiger uniform.”

Oertel credits Hayes for her power surge at the plate this season.

“I’d like to thank Coach J a lot. No matter what, she was willing to help me and give me advice. Willing to look at videos from me struggling and give me key points. And then she’d always give me drills to do to get better at it,” Oertel said. “I feel like my confidence grew a lot because I was on varsity as a freshman and knowing like, ‘I’ve got this.’ Confidence wise helps because I wasn’t in my head as much and knowing Coach J always believing in me no matter what.”

She now has 18 homers with two years left to tackle Abby Jaques’ career record of 25.

Oertel says she likes hitting better than pitching because she feels that is her strength. But then again, it depends on the day, she said.

“Like the Streator game, I was on in the circle and knowing my teammates were behind me makes the trust better. Normally when I hit good, I can’t pitch and when I pitch good, I can’t hit,” said Oertel, who had 13 strikeout games against Streator and Newman.

Oertel felt a lot less pressure when it came to pitching this season with junior Reese Reviglio and newcomer Piper Hansen, a freshman, assuming bigger workloads in the circle.

“Reese did so good in the circle this year and knowing that made me feel better. Every single game she was lights out,” Oertel said. “And Piper coming in as a freshman and the confidence she had brought joy. I was very proud of both of them.”

“Avah may not have pitched as many innings as she deserved but she was an essential part of our defense—whether she was pitching, playing third, shortstop or outfield,“ Hayes said.

The Tigresses finished with a 15-12 record, bowing out to regional champ Morrison 8-0 in the semifinals. Oertel would like to get that regional title next year.

“I’m proud of my teammates. No matter how hard it got, we never gave up and always kept trying,” she said. “Next year, I think it would be great to do a regional championship. We’ve gotten there (2024) but it didn’t go well on our part. We’re losing three big seniors, Kelsea, Ellie and Sam. But we have a good class of freshmen coming in so I feel like we can get that done.

“I want to grow as a teammate. Knowing there’s a big group of leaders for next year because the senior class is all good leaders brings out the regional championship feeling. Hopefully we can get it done.”

Oertel has a busy summer in the works between PHS volleyball team and her Heartland Havoc 09 travel softball team. She’s thankful for her mom’s trusty calendar to get where she’s supposed to be especially with some upcoming softball trips to Kansas City, Colorado and Des Moines.

“Mom normally knows where we’re going before I do and that’s good, especially for packing because that takes a lot when you’re a girl,” she said with a smile.

Along with her boyfriend’s lucky shirt, Oertel relies on another superstition to get her ready before each game.

“My dad always sends me a text before the game and it says, ‘Off with their heads,’” she said. “I feel like that’s kind of a superstition, too, because I was always checking to see when he’d send that message because it was the same thing every time.”