Meet the softball senior class of 2020: Addison Barnouski
Anyone who has seen a Redhawks softball game during the last three seasons has seen a familiar face at third base, and that is Addison Barnouski. She has been a staple of Southeast softball, manning the hot corner since her sophomore season.
However, that was not the plan at all coming into her career. She actually had an all-state career at O’Fallon Township High School in O’Fallon, Illinois at two different positions.
“I came into Southeast as a pitcher and shortstop,” Barnouski said. “That didn’t last long; I had a back injury that hindered my pitching and [Southeast coach Mark] Redburn told me he needed a backup at third base, so I started playing there.”
Barnouski was the backup for all of her freshman season and part of her sophomore season until an injury to Darby Pruett gave Barnouski an opportunity to take over at third base. She took full advantage of the opportunity as she didn’t relinquish her starting third base position for the rest of her career.
She started 48 games during her sophomore season, hitting seven home runs and slugging .524 with 17 of her 32 hits during the season going for extra bases.
Barnouski had solidified herself as the starter during her sophomore season, but she had her breakout season during her junior year as one of the driving forces behind Southeast’s Ohio Valley Conference winning team.
She started all 64 games Southeast played during the season, hitting .345 (3rd on the team) with seven home runs, 41 runs batted in (3rd on the team) and a .412 on-base percentage in helping Southeast to the OVC regular season title. Barnouski also earned a spot on the OVC all-tournament team as Southeast took home the OVC tournament championship, as well.
Barnouski kept the momentum going during her senior year before it was shut down, which she said still hurts.
“I’m still taken aback,” Barnouski said. “It hurts, and it sucks that I didn’t get to finish my senior season. I wish I had gotten that senior experience the seniors got last year.”
Barnouski ends her career with a .304 batting average, 18 home runs, 89 RBIs and a .500 slugging percentage. The 18 HRs are tied for eighth on the Redhawks’ career list.
Barnouski said she would have loved to come back for another year of softball, but she does not have any classes left to take that would keep her eligible for the spring.
She was a two-time member of the OVC Commissioner’s honor roll and is on track to graduate with a degree in elementary education in the fall. Barnouski plans to teach third grade and coach softball at either the junior high or high school level.
However, Barnouski does not plan on stopping there, as she eventually would like to get her Master’s degree in administration and become an athletic director.
