DOUBLE FEATURE – Stars on the Rise – Abigail Babinsack & Samantha Holsinger!!!

Today, we have a very special, DOUBLE FEATURE article, with two young athletes that excel both on the field as well as in the classroom. Abigail Babinsack and Samantha Holsinger are both friends and teammates in multiple sports. Abigail and Samantha have been friends for a long time which will be obvious as many of their interests and comments below seem to be aligned to one another. Great athletes and teams that find a way to succeed often share these qualities of friendship and comradery making for a stronger bond.  This article will cover their journey together, it is truly amazing how much they have already accomplished at such a young age. Hopewell Sports Nation had the pleasure of sitting down with Abigail and Samantha to learn more about them and where we might see their names pop up in future articles. Both of these girls are multi sport athletes and play, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Softball for Hopewell School Teams. Additionally they also play Recreational Sports and Travel Ball. Abigail and Samantha are the only two girls in seventh and eighth grade that have played all four sports this year. Academically they’re both in the National Junior Honor Society, and have continuously made High Honor Roll. Samantha was captain for her seventh grade volleyball team, while Abigail was captain for Soccer, Volleyball and Softball.  Before I get to deep into all of their accomplishments let’s take a step back and see how it all started years ago.

Dual Interview w/Abigail Babinsack – Samantha Holsinger

In my conversation with Abigail and Samantha I had a chance to dive into each of the sports they play and discover what drives their passion for playing, “I’ve been playing Softball for about 5 years along my other sports, but I feel more like myself when playing softball, said Abigail.” Abigail and Samantha went on to explain their passion for Softball along with other sports; however, softball was the clear front runner for their competitive spirit, followed closely by Volleyball.  Samantha has been playing softball since she was 6 years old, “it’s always been my favorite sport, I like it the most and it’s a place where I can have fun and be myself.”

HSN wanted to know if there were deeper motivations behind why the girls prefer one sport over another and typically a passion for a sport can be brought about by watching a professional sport or athlete that inspires you from a young age. For this writer I can remember turning on the television at about 10 or 11 years old and although not knowing it witnessed an amazing group of athletes that would make history playing together. A few in particular, the rookie year of Derek Jeter, along with Mariano Rivera (Mo), John Wetland, Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Tino Martinez and that entire group of players that had an amazing dynasty for the New York Yankees. From a football perspective I had never witnessed a professional game before but by chance tuned into a game where Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers were playing against the New York Giants. Brett was doing his thing making a professional sport seem like a game of back yard football and the passion for loving the game of football began. For Abigail and Samantha it was as easy for them to list their favorite inspirational players as it was for me to recall the greats above from so many years ago. Samantha was quick to mention the name of a baseball player that is well known, “I really like Ken Griffey Jr.” and for Abigail, “I really look up to Olivia Babcock (Pitt Volleyball) and Karlyn Pickens. Karlyn Pickens is known for throwing the fastest fast ball (78.2 MPH) for Tennessee, she is a outstanding player and is someone I want to strive be when I’m older in my softball career.” Additionally, there were local influences that began these girls on their sports journey, for Samantha she mentioned one of her friends in Junior High, Alyssa Phillips, and for Abigail a local coach Mark Sembower who saw potential in her ability and got her to try it out for the first time.  The girls play outside of Hopewell as well for travel Softball teams. Samantha currently plays for the Lady Roadrunners as a catcher/second baseman and Abigail plays for Blast as a pitcher/first baseman.

Although travel ball is important to them, they also stressed the importance of Middle School ball and beginning to build those relationships with girls that they will have the opportunity to play with over the next few years and into High School. HSN discussed education with the girls as it’s a pillar of achievement that we focus on above and beyond sports competitiveness. We must take a moment to highlight both of these students and their exceptional focus on education. Abigail was student of the month in December for 8th grade, is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, Student Council and the Youth Ambassador Program (YAP), she also volunteered the last few years with little dribblers program. Samantha was also recognized as the March Student of the Month, recently was a new inductee to the National Junior Honor Society and coached for little dribblers. With being involved in so many sports it’s nothing short of a superb effort for these girls to maintain such focus in their education. Both girls highlighted that their time is limited so they have to make the most out of the time they have, making every minute of their study hall period count in order to keep up with their grades while having very demanding sport schedules.

Reference: Prior HSN Article Covering the Inductees to the National Junior Honor Society:  https://hopewellsportsnation.com/2025/03/22/congratulations-hw-junior-high-new-inductees-national-junior-honors-society-induction-ceremony-full-slideshow/

When it comes to school subjects and activities they enjoy the most Samantha highlighted her love for Social Studies taught by Mr. Testa and Band taught by Mrs. Wilson. She currently plays the clarinet and is also pursuing a second instrument in the Saxophone, as if one instrument wasn’t challenging enough her fire and passion for pushing herself is admirable. Abigail has an affinity for Science and enjoys learning from  her favorite teachers Mrs. Yurcina and Mr. Testa. Each teacher has a unique way of relating to their students, but for Abigail and Samantha they found these teachers were the ones that helped bring the subjects to life in a relatable way while making it an enjoyable learning experience.

For kids, learning and competing is made easier when it’s fun, the teachers and coaches are key components in making that fact a reality. Both girls thoroughly enjoyed playing Volleyball (Samantha for the first time being in 7th grade) this year because it was fun to be challenged by their Coach. Coach Borkovic who has been highlighted by HSN in the past and has supplied key quotes about his players is no stranger to HSN or its followers. We know that Coach Borkovic is very competitive, the girls had nothing but good things to say about his motivational coaching style and his ability to make the experience enjoyable.

Fun Facts

When asked what the girls like to do outside of sports they both realized they shared a passion for cooking, both girls have homemade recipes for mac n’ cheese! Each girl is a foodie in their own way, they have specific food regimens before and after a game. Abigail can’t start a game without cinnamon pop tarts, and Samantha must have her chocolate and peanut butter protein bar. If a win is achieved Abigail goes straight for tacos after the game while Samantha sinks into a sweet ice cream treat.

If you speak to professional athletes there is something to be said about pre and post game routines, the same goes for youth athletes as well. Samantha always wears a necklace given to her by her dad, she also reads a chapter from her favorite book before a big game, the book is called “You got this”, and the chapter is called “The Wildcats have their Claws Out”. For Samantha the chapter is about a girl who is in a slump and finds a way to work through her struggles to perform on the field. Abigail relies on her faith, says a prayer before each game and draws a cross in the sand when stepping onto the field.

Stay Tuned for HSN’s Upcoming Reels with a Rapid Fire – Would you Rather Featuring Samantha and Abigail!

Looking to the Future

For these two competitors the Future is Bright and they’re truly deserving to be named Stars on the Rise here at Hopewell Sports Nation. It would take another entire article to cover all of the accolades, championships, and scholastic achievements they have already earned as the list is vast. These girls have played sports since they can remember from Abigail starting Basketball in 2nd grade, Soccer at age 5, and even back to the T-ball ages for Softball, they have continued to pursue their passions. They now captain multiple teams in Junior High, Samantha was named the 7th grade Volleyball Captain. She has won the 10U Beaver County Fast Pitch Rec League Championship, 3 MVP awards representing the Pittsburgh Lady Road Runners for travel softball and can’t be matched when it comes to sinking free throws in Basketball. Samantha won the free throw competition in the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade, in 7th grade her free throw percentage was phenomenal at 75% to win the competition. Abigail was named Captain of her Soccer, Volleyball and Softball Teams in 8th grade.

Personal goals for Abigail and Samantha this season are simply to get better in anyway possible. Samantha is looking to improve to become a leader on the team going into 8th grade. “I want to be a leader and be able to help the new 7th graders that play for the first time. The first games you play are not as scary as they seem, don’t give up, and keep trying, said Samantha.” Abigail is already thinking about High School Softball, “I know it will be different, but if I work hard enough I know I can play at a competitive level. I have worked with the Varsity Coach, Ronda Koblek for pitching. She helped shape how I pitch today, and I am excited to get to High School and continue learning from her.” A few words of advice from Abigail for those younger girls looking to compete are, “stay positive, if you get down on yourself then it will be hard to perform. Believe you can do it, work hard, and don’t stress about sports at such a young age.”

Although early in the game Abigail hopes to play sports in college, “I’d like to go to college possibly at UPenn for veterinarian medicine, but also Pitt and play Volleyball. If I go to college to play Softball I would want to go to Tennessee or Oklahoma, said Abigail.” One thing is for sure that these girls have their sites set high and will not let anything get in their way of competing and pursuing their dreams.