The fact that Abbey Bond earned the opportunity to play on the fields at both Purdue and Indiana during her high school career is not lost on the recent Andrean graduate.
Bond led the 59ers to the Class 2A state championship game in West Lafayette as a junior in 2023, and she was selected for the North-South All-Star weekend in Bloomington in late June, when she pitched two innings in the first game of the doubleheader and got time in the outfield in the second game.
“I never play outfield, but it was a really cool experience just to be out there and having fun and playing with those girls,” she said. “I didn’t get any balls hit at me, but I still played out there. We have pictures for proof.
“I got to meet some new girls, played with some girls I’ve played against for the past four years like Munster and Hobart girls, playing them in our conference all the time. It was nice to be on their team and not have to compete against them. It was just a really cool experience that I’ll definitely remember forever.”
It was a fitting close to this chapter for Bond, a Purdue Northwest recruit who was the pitcher of the year in the Northwest Crossroads Conference and an all-state first-team selection in each of the past two seasons.
Bond went 13-4 with a 1.73 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings this past season, when the 59ers lost to Illiana Christian in a sectional semifinal. She also hit .410 with two homers and 25 RBIs, and she expressed pride she was able “to go out my senior year with more of a bang” offensively.
As a junior, Bond went 21-4 with a 1.13 ERA and 246 strikeouts in 160 2/3 innings, and she hit .284 with a homer and 24 RBIs.
“Senior year, I definitely felt stress,” Bond said. “Junior year, I was like, ‘No one’s expecting anything out of me. I can just go and do my thing and pitch freely.’ Senior year, I was nervous and stressed out about the pressure. But once you get going and get into it, it’s a piece of cake. It was back to how it was. You get in that little mindset and block everything out.
“My senior season was really good. I had a lot of fun. I wish I could do it all over again, but you can’t. So many good memories that I will forever cherish.”
Bond’s former teammates also will savor those memories.
Micah Snider, who will be a senior, said she would do “anything for Abs.”
“Abbey is an extremely selfless player,” Snider said. “She always is doing what is best for her team. When I first met Abbey, she welcomed me in like no other and really became a role model for me. Abbey is an extremely determined player who plays with confidence. She could be 0-for-4 at the plate and you would not know it because her attitude and confidence is top tier.
“Off the field, Abbey is one of the most kind people I know. She stands up for what she believes in and will always be there for the people she loves. Abbey has taught me that the mental side of the game is so crucial when it comes to softball, and has changed my outlook on so much.”
Maggie Voliva, who also will be a senior, agrees that Bond made her mark.
“Abbey’s passion for the game and goals that she sets for herself are what have allowed her to be so successful and become the player that she is,” Voliva said. “She is always up and cheering for her teammates but yet pushing us to be better players as well. I never doubted her abilities to reach her goal of playing at the next level.”
Bond concluded her travel ball career in late July. She had played with that team since she was 9 years old.
“We were third in a PGF national qualifier in Peoria,” Bond said. “We did well, and I did well. It was nice to end on a good note going into college and feeling confident about that.”
Bond, who committed to Purdue Northwest in the fall of her junior year, is looking forward to making that next step a reality. She is scheduled to move onto campus in the middle of August, and she expects workouts to begin shortly thereafter.
“I’m so excited to play for them,” Bond said. “I’m just ready to go and be there and start playing.”
