Hubbard gets surprise from Purdue
Megan Hubbard received a surprise on a recent visit to the office of Purdue softball coach Kim Maher.
While in West Lafayette, Ind., to register for classes, the Fremd graduate planned on informing Maher that she would try to walk on to the Boilermakers softball team this fall.
Instead, Hubbard walked out of the coaches’ office with a spot on the roster.
“It happened unexpectedly,” said Hubbard, who became Fremd’s all-time home run leader this spring. “When we sat down and talked, she (Maher) offered me a preferred walk-on position.
“Last summer, I went to a camp at Purdue and she (Maher) said she remembered my athleticism and how much of an athlete I was.”
Hubbard had a season to remember this spring at Fremd, slugging a single-season school-record 9 homers and finishing with a school-record 21 homers for her career.
Quite simply the best power hitter in Fremd history, Hubbard also set the single-season record with 16 doubles while helping Fremd to another 30-win season under coach Jim Weaver. The all-area second baseman hit .479 (56 hits) with 45 RBI and had a fielding percentage of better than .970.
Hubbard plans to study physical education at the Big Ten school.
“My mom researched Purdue and found that it had a really good physical education program and that’s why we went there to visit,” Megan said. “And I like the idea of a Big Ten school because sports is a big part of the campus atmosphere.”
Hubbard said she felt right at home when she first saw the campus.
“I could picture myself there and knew it was where I wanted to go,” she said.
Hubbard will go there with a lot of prior softball experience.
“I’ve had of a lot of help from my feeder coaches (Brad Schneider and Dan Patenaude), my high school coaches (Weaver, TJ Valacek and Christine Vlaming) and my club coach (Jim Goranson of the Illinois Bash),” she said. “And my family, too (parents Jim and Cindy and brother Matt). They’ve all encouraged me.”
Boys golf: Danny Stringfellow won the qualifier for the Illinois Junior Open and he will he be joined by his former St. Viator teammate Jim Vitale, who also qualified.