Dayton-bound Heraty honors her commitment(s) at Libertyville
The oldest of five kids in her family, Hannah Heraty enjoyed a high-five moment on Jan. 5 of last year.
What a day for Dayton, which had its newest softball commit.
"I remember (the day) because it was my brother's birthday," Heraty said.
Family is important to the Libertyville senior. So is softball. So is her faith. That's why Heraty was thrilled to find a fit with Dayton, a Catholic university in Ohio, where the star high school pitcher was recruited by head coach Cara LaPlaca as a hitter for the Division-I Flyers.
Heraty, who helped hit and pitch Libertyville to a school-record 29 wins last season, first visited Dayton early in her sophomore year. She attended Dayton's hitting camp in the fall of 2015 and met the staff, including LaPlaca, who made her a scholarship offer at the end of December.
Heraty never questioned her decision to say yes. It was Dayton - all day, any day.
She signed her letter of intent in November.
"I wanted a school that had a community feel, and (Dayton) just happened to be a Catholic (university), and my family's Catholic," said Heraty, the daughter of Shawn, a former University of Iowa golfer, and Krissy, a former swimmer, whose other children are: Lauren, a junior softball player, Jack, a freshman (he has the Jan. 5 birthday), Tommy, a seventh-grader, and Connor, a fourth-grader. All five kids play ball.
"(Dayton) was like the perfect size," Heraty added. "It felt like home."
For Heraty, verbally committing to play D-I softball ultimately meant giving up basketball. Promoted to the varsity by head coach Greg Pedersen as a sophomore with Riley Weis, Caroline Frea, Maggie O'Sullivan and Molly Cayce, Heraty played two varsity seasons, but didn't go out her senior year.
"It was so hard for me because my two loves were basketball and softball," Heraty said. "I just really had to focus. I had to choose not to play because I wanted to get stronger and try to get ready for my college career. This whole fall and winter I went to a personal trainer. I've been working out every day, lifting and getting stronger for college."
When Libertyville's girls basketball team beat host Stevenson to win its first regional championship since 2011, Heraty was cheering from the stands with her friends and schoolmates. She couldn't have been happier if she were on the court in uniform celebrating with teammates.
"It was intense," Heraty said. "We all stormed the court at the end. It was so much fun."
In short, she had no regrets about deciding to give up her senior year of basketball.
"I'm just so proud of all of them, especially since some of my best friends are on that team," Heraty said. "I would have loved to have been a part of that, but I'm really happy with what I decided. I was just really glad that I was able to be there and support them. I respect the coaches and Coach Pedersen so much. They're such great people."
A snapshot postseason moment is what Heraty desires this spring on the softball field.
Last year, the Wildcats were three outs away from winning their first sectional championship in school history. They led Zion-Benton 4-2 in the top of the seventh and had their ace, Heraty, in the circle. But a series of hits, errors and plays not made resulted in a 5-4 loss.
It still hurts.
"She pitched well," Libertyville coach Elissa Wisniewski said of her No. 1 pitcher the last two springs. "We did everything we needed to do, except play the last three outs."
"We had that game," said Heraty, who a couple of weeks earlier shut out Wauconda in the North Suburban Conference championship game. "It happens. Now we're so much more experienced. We've learned from that, and that's going to help us this season."
Heraty finished last season with a school-record 26 wins and 2.17 ERA, while also hitting .376 with 7 homers and 35 RBI. In two varsity seasons, she has 45 victories in the circle and has socked 16 homers. She didn't play varsity as a freshman.
"She came in at a time where we were stacked at the upper levels with pitching, and we knew that she was going to be the future of our program," Wisniewski said. "She pitched a lot on JV and got used to the high school scene. Then we brought her up and she never looked back."
Heraty plans to study biology at Dayton, which is a less-than-six-hour drive from home. That means her parents, even with four kids still at home, should be able to come see her play.
"Family, faith and athletics are a huge part of my life," Heraty said. "I couldn't have (secured a softball scholarship) without my dad and mom's support. I couldn't be more thankful for the sacrifices my entire family has made."
Amen to that.
jaguilar@dailyherald.com
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