Gannon achieves her softball dream at Miami
After completing her senior season for the St. Viator softball team last spring, Lions coach Dan Twarog gave Katy Gannon the ultimate compliment.
"She's the best defensive shortstop I have ever coached," he said. "She is a phenomenal shortstop and has a rocket for an arm."
The University of Miami of Ohio got to see that arm first hand during fall tryouts.
They liked it so much, Gannon earned a spot on the Division I squad.
"When I started playing softball at St. Viator, I did not know what my next four years would bring about, but I continually kept striving toward playing Division I softball," she said. "I kept telling myself I would do anything to play Division I softball."
All she had to do was show the Miami coaching staff her skills this fall.
"I had a mindset of discipline now or regret later," Gannon said. "And I knew I did not want to be in college knowing I could've played Division I but just didn't put forth the extra effort or extra hits in the cages.
"I strived for my dream, and it paid off."
Twarog saw a lot of Gannon's determination the last two years on his varsity.
The Lions' MVP batted .400 last spring with a .700 slugging percentage, 4 home runs (2 walk-off) and 22 RBI.
"Katy set her goal to play Division I and worked hard every day for two years on our varsity to achieve it," he said. "I look forward to her continued success at Miami."
Gannon, who plans to study in the health or medical field, said she could not have reached this level of softball without her parents and coaches.
"My parents have driven me around the past 12 years to softball tournament after tournament," she said. "They always believed in me being able to play D1 ball.
"My high school coaches (Dan Twarog, John Scotillo and Bob Miller) have made my high school softball years so great and worked me hard to continue on to my dream."
Gannon also credited her summer coaches (Frank Hill, Dean Gluth, Jeff Keenan, and Ken Long) from the Schaumburg Sluggers.
"Being a part of the Sluggers allowed me to play to my highest level of competition going all over the country," she said. "They taught me more than just the fundamentals of softball.
"They taught leadership and what being on a team really means. Through the bad and good, we were all in it together and learned to get through it. I know what I learned from the Sluggers will be carried with me throughout my four years at Miami and throughout my life."