This is the tenth in a series of weekly question and answer sessions with members of the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ softball team conducted by team play-by-play announcer Ted Rossman. Each week a different Raider will be in the spotlight. Previous spotlights have featured Stacy Mui, Dorothy Donaldson, Kate Howard, Nichole Rawson, Rachel Smith, Natalie Rawson, Elena Isaac, Kim Olmstead, and Bri Tsukamoto and are available on the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Athletics site ().
Sophomore outfielder Erin Hanna (Tucson, Ariz.) is º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½â€™s fourth leading hitter with a .319 batting average, a marked improvement from a season ago. Hanna has appeared in 43 of º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½â€™s 46 games thus far in 2004, with 41 starts. Seeing action in both left and right field, the Psychology and Spanish double major has posted a .920 fielding percentage. º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ hosts Siena this Thursday afternoon before traveling to Lehigh for Saturday and Sunday’s Patriot League Tournament. The third-seeded Raiders will face second-seeded Army in opening round action next Saturday morning (11 a.m.). The Raiders are looking to win the league tournament and gain the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.
Ted Rossman: You have seen a considerable amount of time this season in both left and right field. How different are the two positions, and do you have a favorite?
Erin Hanna: Well, I’ve played more in left field, so I’d say I’m more comfortable there. There isn’t much of a difference though. A little bit in terms of how the ball comes off the bat, but all of our outfielders can handle that.
TR: Every home game so far this season has been very windy. How has that affected you as an outfielder?
EH: Eaton Street, for some reason, is a wind tunnel. It’s consistently windy, though, so it’s something that’s easy to get used to. Including road games, the weather in general this season has been really nice, I’d say.
TR: You have had a much better season at the plate this season than last year. Was there anything in particular that you worked on in the off-season, or has it been more of a function of getting more comfortable in your sophomore year?
EH: It actually is something specific. For one, the pitcher in college is three feet farther back than in travel ball, so that means that the timing is different. I needed to work on not being impatient, and on staying tall at the plate. Maintaining my balance is really important for me as a hitter.
TR: How did you work on this?
EH: I mainly worked with my dad over the summer. We contacted Coach [Vickie] Sax, and she was able to give me some tips. She’s been really great with reminding me to do certain things [at the plate].
TR: You and Elena Isaac are the two Arizona natives on the club. Is there any sort of special bond between the two of you?
EH: I think there is some sort of special bond between us. We can commiserate about the weather [laughs]. Everyone has little things that remind them of home, and it’s nice to have someone to share that with.
TR: What got you into softball? Did you play any other sports growing up?
EH: No, I was always encouraged by my parents to pick one thing and do it with my all. My dad was a semi-pro baseball player and a professional fast pitch softball player, so I guess that played a role in it. It was either that or swimming, and at eight years old I joined Bobby Sox [a youth softball league], and that was it.
TR: You’re only a sophomore, but do you have any plans for the future?
EH: I’ve been considering going into clinical psychology for a long time, and I’m actually going to be working at an in-patient unit in Boston this summer. It’s going to be a really good test to see if I can handle it, because I’m sure it’ll be emotionally taxing. If that doesn’t work out, I’ve always liked the prospect of being a lawyer, like I was on mock trial in high school, so we’ll see.
TR: What do you think is something that a lot of people don’t realize about playing a varsity sport in college?
EH: There’s obviously the balancing time aspect, but in terms of something people don’t know, let’s see. I’d say having to weigh your allegiance to coaches versus teachers. The big example was the make-up at Bucknell [a Tuesday afternoon make-up doubleheader on April 6]. It’s hard to miss a bunch of classes like that.
TR: You are entering this weekend’s Patriot League Tournament at Lehigh as the #3 seed. Does having won the tournament last season on the same field as a #2 seed give you added confidence this year?
EH: Sure. I think that this team has the capacity to win the Patriot League, like we have just as good a chance as anyone in the league. We just have to go out and do it.