CRESTVIEW — Many high school athletes dream of making it to the professional leagues, but few succeed.
One who attained that lofty professional athlete pinnacle is Crestview High School 2012 alumna Hannah Day, who today plays catcher for the Akron (Ohio) Racers women’s softball team.
The path from middle school sports to Firestone Stadium was long and hard, but the Racers’ No. 15 was determined, surprising even her own dad, Crestview High Principal Dexter Day, a former football coach and professional baseball player.
“When I saw her playing in middle school, I was thinking I was going to have to break it to her that her career would be over by high school,” he said. “But she was committed, and committed to being the best.”
‘HIGHER STANDARDS’
Hannah started her high school career playing both volleyball and softball before shifting her concentration to the latter.
“Being at Crestview, and my dad helping me out, got me ready for pro ball,” Hannah said. “I always held myself to higher standards than most of the others did. That helped me get from college to pro.”
Now a rising Troy University senior, Hannah was named an outfielder in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association South Third Team All-Region.
She was spotted by a Florida State assistant coach while playing for Troy in the Sun Belt Conference, Dexter Day said.
30TH PICK
As the pro teams in the National Pro Fastpitch league did their 2016 draft rounds, Hannah was the fourth pick in the fifth round.
“She was the 30th pick overall in the nation out of all the college seniors,” Dexter Day said. “It’s an honor, but an honor that has been worked for.”
“It’s really exciting,” Hannah said from Akron. “It’s a very good experience getting to play on this type of level with these types of athletes. The experience I’m getting here is unlike any place I’ve ever played.”
One drawback, she said, is she doesn’t get home much. But her proud parents follow her progress from home, watching Racers games on TV.
“We get all the live streams on DirectTV,” Dexter Day said. “We watched the draft from home.”
‘WORK HARD’
If her success can inspire other Crestview High girls to succeed in the big leagues, “that would be awesome,” Hannah said.
Her advice?
“Work hard for it,” she said. “It’s not going to be given to you. You have to work hard.”
Hannah knows from experience that only the athlete can decide if he or she is going to succeed.
“She was tiny and weak,” her dad said. “A lot of people didn’t buy into it, but she bought in.”
“At the beginning I didn’t have the pros in my vision,” Hannah said. “I set goals for myself out on the field and it ended up working out.”
Hannah has one more year to go at Troy University as she works on her exercise science major.
Then before she settles into a career, perhaps as a personal trainer or a coach, she looks forward to more years with the pros.
“I’m proud I can represent Crestview in this kind of way,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview High alumna rising as pro softball player (PHOTOS)