Junior pitcher Haley Tracy heads out to the circle with a little bit of swagger for Sandburg.
Her coach, Amanda Allison, mentioned as much during a postgame interview Thursday, raving about Tracy’s confidence and presence, which gives her teammates that something extra.
As Tracy exited the dugout with a backpack full of her equipment, she walked by Allison and showed off just a tiny bit of that confidence.
“Wheeling and dealing,” she said, barely cracking a smile.
Indeed. That’s the name of the game for Tracy, and she played it to the hilt Thursday in a 9-0 SouthWest Suburban Red victory at Homewood-Flossmoor that closed the regular season.
Fielding her position well while being aided by a pair of double plays, Tracy faced one hitter over the minimum in six innings to lead Sandburg (20-9, 7-6).
H-F (13-14, 4-9) ended up with three hits, two coming in the second by senior pitcher Becky Urbaniak and junior third baseman Elodie Sullivan. Urbaniak was erased in a double play and Sullivan was stranded.
“I tell her all the time, she’s got ice in her veins,” Allison said after Tracy departed for the bus. “There’s no challenge that she doesn’t accept.
“She’s got a confidence and presence out there that, no matter what’s in front of her, she attacks it head on.”
Tracy had plenty of defensive help, especially from senior right fielder Grace Fuller, who had six putouts and engineered a double play in the fifth by catching a runner leaning the wrong way at first base.
But from that far afield, Fuller said it’s clear Tracy just does what she does and is effective.
“Her pitching kind of showcases that,” Fuller said. “Her demeanor on the pitching mound is just very focused, and I know she’s going to get people out.
“She puts the ball in the right spot.”
Fuller, by the way, also singled and scored and drove in a run Thursday. Senior catcher Estelle Loth doubled twice, walked and drove in two runs.
Tracy, meanwhile, started in softball when she was 5 years old and would always play up a level. Competing with and against older girls has given her a distinct advantage over the years.
“I honestly think it helped me in the future to have a better aspect of the game,” she said. “It was like moving ahead one step, and I felt it helped me throughout.”
But it wasn’t always easy. Imagine getting bumped up a level each year with older hitters that were getting progressively better at the same time.
Those experiences helped her develop another aspect that’s proving important — leadership. It also helps to have nine seniors, including Fuller and Loth, to rely on when things get tough.
“She’s been very close with them and I think she’s learned a lot from them,” Allison said. “I think she’s going to be able to step into her own leadership role on the mound but also as a teammate.
“A lot of the girls see her work ethic and her ability on the mound and they flock to her.”
Without doubt, Tracy’s soaking all that up, which is setting the table for her own senior year.
“I learn a lot of their positivity and the way they talk up (underclassmen),” Tracy said. “Even off the field, they are always cheering you on, no matter if you make a mistake or not.”
Tracy, who also occasionally handles first base, wants to play in college. She’s in the middle of her recruiting process, deciding to be mostly proactive.
The hope is she can bring her swagger to the next level, once again against older girls.
“I need to reach out more,” she said. “I know that.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
