Naperville North’s Olivia Hebron trusted the process.
The right-handed Hebron can fully grasp the meaning of that phrase, too, after Huskies coach Jerry Kedziora convinced her to become a lefty slapper.
“I had no clue what slapping was then,” Hebron said. “I had never seen anybody do it before. Coach said that’s what we needed. I’m not ambidextrous. I’m right-handed in everything I do.”
Making the switch was only the beginning.
“I struck out 80% of the time in my sophomore year, but coach kept me in the lineup and trusted me,” Hebron said. “It just took some time.”
Their patience has paid dividends for Hebron and the Huskies (4-12). The senior outfielder is sparking the offense from the leadoff spot and is also breaking the mold for a slap hitter with extra-base hits. Through 14 games this season, she was batting .405 with two doubles, three triples, a home run and 11 RBIs.
“She’s blossomed into one of the better hitters in the county,” Kedziora said. “She’s one of our captains. She’s been truly a pleasant surprise.”
Hebron has come a long way since her freshman season.
“I wasn’t having much success batting righty at the varsity level,” she said. “It was just fast pitching. I couldn’t get my timing down.”
But Kedziora thought Hebron could be a slap hitter like 2011 graduate Sammy Marshall, who became the first softball player from Naperville to reach the professional level when she was drafted by the Chicago Bandits in 2015.
“We had done it in our program a couple of times over the years with players who have speed to get down to first base,” he said. “It’s not often we do it, but Sammy Marshall was one of the best players we’ve had. The first thing is if the person is fast enough.
“We thought she could get on base more, get more at-bats and play more.”
Hebron’s father, Al, who played football and basketball at the College of the Holy Cross, wasn’t easily convinced.
“I have three kids, but I’m the only lefty,” Al Hebron said. “I never played baseball or knew anything about softball growing up. But Olivia was a strong power hitter when she was younger. We had some pretty tough conversations about the switch.”
Adjusting to slap hitting was pretty tough, too, Olivia Hebron recalls.
“It was really hard,” she said. “The hand-eye coordination and the timing was one of the hardest things. It’s everything because you are moving as the pitch is moving, making it harder than it looks, especially on change-ups. It’s a different speed. I still struggle with it. It’s mostly about finding my own rhythm.”
She seems to have found that rhythm.
“Olivia trusted her coaches and the organization,” Al Hebron said. “She believed in coach Kedziora. We spent some money on lessons so she could get comfortable from that side of the plate. Olivia is the type of individual who will give everything to a team. She’s the epitome of a team player. She adapted.
“I like it now, but I fought and fought it.”
As Olivia Hebron’s career winds down, she is set to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Hebron, who said she has a 4.2 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish National Honor Society and the Black Student Leadership Association, has played softball for 11 years.
“I have definitely learned how to work with different types of people,” she said. “Softball helped me branch out and allowed me to be able to connect with coaches and teammates. It’s been a really valuable thing in my life and helped my personal growth and leadership.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
