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Morgan Hart recalls she didn’t feel very confident when she jogged onto Vernon Hills’ softball field for tryouts during her freshman year.
“I didn’t think I’d make varsity,” Hart said. “I was very nervous. It was full of mostly juniors, and I didn’t know any of them. So I acted really nervous and quiet.”
But as she progressed through tryouts, Hart was called upon to pitch, and she flourished in the circle.
“They needed me to pitch, and I realized there was no one else there who could pitch better than me,” she said. “I was willing to step up, and that’s when I started to feel really confident.”
The day after tryouts ended, coaches held one-on-one meetings with each player.
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“I remember my coaches sitting there and smiling at me,” Hart said. “They told me that I’d made varsity and they needed me to pitch.
“That’s when I realized that this wasn’t just me joining a team. It was becoming my whole world.”
Indeed, as Hart approaches her senior year — and the beginning of the volleyball season — she is the heart and soul of the Vernon Hills softball team, which went 9-1 in the Central Suburban North to win the regular-season title last season.
A pitcher and first baseman, Hart hit .402 with a 1.046 OPS. But her pitching was the surprise key for the Cougars (16-20). She wasn’t expected to pitch much, but a teammate’s injury created a need.
“We said, ‘Morgan, we think we’ll have to pitch you more than you anticipated,’” Vernon Hills coach Jan Pauly said. “Morgan said, ‘I know. I’m already working at it. I got it.’ She didn’t question it, and she did great.”
Hart logged 84 of Vernon Hills’ 227 innings in the circle.
“I think everyone appreciated her selfless attitude,” Pauly said.
Hart started against all of the Cougars’ toughest opponents.
“I now have full confidence on and off the field, and it really helps me achieve whatever I want to do because of how much experience I have,” she said.
Hart has thrived on the volleyball court too. She plays both middle blocker and outside hitter for the Cougars, who went 30-6-2 and reached a Class 3A sectional championship match last season.
She said being a two-sport athlete has boosted her leadership capabilities.
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“I learn my teammates’ strengths and weaknesses on and off the field,” she said. “That helps me to connect with them.”
Lake County News-Sun
During the high school volleyball season, she balances that sport with practices for the Stingers, her travel softball team. Pauly coaches for the Stingers too.
“I’ve known her throughout her development from fifth grade until now,” Pauly said. “As these kids grow, they all get better and stronger.
“But what stands out about Morgan is that she’s developed such a passion for softball and her teammates. She embraces the game for what it means, for more than just succeeding on the mound as a pitcher.”
Off the field, Hart willingly took the reins of the Vernon Hills softball team’s Instagram account. She has thrived with it.
“I had no idea it was even going on,” Pauly said. “She just takes it upon herself to do things. She didn’t say, ‘Hey, coach, look what I’m doing.’ She just did it because it was good for the program.
“She isn’t me-oriented. She buys into the process of playing for her school. Anyone can teach you the fundamentals of softball, but it’s the person that Morgan is that has been fantastic.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.