Lauren Haeger

Last updated

Lauren Haeger
Personal information
Full nameLauren Elizabeth Anna Haeger
NicknameHaegar Bomb [1] [2]
Born (1992-09-03) September 3, 1992 (age 32)
Peoria, Arizona
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Sport
Sport Softball
Position
Team
Medal record
Women's Softball
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg ISF Championship, Cape Town, 2011

Lauren Elizabeth Anna Haeger [3] (born September 3, 1992) is a professional softball pitcher and first baseman with the Dallas Charge of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). After being named a member of the 2011 MaxPreps Softball All-American Team and earning a gold medal at the III Pan American (18-under) Games in 2010, Haegar played softball at the University of Florida.

Contents

She was the third collegiate softball player to be recognized as both the Most Outstanding Player of the Women's College World Series and the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. In 2015, she became the first player in the history of college softball to record 70 home runs as a hitter and 70 wins as a pitcher; no other player has registered even 60 home runs and 60 wins. Haeger was drafted by the Dallas Charge in the 2015 NPF Draft and reported to the team that June.

Early life

Haeger was born in Peoria, Arizona, to Fred and Kathleen Haeger. She had a brother named Matthew. [4] Her father is an assistant softball coach at Deer Valley High School. [5] At Deer Valley, Haeger played one year and lettered in basketball and played all four years of both volleyball and softball. [6]

Haeger broke Arizona's state hitting record with 48 home runs in one season and was named to the 2011 MaxPreps Softball All-American Team. She received First Team All-State honors in two seasons. Haeger pitched for Team USA in the III Pan American Championships in 2010, where she hit for a .400 batting average. She was on the International Softball Federation championship team, hitting .500 with eight RBIs. [4] [7]

College

Haeger began her career at the University of Florida in 2011 with a 15-5 win–loss record in her 27 appearances, throwing 6 shutouts. She was named the first team utility/pitcher for NFCA All-Southeast Region and ranked seventh in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with a 1.85 earned run average (ERA) and 129 strikeouts during her 124.2 innings. At the plate, Haeger led her team with ten doubles, 14 home runs, 52 RBIs, 36 walks, and a consecutive on-base streak of 18. [7]

Following her 2012 SEC All-Tournament Team and All-Freshman selection, Haeger went 16–2 with 119 strikeouts in 128.1 innings and an ERA of 2.35. She also set a career high of innings pitched with 7.2 against the University of Tennessee on March 16. She won six games against Top 25 teams. Haeger was ranked seventeenth in the country for home runs, with a team high 18 and batted .319 with 70 RBIs, 46 walks, and an on-base streak of 24 games, a team best. She led the SEC in RBIs and was third in walks. She also set the University of Florida's record for the most intentional walks in a season (5) and the single game RBI record (7) against their rival University of South Florida at Regionals. To close out her sophomore season, Haeger was named First Team All-SEC and First Team NFCA All-Southeast Region, along with her first All-American title. [7]

As a junior, Haeger remained consistent with 24 circle appearances and 13 starts. She ended the season with a record of 10-3 and ranked fourth with an ERA of 1.79. Haeger also pitched 98 innings with 69 strikeouts, an opponent's batting average of .190, and a no-hitter against the University of Wisconsin on February 9, allowing only three walks while striking out 11. She remained a force at the plate all season, leading the Gators to victory in the 2014 Women's College World Series. Haeger again received First Team NFCA All-Southeast Region honors and batted .317 with six doubles, leading her team in RBIs (67) and walks (43). [7]

In her final season as a Gator, Haeger finished with an overall record of 32–2 with her lowest collegiate ERA of 1.23, ranked fourth in the country, and 24 consecutive victories, another Gator record. She also beat her previous home run record of 18, hitting 19 that year. Haeger also set both the regular season career home run record (66), with a grand slam against the University of Georgia, and the all-time RBI record (222), which occurred on March 6 against the University of Arizona. She became the only collegiate pitcher in history to win 70+ games and to hit 70+ home runs. Before Haeger, no player but Babe Ruth and her had won 60 games and hit 60 home runs. [8] Haeger was 15th in the country with 71 RBIs and she hit .433 during the 2015 NCAA Division I Softball Championship. [7]

Haeger was nominated for ESPY Awards in the Best Female Collegiate Athlete and Best Championship Performance categories in 2015. She joined Danielle Lawrie and Keilani Ricketts as the only players in college softball history to receive both the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player. [9] She won the Honda Sports Award for Softball, SEC Female Athlete of the Year and SEC Pitcher of the Year, and was NFCA All-Southeast Region for the third year in a row. [10] [11] [12] Haeger is ranked amongst the all-time leaders in ERA and wins. [13]

Professional career

Haeger plays professional softball with the Dallas Charge of National Pro Fastpitch. [14] She was selected with the 21st pick of the 2015 NPF College Draft. [15] She finished her first season with a batting average of .206 in 35 games. She had an ERA of 3.01 and led the team's pitchers with six wins, 86 strikeouts, 19 games pitched and 97+2⁄3 innings pitched. [14]

On August 11, 2016, Lauren Haeger pitched a no-hitter, beating the Chicago Bandits 5–0. The only Bandit to reach base did so via a Charge fielding error. [16]

Personal life

Haeger's favorite athletes are Tim Tebow, Michael Jordan, and Albert Pujols. [4] She also has a tattoo of a sunflower on her arm to honor Heather Braswell, an honorary member of the Gators softball team who died several years after being diagnosed with brain cancer. [17] [18] [2]

Career statistics

Professional (NPF)

Dallas Charge [14]
YEAR W L GP GS CG Sh SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP
201567191182197.286484229863.013

College

University of Florida [7]
Year W L GP GS CG Sh SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP
201215561611162124.2954233601291.852
20131626764922128.11115043461192.355
2014103666573198,067292520691.790
2015322676725120222.11454139432141.231
TOTALS731226125752235573.14181621401695311.718
University of Florida [7]
YEAR AB R H BA RBI HR 3B 2B SLG BB SO SB SBA
20121682754.3215214010-373723
20131914261.3197018013-343423
20141994363.317672006-262666
201518715065.348711909.701%232323
TOTALS7451162243.32626071038-1751201215

High school

Deer Valley High School - Pitching [19]
YEAR W L GP GS CG Sh SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP
201126531208673737.447
2010142810649251223.791
20091431711012148129136.520
200810227830151017.903
TOTALS641258110513194894490.6011
Deer Valley High School - Hitting [19]
YEAR AB R H BA RBI HR 3B 2B SLG BB SO
20111195064.53851200121.142252
20101064459.55758151161.150202
20091103051.46430915.772126
2008582026.44821318.81016
TOTALS393144200.50916047341.9925816

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References

  1. ↑ Zavala, Jose (April 1, 2011). "Florida-bound Lauren Haeger Leads Deer Valley Softball to Strong Start". Sports. The Arizona Republic .
  2. 1 2 Bianchi, Mike (June 6, 2015). "Haeger's Sunflower Power Is Reason Gators Softball Outdraws NHL". Sports. Orlando Sentinel . Archived from the original on March 27, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Official Team Rosters". International Softball Federation . Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Lauren Haeger. Team USA. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ Smith, Eric (November 18, 2010). Deer Valley's Haeger commits to University of Florida for softball. The Arizona Republic . Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ Lauren Haeger's High School Girls Basketball Stats. MaxPreps. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lauren Haeger. Gatorzone.com. University Athletic Association. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Hays, Graham (May 30, 2015). "Florida's Lauren Haeger takes command at both circle and plate". ESPN . Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  9. ↑ Hays, Graham (June 3, 2015). Most Outstanding Player Lauren Haeger leaves lasting legacy in WCWS finale. ESPN. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Florida's Lauren Haeger Named Honda Sport Award Winner for Softball". CWSA. June 10, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  11. ↑ Lauren Haeger up for two awards at 2015 ESPYS. GatorZone.com. June 24, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  12. ↑ Silverstein, Adam (May 27, 2015). Florida Gators RHP Lauren Haeger Named 2015 USA Softball Player of the Year. OnlyGators.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ Lauren Haeger named 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Team USA. May 27, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 "Player Stats". Dallas Charge . Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  15. ↑ "2015 NPF College Draft". National Pro Fastpitch. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ↑ "Haeger No-Hits Bandits". DallasCharge.com. August 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  17. ↑ Harmel, Kristin (June 11, 2014). College softball team wins title for teen who died of cancer. People.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  18. ↑ Hutchins, Andy (September 8, 2015). Florida's Lauren Haeger adds sunflower to tattoo to honor Heather Braswell. Alligator Army. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  19. 1 2 Lauren Haeger's Softball Stats. MaxPreps. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
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