Three years before she threw her first pitch as a member of the Utah softball team, freshman pitcher Hailey Hilburn visited Salt Lake City and couldn’t even see the softball field where she would be playing for her four years in college.
“When I had a visit, everything was under two feet of snow still,” Hilburn said. “I really didn’t know what the school looked like, but I loved all the pictures of it that were online. If I like it when it’s bad weather, I’m going to like it when it’s good weather.”
Hilburn came to Utah from Orange, Calif., where even a few flakes of snow cause people to rush outside and take pictures and lead school districts to declare snow days. In Orange, Hilburn pitched for Canyon High School, earning 76 wins and graduating with a 1.67 ERA, 428 strikeouts and 27 shutouts — impressive numbers for anyone.
“My high school softball experience was really fun,” Hilburn said. “I had a really good coach, Dan Hay — he taught me a lot. He made high school fun, and it wasn’t just a normal high school experience. He made it a competition.”
The Utes made an offer to Hilburn after her freshman season, in which she had a 16-8 record with 120 strikeouts.
“I was actually kind of freaked out at one point,” Hilburn said of the offer. “Utah kind of came out of nowhere, in a good way. It caught my eye, and I fell in love with the school.”
So far this season, Hilburn is making the Utes glad they offered her a place on the team so early. Hilburn has a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings and is also batting .222 on the season at the plate.
Hilburn threw her first collegiate pitch against Georgia State in Utah’s second game of the season. In the final two innings, Hilburn allowed no hits or walks, striking out three of the seven batters that she faced, which is about as perfect of a debut as you can hope for.
“I was just thinking to myself, ‘First collegiate pitch, I hope it’s a strike,’ and then I calmed down and I was like, ‘I got this, take it one pitch at a time,’” Hilburn said.
Hilburn is 3-0 with a save this year, appearing in seven games for Utah. She won her first game against Portland State, allowing only two hits and no runs and striking out four batters.
“It feels good [to be undefeated],” Hilburn said. “I like it, there’s no better feeling.”
One person who is certainly excited to see how Hilburn grows and develops as a player, and person, is her head coach Amy Hogue.
“Hailey brings a lot to the team. She defensively fields her position well, she attacks hitters and she also swings a real good bat,” Hogue said. “We are anxious to see how many things she can add. She’s a four-year plan for us. She’s going to have some big career numbers.”
The transition from high school to an out-of-state college can be difficult for a freshman, without the added work and stress of being a key pitcher for a Pac-12 softball team. Hilburn arrived on campus just two days before the Fall 2015 semester began, having not even gone to Orientation.
“It’s been very different, hard at times because it’s way more hectic than high school,” Hilburn said. “You’ve just got to learn to go with the flow. You have to remember a lot more [in college]. I definitely spend more time on homework then I thought I would.”
Hogue has been impressed by the poise the freshman pitcher has shown, especially this last weekend. With Utah and New Mexico State locked in a 3-3 tie, Hilburn entered in the fourth inning and allowed the Aggie offense to score just one run in three innings. The Utes went on to win the game 10-4.
“For a freshman to have the guts to go in and not only be ready in that situation, but to shut them down,” Hogue said.
Hilburn is ready to help guide her team to the postseason this season, which would be Utah’s second straight appearance.
“I’m hoping that we get to regionals, and then we move on to supers, and just do better than we did last year,” she said.
With Hilburn’s pitching, the Utes have a chance to go to Super Regionals, and potentially beyond.
@JoeColesChrony