The Drill: Hannah McNab keeps softball family tradition alive

WORTHINGTON — Hannah McNab is a fine softball player, as was her older sister Hailey McNab and mother Bobbi McNab.

Hannah credits her family for pushing her to be her best. Much like her mother and older sister, she plays mostly in the infield.

Hannah is a sophomore at Worthington High School and is the starting shortstop on the softball team. She was an All-Big South Conference selection in softball her freshman year.

McNab plays shortstop. She has good range, fields the ball cleanly and makes quick and accurate throws to first to steal away base hits.

McNab can also pitch in a jam.

While McNab is excellent in the field, where she truly stands out is in the batter’s box. McNab has typically batted leadoff but in an April 18 game against Marshall she batted cleanup. She raked from the spot with three hits — two home runs — and four RBIs.

No matter where McNab’s name falls in the lineup, her excelling at the plate seems likely. She makes good contact and gets on base, but she also can clear the bases with her power.

One thing to know about McNab at the plate is that she likes to swing first pitch.

“Usually it is a pretty good pitch to hit, because they want their first pitch to be a strike,” said McNab.

A tradition the softball team has is to wear ribbons in their hair. McNab says that before a game the team will get together and tie the ribbons into teammates' hair. The superstition on the team is that they play worse without the ribbons.

McNab plays girls' tennis in the fall, and in the winter she swims on the Worthington YMCA swim team. In her free time she likes to paint, specifically with acrylic paint.

To see a video of Hannah McNab, go online to www.dglobe.com . Here’s a sample of our interview:

QUESTION: You are just a sophomore but are already a leader on the team. What does it mean to be a leader?

ANSWER: It is definitely challenging because you have to step up more — more of a senior position, but it is also fun because you get to help the newer people or even coaches.

QUESTION: Which of your teammates are the most intense?

ANSWER: On the team I would say Madeline Petersen, Bailey Ponto and Lauren Nelson, because they all push themselves. But they also push me if I am messing up or having a bad day, they always encourage me to do better or tell myself that I can pick it up and do better next time.