WEST BRANCH, MI – Hannah White has one job to do. She’s quite willing to take on a heavier load, but no. She normally has one assignment and one assignment only for the Ogemaw Heights softball team.
Go win a game. “We’ve had to go to a bunch of games with Hannah as our only pitcher,” Ogemaw coach Dave Mairose said. “But she’ll be strong in both games of a doubleheader or however much we need to pitch her.
” White has handled those responsibilities in nearly flawless fashion while leading the Falcons to a 26-3 record and a No. 10 state ranking. And that helped earn her MLive Bay City Athlete of the Week honors.
The junior hurler garnered 38.4 percent of the 18,859 ballots cast in the online poll, pulling away in a spirited voting battle that also saw sprinter Bradley Boyk of John Glenn and baseball player Bryce Neitzel and soccer player Ayla Kreger of Bay City Western draw strong support. White has been dazzling all season for the Falcons.
A third-year varsity player, she has stepped forward as a true ace this season. She owns a 13-1 record heading into the Division 2 district final four at Essexville Garber on Saturday. She pitched Ogemaw to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Bay City Central in the district quarterfinal on Tuesday, striking out six, allowing just one earned run and notching the victory – completing the one task she was asked to do.
White normally doesn’t appear in the batting order for the Falcons, something she enjoys giving her coach a hard ti.