Erin Hogan is gearing up for another championship in her senior year.
The trophy meant a lot, but it wasn’t the most important thing.
When the St. Hubert High School softball team defeated Central 6–0 in the District 12 Class 6A championship, shortstop Erin Hogan was happy because it gave the Bambies another year with the city title plaque.
Accolades and championships are nice, but for Hogan, that wasn’t the best part about defeating the Lancers.
The chance for more softball with her friends was the main thing.
“We have six seniors on the team, four of them are starters and I love them all to death,” said Hogan, a junior. “I wanted to keep playing with them. I love playing with them all. We are such a close team that we love playing together. They’re like a second family so I’m really glad we’re still playing.”
Hubert’s season in Catholic League play ended on May 20, when it fell to Archbishop Wood in the quarterfinals. That meant there was a long layoff, but when the Bambies got back in action on Wednesday, they showed no rust.
All they did was dominate their way to another city championship.
“The city championship means a lot to all of us because if you’re not winning the Catholic League, that’s the next thing you play for,” said Hogan, who played outfield last year before moving to the infield for her junior campaign. “It means a lot to all of us because if you don’t get to win the Catholic League, at least you’re still playing for something.”
Last year, the Bambies made it to the championship game before losing, but went on to win the city title and went into the state playoffs.
They did the same this year, and while the team does start four seniors, there are many other contributors who will return to the mix next year.
According to Hogan, that means next year could be a fun one.
“It’s good that we have a lot of people back because we have great chemistry and there are a lot of good players,” Hogan said. “I think we could be really good. It’s hard to say how good because the Catholic League is tough, but we should be good.”
A lot of that success will be because of the talent.
But chemistry is also a huge part of it, and this year the Bambies’ bond got stronger as the year went on.
They enjoyed winning together because they were all on the same page.
“We have a group chat going over text and we were always doing fun things together,” said Hogan, who lives in Mayfair. “We would always hang out, have pasta parties. And we would go on a lot of long road trips.
“Coach (Dave Schafer) always does that. We go to games in places like Virginia sometimes and that’s fun because we’re playing tough teams, but we’re also bonding during the trips. I think that makes us better.”
Hogan has her eyes on continued improvement.
This summer, she plans on playing for the Phillies RBI travel team, which is based out of FDR Park in South Philadelphia. She also has a busy schedule apart from that. She has been invited to play for the Catholic League squad in the Carpenter Cup, and later this summer, she’s headed to Washington to take part in the first Jennie Finch Classic, which will be played during the MLB All-Star game festivities.
“It means a lot to me,” Hogan said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to travel and play with my team. I will also have a chance to participate in the MLB All-Star break activities.”
All of the work she puts in this summer will pay off next year during her final year at Hubert.
And, there, she’ll try to help bring home a plaque.
She’ll also do her best to recruit the next batch of Bambies into the school.
Hogan is a member of the Bambies Ambassador, where she attends open houses and tells prospective students what they can expect at the school.
She knows how difficult it can be to pick a school, and she also knows what her school has to offer.
“I was going to go to Nazareth when I was in eighth grade, I had paid money and everything,” Hogan said. “But then I went to St. Hubert and I loved it. I loved everything about it. I just felt home there and I’m so glad I did because I love it.
“During my freshman and sophomore years, I sat at the softball table and told them about the team. I love it here and I love playing softball. The softball team is my second family. I would tell anyone who is thinking about coming here, it was the best thing I ever did. I think it’s a great school and I couldn’t be happier with it.”
