During tryouts, Providence coach Jim Holba had some interesting news for senior catcher Annika Hannigan. He told her she would be working this season with four pitchers.
But that was only half the surprise. More news involved her workload.
“It went along the lines of, ‘You’re going to see that you’re the only catcher,'” Holba said. “‘I told her, ‘You’re going to take all of the innings. Are you OK with that?'”
The look on her face gave him the answer he was looking for.
“She just kind of smiled,” Holba said. “It didn’t seem to bother her. I think she likes the fact that she’s involved.”
Totally involved.
The St. Mary-of-the-Woods recruit has caught every pitch of every game this spring for the Celtics (11-8). It adds up to 125 innings.
She has no intention of stopping the streak.
Just call her Iron Girl.
“It would be something like a milestone for me,” Hannigan said. “I don’t ever want to say, ‘Oh, I’m not coming to this game. I don’t feel like catching today.’ And I’m not going to go and complain.
“I’m holding myself accountable for my teammates. I can’t let them down.”
Hannigan began her career at Providence primarily as an outfielder and backup catcher. Before her junior season, she was given the main catching duties when Gianna Russo moved to third base.
Russo, who was named the GCAC Red’s player of the year, signed with Abilene Christian.
Hannigan established herself as a leader behind the plate with a strong arm and steady glove. She has no errors this season.
“Annika has gotten better every game, every week,” Holba said. “From last season to this season, the game has gotten a lot easier for her.
“She is just a very even-keeled person. Not much bothers her. She has done just a remarkable job dealing with a situation that takes a toll on her body, her arm, her knees.”
Her work ethic resonates with junior pitcher/shortstop Abby Johnson.
“Annika has a cannon for an arm,” Johnson said. “She’s just strong. And ultimately, she works very hard. She’s always working on framing pitches. It’s great pitching to her.”
She’s a voice of reason — and occasional humor — for senior pitcher Kaylinn Kundrat.
“We kind of make faces at each other,” Kundrat said, laughing. “She does things to help me calm down like, ‘It’s OK. You’ve got it.’ And in the dugout, we’ll talk like, ‘OK, why is this happening?’ We communicate a lot.
“Annika is a strong-minded person and very selfless. The fact that she’s giving up so much of herself, both physically and mentally, I respect her 100% for everything she does.”
Hannigan has not only been the backbone behind the plate, she has played a steady role for the Celtics on offense with 14 hits, including two doubles and a triple.
In the batter’s box, she likes to mix it up.
“It just kind of depends on the situation,” Hannigan said. “If there are runners on, I’ll slap them over. If there are runners in scoring position, I’ll try to put a line drive up the middle.
“My dad always said, ‘If you don’t hit, you’re not going to see the field. If you hit, you’ll be in the lineup and get playing time.”
Hannigan is getting that to the max.
“When coach told me I’d be the only catcher, I was a little concerned,” Hannigan said. “Last season, I caught most of the games, but I played mostly outfield on my travel team. I didn’t know how it would work.
“But I’m actually enjoying it. And working with four different pitchers, I get to communicate with them and learn their different ways. As I’m going to college, I’ll get to see maybe four different pitchers there, too.”
