The status quo is never good enough for Neuqua Valley’s Hannah Meeks.
The star left-hander had a terrific junior season pitching and hitting in 2021, leading the Wildcats to their first appearance in the sectional championship game.
But a season-ending loss to Yorkville left Meeks wanting more.
“That one really lit a fire under me,” Meeks said. “So, I was practicing and working my best during the winter and preseason, doing everything I could to try and get better.
“Luckily, my numbers showed that.”
Indeed, as a senior, Meeks improved in the circle and at the plate.
The 2022 Naperville Sun Softball Player of the Year led Neuqua to the sectional final again with an 11-4 record and a 1.35 ERA with 185 strikeouts in 103 innings, breaking her program strikeout record of 166 set last spring.
Meeks also battered opposing pitchers. After hitting .355 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs as a junior, she hit .400 with 34 runs, 14 homers and 49 RBIs. She had a 1.456 OPS, which is on-base percentage plus slugging.
“This year, I definitely zeroed in on my hitting,” Meeks said. “Learning how to do both, and if I strike out, not bringing that out on the field, was really helpful.”
Meeks, an Illinois State recruit, was the DuPage Valley Conference’s pitcher of the year in 2021 and the DVC’s player of the year in 2022.
The repeat selection as Naperville Sun Softball Player of the Year also continues a family tradition by keeping the honor within her family for the third straight season. Her sister Abby, who plays at Indiana, won it in 2019. The 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic.
Northern Kentucky-bound senior catcher Kayla Shymkewich had the best vantage point to watch Hannah Meeks’ performance.
“Man, obviously she has grown,” Shymkewich said. “Her pitching, her hitting, everything has gone above. We’ve always seen her talent. I feel like it’s pretty much the same as last year, just extended. I don’t even know how to describe it.
“Luckily, I get to catch for her most of the time.”
Neuqua coach Danielle Asquini said the Wildcats are lucky to have had the battery of Meeks and Shymkewich.
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“Kayla has been a huge part in Meeks’ talent,” Asquini said. “Meeks is a very, very talented pitcher, but Kayla knows how to call pitches really well and therefore it throws the batters off.
“They do a great job working together. They are like a well-oiled machine.”
While Meeks and Shymkewich had a special rapport, they were only part of a terrific senior class that led the Wildcats to a 52-10 record, two DVC championships and two regional titles in the past two seasons.
In a golden age of softball for Neuqua, Meeks was the shining star, but she was quick to share the credit.
“Our senior class, they were amazing,” Meeks said. “We had nine seniors and I couldn’t have gotten those records I did without them. They helped me through everything.”
Shymkewich, Alexa Carrozza (Minnesota State Moorhead) and Kaitlyn Wagner (Maryville) also will play softball in college. They made Meeks’ job easier.
“Being a senior leader is actually fairly easy because I’ve known a lot of these people since I was 8 and I’ve played with them for a long time,” Meeks said. “Just being their friend and supporting them is all I’m here for.
“If they’re down, I’m here to help them get better.”
Meeks is rarely down — and she’s always getting better. That plan will continue in college.
“I’m going to Illinois State for hitting and pitching,” Meeks said. “I’m going to work on both there.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.