Speed on the base paths propels Hoffman to next level

St. Ursula Academy senior Brooke Hoffman was named the 2020 Catholic Youth Organization Outstanding High School Softball Award winner, even though no games were played this year.
Hoffman’s speed on the base paths made her a wanted collegiate softball recruit. She will continue her playing career at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.
Hoffman, who hails from Jerusalem Township, was named first team All-Three Rivers Athletic Conference and honorable mention all-district as a junior, finishing with a .415 batting average (34 for 82).
In 24 games, 33 of 34 hits were singles because of her speed and ability to slap the ball through the infield. She had one double and 10 RBIs but scored 28 runs. She walked nine times, only struck out 10 times, and had a .467 on-base percentage. Of course, she never got to put up any senior numbers because the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a canceled season.
SUA coach Jeff Eisenbrandt says Ohio Wesleyan will get a player who demonstrates “hard work and dedication.”
“Brooke was our lead-off hitter the last few seasons,” Eisenbrandt said. “She consistently improved throughout her career at SUA. Each year her batting average and on-base percentage improved.
“She has always been a leader by example and has a quite a bit of confidence about her. She has very good speed while slapping and puts a lot of pressure on the opposing defense. She is going to be missed not only because of her talent but she exemplifies and promotes our programs culture. She is a well-rounded and a very talented young lady. I was really looking forward to this past season to see how she would have helped our younger team progress.”
Hoffman credits St. Ursula and coach Eisenbrandt for helping her move on to the next level.
“I absolutely loved playing for St. Ursula. I loved being able to play with St. Ursula on my jersey and just being with the people because it gave me a way to interact with people in different grades,” Hoffman said.
“Also, having coach Eisenbrandt as my coach — he is so knowledgeable about the game and he taught me so much that really led me to play in college. Plus, I would be playing with travel teams with girls from different schools and it was such a fun experience overall, and I loved being a part of the (SUA) program.”
Eisenbrandt says Ohio Wesleyan is fortunate to get Hoffman.
“Ohio Wesleyan is lucky to have her as an addition to their program. She is very excited and looking forward to her college softball experience. I anticipate that she will continue to be successful at the collegiate level as she is a dedicated player,” Eisenbrandt said.
Hoffman says the suburban Columbus NCAA Division III school was the perfect fit, and for more than one reason. She will be majoring in art education and minoring in French. She finished her senior year at SUA achieving the OHSAA Scholar Athlete Award; was president of the National Honor Society; Bella Voce Award; and the top French Scholar Award. 
“I chose Ohio Wesleyan mainly because of the opportunities they gave me with my major. I’m majoring in art education and I’m focusing on graphic design. Ohio Wesleyan’s art department is second to none and it also gave me the opportunity to play softball, of course, so just the combination of those two was just the perfect fit for me, and the campus is beautiful as well. It’s such a great school and I’m super excited to be there and to continue my athletic and academic career there,” Hoffman said.
She reports on August 15, school starts on August 20, and then a 15-day fall season begins. Then its off to the weight room for the winter before her spring season begins. She can’t wait for games to begin.
“I’ve always been a big competitor overall and I’ve played a lot of sports growing up through grade school, but softball was my favorite,” Hoffman said. “I ran cross country, I played a little bit of basketball in grade school, but softball is really just my favorite game to play. I love the different aspects of it, and I’m also a pretty fast runner, so it just gave me a way to show that skill of mine. I love the competition and chance to travel to places.”
Natalee Cooper, a Genoa senior who will be playing softball at Defiance College, was one of Hoffman’s teammates in travel softball.
Hoffman got to compete last week for the first time this year, traveling with the Northwest Ohio Lady Irish, which finished second at the Greg Miller Memorial Tournament, played at the Marathon Fields in Findlay.
“It was just really fun to be back out there with my team, and out there going back at it, because I hadn’t played for so long. It was really nice,” Hoffman said.