The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Softball fifth-year senior Haley Hoogenraad has been a staple in Michigan's outfield during her collegiate career, starting 131 of the 137 games she has appeared in since the start of the 2018 campaign. Though the 2020 season was canceled after just 23 con- tests, the Zeeland, Mich., native finished third on the team in both runs scored (10) and doubles (six), and ranked fourth in total bases (24). Despite never redshirting — she played in 27 games during the 2017 campaign as a true freshman — Hoogen- raad will look to close out her U-M tenure on a high note as a fifth-year senior in the spring when the Wolverines kick off their 2021 campaign. Here are a few other interest- ing facts you may not have known about her: Nickname: "Hutch [Michi- gan sof tball coach Carol Hutchins] calls me Halo, though I don't know where that one came from. She's the only one who calls me that. Everyone else calls me 'Hey Hey,' like 'Hi Haley.' Some peo- ple call me Hooki." Favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor: "Frita Batidos or Mr. Spots." Best meal she can cook by herself: "Stir fry, that's my fa- vorite meal." Hobbies: "Playing my Nin- tendo Switch whenever I get free time. That's the first thing I do. I also like hiking. I live by Traverse City in the summer, so Sleeping Bear Dunes is close by and I hike there with my mom and my dog. Netflix is another hobby of mine." Favorite TV show: "I like a lot of true crime shows, like 'Criminal Minds' and 'NCIS.' I also love 'The Office' and have watched it through five times. It's so funny and never gets old, and I just turn it on in the background while doing homework. It's my all-time favorite show." Favorite movie: "'Hoosiers.' It's a classic sports movie with a feel-good ending." Dream vacation: "My dad is from the Netherlands, so my dream vacation would be to go there and see the house he grew up in as a kid. I took a Dutch class here and learned some of the language, so I'll text him in Dutch sometimes. I know the bare minimum of it. He's from Utrecht and was born there, and grew up not far from the German border." Favorite place she's been to: "I live by Traverse City in the summer and just north of there is Lake Leelanau. That's my favorite place. If I have a weekend where I don't have anything going, I go there. It's my go-to place and is close enough so I can make it there a fair amount. "Other than that, Colorado and the national parks were really cool. When I played travel ball in high school, my mom and I would drive around between the tournaments all over the country instead of flying. We'd hit national parks in between." Favorite professional ath- lete: "I like [Chicago Cubs first baseman] Anthony Rizzo and [Detroit Tigers desig- nated hitter] Miguel Cabrera because they're fun to watch. " I 'd a l s o s a y [ C h i c a g o Bandits catcher/infielder] Amanda Chidester because she played here at Michigan. When I was 10, I came to a week-long softball camp and she was my team's coach. She also played for the same travel ball team I did, so watching her go on to the Olympic level and the pro- fessional level was very cool. Watching her is more per- sonal to me than watching the MLB." Role model: "I always say my mom or Hutch. They're both strong, independent fe- male figures in my life who I aspire to be like." Why she chose Michigan: "My family has been huge Michigan fans my whole life. When I was getting recruited in high school, U-M was actu- ally the last school to come after me. I had other Big Ten offers and other Midwest schools I was looking at, so I'd wear softball shirts from these other programs at home. My grandparents would tell me I couldn't come inside with a school other than Michigan on. "When I went on the visit and had the opportunity to come here, it was a pretty easy choice." What she hopes to do after softball: "I am a political science major and have looked into going to grad school for criminal justice. My dream job would be with the U.S. Marshals or something along those lines. I don't know what it would take to get there or which route I will take." Her overall experience at Michigan: "It has been the most challenging, yet most rewarding, thing I've gotten to do in my entire life. It's special to be a part of a team like the softball one here and to be coached by Hutch. "I'll get another season with her and my teammates now with my fifth year. There are so many benefits that come with being on a collegiate team." — Austin Fox Over the last three seasons, Hoogenraad has started 131 of the 137 games she has appeared in while playing in the outfield. PHOTO BY MIKE JANES PHOTOGRAPHY Getting To Know Softball Fifth-Year Senior Outfielder Haley Hoogenraad