Athlete of the Week: Southeast's Shannon Hamilton

PALMYRA — Northeast Ohio weather hasn’t given many people a chance to see it yet, but Southeast senior pitcher Shannon Hamilton is ready to end her prep career on a very high note.

Of course, to get to the next level, the defending Portage Trail Conference Metro Division Co-Player of the Year has had to focus on the finer points on an already sparkling resume.

“I spent a lot of time over the summer with my pitching coach and my father (to improve as a pitcher),” said Hamilton, who won 17 games as a junior. “We focused more on my movement pitches this off-season, and I think it’s made me a more well-rounded pitcher.

“My pitching coach really helped me break my throwing down and then build things back up,” she added. “My father has also coached me since A-ball, so he knows what I need to do to improve. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

If Southeast hopes to improve upon last year’s district championship run, it will need Hamilton to play at a consistently high level.

Graduation losses of Danielle Kaley, Lindsay Speidel and Ali Austin — all major contributors to last year’s 22-8 team — means Hamilton and her younger teammates will have to carry even more of the load.

With that in mind, Southeast head coach Dave Dubinsky says he is confident in what he has come to expect from his senior ace.

“From her junior to senior year, Shannon hasn’t lost that work ethic that she brought with her as an incoming freshman,” he said. “She’s always looking to get better and that is something her teammates respect her for.

“(Hamilton’s teammates) know that she’s going to always work hard,” he added. “If they follow her and match her level, then the team can be successful.”

Aside from her importance on the mound, Hamilton returns as perhaps Southeast’s biggest threat at the plate. Last year, she led the team in home runs (7), while finishing second on the team with a batting average near .350.

In Southeast’s first two games this year — a double-header with Ravenna — Hamilton looked every bit the dominant player she was last year. Tossing a five-hitter with nine strikeouts, she notched her first victory of the season, while she added a triple, single and a two-run double during the two-game stretch with the Ravens.

The Pirates (2-0, 2-0 PTC Metro) have had to deal with weather delays, which pushed their season opener to April 9 — far past that of many of the PTC’s other teams.

“It’s true that we haven’t had much live game experience yet, but we’ve really been working hard in practice,” Hamilton said. “We treat every practice like a game, and I think that has brought us together and prepared us for the year.”