For most people, winning a prestigious award, notching a state championship and graduating from high school would mark the highlight of a lifetime. For Portage High School graduate Haley Hodges, these accomplishments all came in a single weekend.
Hodges, a veteran catcher, helped the Portage softball team capture the state championship on Saturday. Following the game, she received the Indiana High School Athletic Association Mental Attitude Award, which is presented to an outstanding senior athlete who excels in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability. A day later, she graduated from PHS with her Honors Diploma.
“It was a pretty surreal weekend,” she said. “Getting my diploma, being able to say goodbye to Portage one more time; it was all really good.”
Hodges was a fixture behind the plate starting her freshman year. She was the only of the seven seniors on the Portage roster to start all four years.
“It’s kind of unreal for me right now still,” Hodges said. “It feels amazing. Not a lot of people can go out their senior year as a state champion and it feels awesome.”
Hodges had a special connection with head coach Lisa Hayes. Hayes is a former catcher for the University of Southern Indiana. Hodges will play at the same position for the same school a year from now.
“I’m so happy that I had the opportunity to play for her,” Hodges said. “She knew what it waas like, she’s been there, done that. She’s taught me so much, it’s been amazing.”
Hodges shared the state championship run with her father Jay, who is Portage’s first base coach.
“That was really special,” she said. “He and I have a good relationship. Having him there to share it with me was amazing.”
Hodges’s high academic standing earned her an invite to the annual PHS ACES banquet for the top 30 students in the graduating class along with an impactful educator or staff member. Hodges was joined by her golf coach and homeschool adviser Tim Kunstek.
“He was one of the people that believed in me and let me believe that I could do it,” she said. “I had never golfed before, but he had complete and total faith in me and helped me become who I am today.”
This year, Hodges was also named the Duneland Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player, a Miss Softball of Indiana candidate, an all-state first team player and an academic all-state athlete.
She posted the second highest batting average on the team by stroking .406, while leading the team in the power department with five home runs and 28 runs batted in. She was also hit with the pitch six times, while the rest of the team combined for eight other hit-by-pitches.
Hodges became the first Portage athlete to win the mental attitude award since legendary girls track and field star Tori Bliss, who is now a standout at Lousiana State University.
"It's really, really special," Hodges said. "My face is going to go up in the Hall [of Fame] right next to Tori Bliss. She's one of the people that really made the most out of her high school career here. Being able to be next to her in that hall is really awesome."
After excelling in high school in all areas, Hodges is ready to turn the page to life's next journey. Next year, she will play for the Screaming Eagles under the direction of head coach Sue Kunkle at USI.
"I'm really excited to go to college," she said. "I'm going to miss everything about Portage, but I'm really excited to get the next part of my life started."
Click here to read about Hodges inking her NLI with USI!