Soleil Tate has hit her share of home runs in two seasons at Marist.
But there was something special about the one she belted over the fence in right-center on June 6 in the Class 4A sectional final.
“First one in the playoff season, even from last year,” the sophomore said after using her arm and bat to help the RedHawks blank Downers Grove North 10-0 in six innings.
There was no guarantee on this two-run homer, which came in the bottom of the first inning and opened the scoring.
“I just tried to put a good swing on the ball and I was praying and hoping,” Tate said. “I was hoping I didn’t pop it up.”
Tate added a two-run single in Marist’s five-run fifth, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs and four RBIs.
Penn State-bound center fielder Breanna Hanik also homered for Marist (35-2), slugging a solo shot to right-center in the third. Leadoff hitter Maddie Rogers was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and Lexi Kyros smacked a two-run single in the fifth.
That was more than enough support for Tate, who pitched a two-hitter with no walks and six strikeouts as the RedHawks won a sectional for the sixth straight season (there were no IHSA playoffs because of COVID in 2020).
Does Tate like hitting or pitching more? Nope, she enjoys both.
“I love pitching because I get to help everybody and like (be) the leader on the field,” she said. “And then hitting is just another step of helping the team. And it’s kind of like little successes here and there.”
Truth be told, Tate was more excited about Hanik’s home run than about her own.
“I think I was more hyped (when) she hit it than (when) I hit it,” Tate said. “When Bre hits the ball, everybody gets hyped.”
This game had Tate even more motivated that usual, and not just because it put the RedHawks into the Elite Eight.
“They’re my (local) public school,” Tate said of Downers North. “So there’s always a little rivalry there.”
Tate, who also plays first base, has been part of a productive 1-2 pitching combo with Gianna Hillegonds.
“She’s a gamer,” Marist coach Colleen Phelan said of Tate. “She’s a threat defensively and offensively. … She steps up in the big moments. She wants to be the person who gets it done — and not for herself at all. She is one of the biggest team players ever. (If) she’s getting pulled from a game, she’s telling Gianna to pick her up.”