Hadley Thayer made Hermon history last week as the first member of the town’s Little League program to compete in the national softball home run derby.
She did so in style, hitting 18 total home runs in two rounds and making it to the semifinals — finishing among the top four home run hitters in the entire country.
A national television audience was able to watch Thayer on ESPN as she demonstrated her power, particularly hitting to the opposite field. What viewers weren’t able to see was the relentless hard work that got her there.
“I went in the basement and hit, and went to the field,” Thayer told the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday. “And did a bunch of stuff just to work for it.”
Her mother, Nicole Thayer, explained the dizzying schedule of Little League, travel and middle school softball that her daughter has played this year.
“She doesn’t realize how much time she’s put into the game,” Nicole Thayer said. “So it’s been a ride to be able to watch her see what she’s put into it, because she does play softball year round.”
Nicole Thayer explained home the home run competition started at the local Little League level in June, and after Hadley won that, she was chosen from a pool of local winners to represent the Northeast in the east regional finals in Georgia. Hadley then advanced to the national competition in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, as one of the top four regional finishers.
The national event was sponsored by T-Mobile and took place as part of the Little League World Series festivities. The competition is open to players between the ages of 9 and 12.
In all the bright lights and national attention, Hadley Thayer’s favorite part was connecting with the other people there and making new friends. She enjoyed meeting the other competitors, and even got to spend time with professional infielder Sis Bates, a former member of the U.S. national softball team.
“She was in the dugout with us during the whole thing and cheering us on,” Thayer said of Bates.
On the field, Thayer’s favorite part about launching balls over the fence is the reaction she gets from the crowd.
“Probably when you hit the ball and everyone knows it’s going over,” she said when asked about the best part of hitting a home run. “And then they just start jumping up and down.”
While Hermon has had other softball players advance to other levels of the home run derby process, Thayer is the first to make it to Williamsport, according to her mother. And it’s been a whirlwind for the whole family.
“It’s a lot of fun, and it’s been completely overwhelming,” Nicole Thayer said. She credited T-Mobile and Little League for providing such a meaningful experience for the players.
“Until you experience it, it’s nothing, like you can’t even imagine,” she said. “People watch it on TV and you just don’t realize how much goes into it and how much is there for them.”