Dietz twins have strong year for Grove City softball

A college coach recruits only a handful of athletes each year, so each selection is crucial. So when you can get a two-for-one deal, your job gets a lot easier.

That’s what softball coach Kristen Cramer got with Haley and Hannah Dietz at Grove City, and the results are paying off in their sophomore year.

Though their paths have diverged a bit — Haley has shown flashes of stardom while Hannah showed great resiliency — the package deal they bring impacts the team the same: The Wolverines had five more wins (13-14) than they did in 2018.

It didn’t hurt the Dietz sisters are a legacy recruit. Their father, Marty, is a 1990 graduate and former football player at Grove City.

“When you find out there’s an alum who has two daughters that are very good at softball, that catches my attention right away,” said Cramer.

Cramer, who scouted them at Hampton, remembers them hitting back-to-back in the order.

“The one just came up and swung the bat like it was nothing, and screeched a double and the second one did the exact same thing,” she laughed. “I was like, ‘OK, I definitely need both of them at Grove City.’

“It’s special when a coach can see one player that with any swing of the bat can change a game. But to have two of them back-to-back and have them look so similar. It’s just a pitcher’s nightmare.”

Both have brought exactly that Grove City. Hannah Dietz had four home runs, and no other player on the team more than one. Hannah’s toughness showed partly because she couldn’t be on the field most of the year, as she suffered a torn labrum in the preseason.

“I was really able to focus on hitting as opposed to hitting and fielding because I couldn’t throw a softball,” she said. “I definitely grew a lot more, figuring out what pitches I was better at hitting. I think that will benefit me, too, hopefully, next year.”

Haley had a breakout season at first base, earning All-PAC honors while leading the team in batting (.413) and slugging percentage (.571).

“I think this year my mindset changed,” said Hannah, an accounting major. “I went through a phase last year I was so caught up on doing poorly. This year, I went in with the mindset that, ‘You can hit any pitch they throw at you.’ ”

Aside from their talents on the field, Cramer cited their character and work ethic as major factors in personal and team success.

“If you talk to either of them for two seconds, you just know how wonderful they are as people,” she said. “How much they enjoy playing with each other, it’s a coach’s dream to have that. … It’s not uncommon for them to come to me after or before practice and ask for extra reps. And it shows.”

They hope to continue that next season. Hannah, who recently had shoulder surgery to fix a tear that was larger than originally thought, is looking at a lengthy recovery and is hopeful she will be able to play next season.

It has been strange for Haley to look behind first base and not see her sister in right field.

“It feels really weird,” said Haley, a psychology major. “I would forget things, and we’d always talk to each other in the field. I knew she always had my back and everything. I’ve played with her since T-ball. I miss playing with her in the field.”