HHS grad Hacke wins Freshman of Year honors at Omaha

The Summit League announced its individual softball award winners and all-league teams May 8, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Omaha's Aubrey Hacke, a 2017 graduate of Highland High School, was named the league's Freshman of the Year.

Hacke is the first Maverick to win Freshman of the Year accolades since Megan May claimed the honor in 2015. The Highland native made an impact in the circle and in the outfield, where she carried a .333 batting average, a .404 on-base percentage and a .476 on-base plus slugging in league play. Against league teams, Hacke hit a top-ranking six doubles, while also adding five RBIs.

Overall, Hacke finished the regular season with a .319 average with five doubles, nine RBIs and 10 runs scored.

Hacke also pitched in 25 games (10 starts) with a 5-8 record with a 4.57 ERA and 47 strikeouts. Among her starts was a complete-game shutout in a 1-0 win over Western Illinois on April 21.

Omaha finished the 2018 regular season with a record of 18-29, which included a 5-9 mark in the Summit League.

At Highland High School, Hacke was a four-year letter-winner and a four-time all-conference pitcher for the Bulldogs. During her senior campaign, she became a unanimous First Team All-Mississippi Valley Conference selection and was named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Player of the Year. In her best season with HHS, as a junior, Hacke hit .413 with a .596 slugging percentage to go with 43 hits and 35 RBIs, while in the circle, she went 7-4 with 1.91 earned run average and 75 strikeouts. She also played travel ball for the Black Widows and helped the program win numerous tournament titles, including several state championships.

This story was originally published May 9, 2018 at 11:20 AM with the headline "HHS grad Hacke wins Freshman of Year honors at Omaha."