Bridget Hogan, Class of 2013
In 2012 with Bridget at the helm as their captain and ace pitcher, Hamburg softball made their first appearance in the Class A State Championship. They played their hearts out but unfortunately lost in the semi-final game. The following year in 2013, the team’s motto was “We Still Believe” which was reinforced by Bridget’s determination and leadership as captain and equally fueled her team’s drive to make it back to States once again. In a nail-biting semifinal against Tappan Zee, Bridget pitched a scoreless game and eventually was brought to the plate in extra innings to try and close the game. Tappan Zee intended to intentionally walk her, but Bridget had other plans. On the third pitch of her at-bat which was intended to be a ball, she reached out and hit what became the winning run securing Hamburg’s bid for the Class A State Championship Finals. With Bridget leading the team from the pitcher’s mound once again, Hamburg went on to win the Class A State Championship Finals 5-3 against Sayville. Bridget’s softball team delivered Hamburg’s very first (and only one to date) State Championship in any sport. Bridget recalled the celebration with the team, returning to Hamburg that night on a coach bus escorted by fire trucks and police to cheering family, friends, and fans, as well as a parade and rally at Memorial Park a few days later. The memory of that day still remains vivid in her mind, and it is a day that she will never forget.
Bridget ended her Hamburg varsity softball career as a senior boasting a remarkable .544 ERA with 229 strikeouts, 9 shutouts, and only 28 walks in 270 total innings pitched. In the batter’s box, she ended with an impressive career average of .619 and 21 RBIs. Bridget was named ECIC First Team for three years, ECIC Pitcher of the Year for two years, and All Western New York for two years. She also proudly served as team captain for from 2011 to 2013.
Bridget’s softball career didn’t end with her senior year at Hamburg. She attended Niagara University for nursing and played Division I softball for three out of her four years there. During her softball career at Niagara, Bridget was named to the All-MAAC second team as a freshman and the All-MAAC first team as a senior. She also set the doubles record, hitting 20 doubles in 2017, and placed fourth in the record books for hits in a season with 58 in 2017.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Niagara University, Bridget worked for a time at hospitals in Buffalo before working at hospitals in Connecticut, South Carolina, and
Arizona as a travel nurse. Drawn by her love for hiking, backpacking, and snowboarding, Bridget moved to Denver Colorado where she currently resides with her Australian shepherd, Lokie, working as a nurse in the intensive care unit at Lutheran Medical Center.