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Isaac Ott Hill: An Athlete for All Seasons

Isaac Ott Hill has a busy schedule throughout the year, but that’s just the way the 8th-grader likes it. Isaac plays youth football in Guilford during the fall, basketball in the winter, and both Little League and AAU baseball in the springtime.

“I like having a packed schedule. It keeps me busy, and I really love sports, so it’s fun,” says Isaac. “It’s a lot of fun hanging out with my friends and going to other towns to play other teams.”

Baseball was the first sport that Isaac took up. The diamond was a familiar place to Isaac’s family as his father, Brian Hill, played baseball throughout high school and college; his mother, Kate Ott, played softball; and his older sister, Eva, is a member of the softball squad at Guilford High School.

“Ever since I was six or seven, I was the bat boy for [Eva’s] team. I remember when they won the championship, which was definitely exciting, even though I was only a brother to someone on the team,” Isaac says. “Watching all her games definitely helped me to think more about the game and the strategies involved.”

These insights have helped Isaac become a flexible player on the baseball field. Fred Rosa, who coached Isaac on Guilford Little League’s Yankees during the 2018 season, has seen Isaac’s versatility firsthand.

“Isaac would play any position I asked of him and always did so with hustle and grit,” says Rosa. “Even though I know there were a few positions he’d rather not play, he did so and always gave a 100-percent effort, because he knew it was what would be best for the team.”

Isaac was one of the older kids on the squad, and Rosa enjoyed watching his leadership skills emerge throughout the season. Rosa says the leadership of Isaac and his teammates, Alex Vincent and Payton Powell, proved invaluable for the Yankees this year.

“The Yankees were lucky we had [them] as leaders of the team, and the team jelled and won the league championship thanks, in large part, to their leadership,” Rosa says. “Isaac is very knowledgeable about the game of baseball and would, at times, recommend strategies, always thinking two to three plays ahead. As a coach, this is exactly what you hope for from one of your veteran players.”

Throughout the Yankees’ 11-game regular season, Isaac posted a .639 batting average with 10 doubles, two triples, and 14 RBI. He also pitched 15.2 innings, recording a 0.00 earned-run average and 29 strikeouts, while allowing just eight hits and two walks. In the Guilford Little League Majors Division championship game, Isaac threw a no-hitter in which he struck out eight over five innings. He also went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.

Issac says it was special to finish off his Little League career by helping his club win the championship.

“It was my last time being out there with kids from my town playing on the small field. Next year, we move to the big field,” says Isaac. “I was the leader of a team and got to teach younger players how to be part of team.”

While Isaac focuses on baseball during the spring, he’s currently in the middle of his season as a member of the Guilford Youth Football program. Isaac started playing football when he was in 3rd grade. His favorite aspect of the sport is the strategy involved, especially when it comes to the plays on offense.

In the winter, Isaac’s focus shifts to basketball, a sport he’s been playing since age 5. While Isaac has seen his most success in baseball to date, he says that basketball is his favorite sport.

“You can be free on the court and run around. It’s also a sport I can play by myself, so I can just go out and shoot around,” Isaac says. “The main thing I like about all of the sports is that I get to have fun with my friends, and we get to be out there and be competitive with each other.”

In addition to sports, Isaac enjoys swimming, hanging out with his family and his dog, and traveling to new places. When he starts high school next year, Isaac plans on doing a pilgrim fellowship at his local church.

Isaac feels grateful for his parents’ support, noting that they have always challenged him to “be better in school and sports.” Isaac was named the Student of the Year for his team at Adams Middle School based on his grade-point average when he was in 7th grade. Isaac’s mom says that she and her husband are pleased to see their son’s hard work paying dividends.

“One thing he wouldn’t say is how hard he works. He works hard in all he does and gives 100 percent,” she says. “As parents, we’re really proud of him as a leader, a good teammate, playing well, and having fun.”