Printer Friendly Version - EHHS Alum Heaphy an LEC Player of the Week for ECSU Softball

Former EHHS volleyball and softball player Tori Heaphy, now a sophomore on the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team, was recently recognized as the Little East Conference Player of the Week award winner. Photo courtesy of Tori Heaphy

Following a very fruitful and successful tenure across multiple athletic terrains at East Haven High School (EHHS), Tori Heaphy has not skipped a beat while ascending to the collegiate circuit–reaping many benefits and accolades as a sophomore sensation.

As a four-year volleyball and softball player for the Yellowjackets, Tori and East Haven were state tournament runners-up her freshman year and she was an All-SCC Team senior year selection within the confines of the volleyball court. On the softball diamond, Tori was a First Team All-SCC honoree and led the Yellowjackets to a state final appearance as she tied the school record for hits in a season with 44. After being named to the CHSCA All-State Team as a senior, she concluded her career hitting for a .473 average.

Tori, a sophomore Computer Science major and designated player/pitcher at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU), was named Little East Conference (LEC) Player of the Week for the week of April 2 to 8. She took over the team lead in batting at .412 by going 6-for-8 with a walk, four doubles and a home run, 13 total bases, three runs scored and three RBI in the span of games for that week.

“Winning Player of the Week was an honor; I was not expecting it or anticipating it,” says Tori. “The best kind of recognition is when you receive an honor you do not expect. I could not have done it without my teammates and coaches. I am grateful for the honor; it was a nice surprise.”

While the collegiate level of the playing field is a whole other tier of talent, Tori demonstrates that it just ignites her fire to push forward that much harder with the additional knowledge that it is a new era of softball and nothing is to be taken for granted.

“Softball is much more intense here; our high school team ran well, but here, it is a whole other level of commitment,”Tori says. “You have to push yourself more because everyone around you is the same caliber of athlete or better. It is a fresh start and clean slate, so you have to earn your spot. We also have core values here at Eastern that we are adamant about when it comes to conduct on and off the field.”

Tori explains that her coaches truly emphasize self belief when it comes to striving throughout the sport, using modern media to help get that message out. She further details that she has had to retrain her brain a bit when it comes to learning essential skills.

“We are a very mental performance-based team,” says Tori. “Our coaches emphasize bouncing back from adversity; they even have us listen to podcasts about confidence. You have to be mentally strong and resilient. I have learned new things in college, and I have had to become comfortable with learning skills in a new way. It is about new techniques and new ways to look at the game.”

ECSU softball skipper Diana Pepin proclaims that Tori is simply reaping the fruits of her labor in a big way for the Warriors–being a clutch arm in the circle in addition to having a knack for timely hitting with her hands inside the batter’s box.

“Tori is an incredibly hard-working individual. She hits the ball hard and comes up clutch in key situations,” says Pepin. “She has helped us with pitching as well. She is a total team player, [and] she will continue to improve and be an asset for us.”

The confidence theme is prevalent when it comes to Tori’s talent with the bat and also the ball in her hands within the pitching circle. She knows that seeing is believing in her mind’s eye when it comes to attaining baseknocks, or handing out Ks in the field.

“With hitting, I always say in my head that I will hit the ball and keep exuding that confidence. I have always had that mindset in high school, too,” says Tori. “With pitching, I know I will not strike out every batter, and I keep working hard with my teammates and coaches. We have pitchers and catchers sessions in the preseason and during practices. I have stayed true to it all and trusted my mechanics.”

On an individual level, Tori would love to see a repeat performance of her early-season accolades while maintaining her offensive numbers. For the squad’s objectives, she knows that the Warriors want to finish league play unblemished on their way to a hopeful conference crown.

“I want to try and be Player of the Week again, and I also want to keep my batting average and slugging percentage up,” Tori says. “For the team, we want to try for an undefeated LEC record and win the LEC Tournament and just keep going from there.”

Looking back on her time as a Yellowjacket, Tori pontificates that it truly formed the foundation for her swift success at ECSU, as she also competes for the Warriors alongside several fellow EHHS athletics alumni.

“I am so grateful for East Haven High School athletics; it was an amazing experience I will never forget,” says Tori. “Having former East Haven athletes Julia SanGiovanni and Taylor Salato here just shows how good EHHS athletics is. All of my coaches there were amazing, and I learned so much from them about being mentally and physically strong.”