As I look back on the past four years and the time that I spent at Saint Mary’s, I realize that softball has played such an important role in my collegiate experience. I have had so much fun, learned so much, and grown up so much over the past four years, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people that have made that possible: I want to express my appreciation to my family for giving me every possible advantage and for supporting me 100%. My family has truly been there for me throughout every step of the way – coaching my sports as a little kid, catching for me throughout my pitching career, giving me the opportunity to attend Saint Mary’s, and most of all, being at the games day in and day out, from California to Europe. I would also like to thank Ryan, my fiancé, for understanding how important softball and Saint Mary’s University have been in my life and for moving to Winona to be with me. I would like to thank the coaching staff for their dedication to softball and for the hours that they have spent outside of practice watching film, coaching individual workouts, and recruiting – things that have been and will continue to be crucial to the success of our program. I also have the greatest appreciation for the hard work of the athletic training staff – without them, I might not have made it through my four years! Donny, our sports information director, deserves a big thank-you for all the work that he does. So many people are able to follow us on the web because of Donny. I would also like to thank my professors for all that I have learned here and for being understanding and helpful when I had to miss class because of softball. Finally, I would like to thank my teammates because they are ultimately the ones that have made softball such a meaningful experience. To my fellow seniors – Jen, Laura and Becky – good luck with your plans as we all move on to the next step in life. I will never forget you guys! To the rest of my teammates – keep working hard because it always pays off in the end. Enjoy the rest of your time at SMU, and remember one thing – always keep the locker room clean because I will be back to check up on you!
	Jill Hocking Position: 1st Base/P Bats/Throws: Left/Right Hometown Apple Valley, Minn. Major Accounting
		Saint Mary's University Fastpitch Softball SportsNews is compiled by Donny Nadeau • Sports Information Director