University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
UT
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/ Softball
First Pitch: Natalie DenHartog
11/16/2018 2:58:00 PM | Softball
We will be spending the next five weeks introducing you to the Gophers freshmen class in the return of our "First Pitch" series. Leading off is Hopkins, Minn., native Natalie DenHartog.
DenHartog was a six-time softball letterwinner. She earned All-Conference honors in thee seasons, all-section honors in two seasons and notched All-State first team honors in 2018. She also competed for the Midwest Speed (2016, 2017) and the Minnesota A's (2017, 2018).
Gopher Sports: How did you decide on Minnesota?
Natalie DenHartog: The concept of "home" has always been huge for me, so when I was offered the opportunity to represent my home state playing the sport I love it was a no-brainer. On top of that, the campus, the city and most importantly the people immediately felt like home when I visited and because of that I knew the U was were I belonged.
GS: How was your fall ball experience?
ND: Fall ball was super fun! Being on the on the field and feeling the atmosphere and energy that our team and fans create at games was a super cool experience, and I felt very excited to be a part of it. It was awesome to see everyone contribute in the games and begin learning how our coaches and team function in games. Overall, it just made me that much more excited for spring.
GS: How have the interactions with your teammates been going?
ND: One thing that is great about this team is how welcoming they are. Right from the beginning the girls took us freshmen in and not only welcomed and reached out to us, but also held us accountable and helped us adapt to the culture of Minnesota softball. It's a hard thing to describe unless you are a part of it, but I've only been here for a few months and I can easily say that these girls already feel like family.
GS: Is there anything the coaches are having you personally work on or the team as a whole?
ND: We all work a lot on our hands and just improving the finite details of our body positioning both on offense and defense. This means something different for everyone, as we all have different little details that we need specific improvement on. While some things stay consistent, a lot of times what we work on changes from day to day. All I know is I have a lot to improve on!
GS: What is it about the game of softball that you love?
ND: While there are a lot of things I love about softball, one of my favorites is the importance of a single moment. In every game, you have a very limited number of opportunities to make a play in the field and probably an even smaller number of at bats. This makes those moments so important and intense, unlike any other sport. I also love the fact that softball is also a game of failure. Learning to take failures and not only stay confident but turn them into something better is an important in the game of softball and arguably even more important in life. Playing softball, I feel I am better at dealing with whatever life throws at me, on or off the field.
GS: What activities do you enjoy outside of softball?
ND: Outside of softball I love spending time with my family, which often includes playing cards or some other form of competition (because we are one of the most competitive families you will ever meet). I also like to bake cookies or go get food with my friends, especially ice cream!
GS: If you could hit a home run off any celebrity who would you choose and why?
ND: Aroldis Chapman, because when I was around ten-years-old I got to watch one of his spring training bullpens and I was in awe of how hard he could throw. The opportunity to step into the box facing him, despite being slightly scary, would be awesome.
GS: Have you thought about what your walkup song will be this year?
ND: All throughout my high school career my walk up song was "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash, and I'll probably end up keeping it. It's intense, kind of like my in game personality, and it just has history, coming up with me since the start.
GS: You are stuck on an elevator for an entire day but could have any one teammate with you. Who are you choosing and why?
ND: This is such a hard question because my teammates are all great for different reasons and it would probably depend on the day for who I would want to be stuck with! I guess if I had to I would pick to be stuck with Emily Hansen because she's great at staying calm, positive and optimistic, which would be comforting to have if we were stuck.
DenHartog was a six-time softball letterwinner. She earned All-Conference honors in thee seasons, all-section honors in two seasons and notched All-State first team honors in 2018. She also competed for the Midwest Speed (2016, 2017) and the Minnesota A's (2017, 2018).
Gopher Sports: How did you decide on Minnesota?
Natalie DenHartog: The concept of "home" has always been huge for me, so when I was offered the opportunity to represent my home state playing the sport I love it was a no-brainer. On top of that, the campus, the city and most importantly the people immediately felt like home when I visited and because of that I knew the U was were I belonged.
GS: How was your fall ball experience?
ND: Fall ball was super fun! Being on the on the field and feeling the atmosphere and energy that our team and fans create at games was a super cool experience, and I felt very excited to be a part of it. It was awesome to see everyone contribute in the games and begin learning how our coaches and team function in games. Overall, it just made me that much more excited for spring.
GS: How have the interactions with your teammates been going?
ND: One thing that is great about this team is how welcoming they are. Right from the beginning the girls took us freshmen in and not only welcomed and reached out to us, but also held us accountable and helped us adapt to the culture of Minnesota softball. It's a hard thing to describe unless you are a part of it, but I've only been here for a few months and I can easily say that these girls already feel like family.
GS: Is there anything the coaches are having you personally work on or the team as a whole?
ND: We all work a lot on our hands and just improving the finite details of our body positioning both on offense and defense. This means something different for everyone, as we all have different little details that we need specific improvement on. While some things stay consistent, a lot of times what we work on changes from day to day. All I know is I have a lot to improve on!
GS: What is it about the game of softball that you love?
ND: While there are a lot of things I love about softball, one of my favorites is the importance of a single moment. In every game, you have a very limited number of opportunities to make a play in the field and probably an even smaller number of at bats. This makes those moments so important and intense, unlike any other sport. I also love the fact that softball is also a game of failure. Learning to take failures and not only stay confident but turn them into something better is an important in the game of softball and arguably even more important in life. Playing softball, I feel I am better at dealing with whatever life throws at me, on or off the field.
GS: What activities do you enjoy outside of softball?
ND: Outside of softball I love spending time with my family, which often includes playing cards or some other form of competition (because we are one of the most competitive families you will ever meet). I also like to bake cookies or go get food with my friends, especially ice cream!
GS: If you could hit a home run off any celebrity who would you choose and why?
ND: Aroldis Chapman, because when I was around ten-years-old I got to watch one of his spring training bullpens and I was in awe of how hard he could throw. The opportunity to step into the box facing him, despite being slightly scary, would be awesome.
GS: Have you thought about what your walkup song will be this year?
ND: All throughout my high school career my walk up song was "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash, and I'll probably end up keeping it. It's intense, kind of like my in game personality, and it just has history, coming up with me since the start.
GS: You are stuck on an elevator for an entire day but could have any one teammate with you. Who are you choosing and why?
ND: This is such a hard question because my teammates are all great for different reasons and it would probably depend on the day for who I would want to be stuck with! I guess if I had to I would pick to be stuck with Emily Hansen because she's great at staying calm, positive and optimistic, which would be comforting to have if we were stuck.
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