Daily Journal Softball Player of the Year: Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Lydia Hammond

Lydia Hammond wasted no time making an impact on the Bradley-Bourbonnais softball program. She made the varsity team to start her freshman season two years ago, and with a fearless, hyper-competitive mindset, didn’t let her youth intimidate herself.

She went 5-0 on the mound while slugging three home runs for a Boilermakers team that won their first sectional championship. She grew into a larger role in the circle as a sophomore, earning a spot on the Class 4A All-State third team and Daily Journal All-Area team after going 11-5 with a school-record 1.72 ERA.

And that growth continued this spring, where Hammond earned the distinction of being named the Daily Journal Softball Player of the Year. The Loyola commit earned a spot on the All-State second team and a spot on the loaded All-SouthWest Suburban Conference team after going 19-9 with a save and school records in strikeouts (261) and ERA (1.31) over 188 ⅓ innings. She also slashed .353/.431/.434 with 24 runs and 21 RBIs.

After growing from a youngster to an unquestioned leader this year, one in which the Boilers made it a regional four-peat and won their second sectional championship, Hammond credited a larger role as both a player and leader for allowing her breakout campaign.

“It was kind of the same as the year before, but also knowing I was going to have a different role on the team than maybe I would have had previous years,” Hammond said. “But I also loved it because I like being able to have that role in the circle and be able to help the younger girls. We had a young team this year, and I feel like that was good for me.”

Hammond wasted no time putting her name on the state radar this spring, shutting out state-ranked Lockport with a 5-0 win in their second SWSC game of the year. She had a dominant weekend at the Boilers’ Brickyard Bash in May, tossing nine shutout innings before smacking a walk-off double in a 1-0 win over Benet a day before tossing a perfect game against Fremd.

But her regular-season highlights were just setting the stage for one of the most dominant postseason runs a local prep athlete in any sport has had in recent memory. She pitched every inning of the Bradley-Bourbonnais playoff run, going 4-1 with a 0.73 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 38 innings.

“I feel like when I have pressure moments, that motivates me to want to do better,” Hammond said. “Having runners on base or having a close game, that makes me want it more. It gives me the adrenaline and makes my mind shift that we’re winning this game, no doubt about it.”

Hammond’s coach, Haylee Austell, remembers the mentality she had as a hitter that led to a college career at Eastern Illinois. When she watches Hammond pitch, she sees the same thing.

“She’s standing on that mound, staring at the batter and daring them to beat her,” Austell said. “She just refuses to lose. It’s not an I don’t like to, I don’t want to, it’s I will not, and I bet you won’t beat me. That sort of mentality doesn’t come around very often.”

As she’s grown into a leader of the Boiler softball family, her own family has had a front-row seat through Hammond’s journey, literally and figuratively. Her grandparents, Tom and Nancy Brooks, often occupy real estate just behind home pate at games. Her dad, Chris, worked in the Bradley-Bourbonnais business office for two years and her mom, Amanda, is an athletic performance training teacher and strength and conditioning coach there after her own athletic career as a Boiler.

Whether it’s her own development or that of her friends and teammates, Hammond’s grateful to not just have her mom in the building every day, but to have her serve as a source of inspiration to so many.

“I feel like having a female figure in the weightroom really makes it more comfortable for females in the weightroom, realizing you can do this, and it’s not weird for you to do that too,” Hammond said. “Having my mom as that figure really, really helps. I’m grateful because she is my mom and she has a direct impact on so many athletes and so many females.”