Hardy preparing for her moment at UA

After two years playing various roles in the clubhouse and dugout, Caroline Hardy waits for her opportunity to become a regular part of the University of Alabama softball lineup. The former All-State first baseman for Vestavia Hills High School just completed her sophomore season with the Tide, where she has embraced her role in 2017 as an assistant to pitching coach Stephanie VanBarkle Protro.

“I know that my value is not tied up into what my performance is on the field or my playing time. I know that in due time my opportunity is going to come,” said Hardy, who desires to one day be a coach. 

“I’m learning a lot more than just being on the bench,” she said. “I’m learning a lot more about how coaches approach hitters. I’m learning more of the pitching side as well as the hitting side. It’s easier to pick up on tendencies of pitchers.”

This new angle on the game is not only one Hardy hopes will help her grow as a potential coach, but help her focus on filling a run-producing void on the team, something head coach Patrick Murphy talks about frequently. 

“I still believe she could be a great hitter for us. That’s why she’s here,” Murphy said. “Maybe she’s had some ups and downs or some bad luck, but I still believe she can hit the ball. We need an RBI person, and I’m always up for a kid that wants to be that RBI person.”

One of Hardy’s biggest offensive highlights of the season came as a starter in the Tide’s second home game of the season in February. With the game scoreless in the second inning, Hardy hit her first career home run, a solo shot, against North Florida to take the lead in a 2-0 win. 

“It’s been a long time coming. It was kind of like the monkey off my back. I felt prepared and ready for that game,” Hardy said. “I didn’t know I was going to start, but I was thinking, ‘I’m going to get to play today and I’m going to have a great day.’ I think that played a lot into it. The mental side for me has been the rocky component. That day I had everything rolling in the right direction.”

Another highlight came as a defensive substitution at first base in the final inning at Coastal Carolina earlier in the season. Starting pitcher Alexis Osorio struck out 19 of her first 20 batters faced, and then Hardy caught a pop fly in foul territory for the final out to complete a perfect game for Osorio and the Tide.

Off the field, in addition to breaking down film and signaling pitches, Hardy has become a vocal leader on the team, whether it be standing up before the final game of the series against Auburn and challenging her teammates to take it personal that their rival was trying to sweep them on their home field, or making sure a celebration happened properly. 

“You’ve got to have some sort of emotional leader, vocal, demonstrative actions, and I think she’s filling that role,” Murphy said. 

When Murphy collected his 1,000th career win, players failed to connect on their attempt to shower him with a cooler of water. Hardy didn’t let the moment go. She sneaked away and found the bucket of orange Gatorade and crept behind Murphy to deliver a picture-perfect moment – one Murphy says he plans to make into a poster to display in his house. 

“The picture turned out to be one of the best celebration photos I’ve ever seen,” said Murphy. “I’d let her do it again.”

Hardy hopes before her time is complete at UA, she will have an opportunity to dump one more Gatorade cooler as SEC or Women’s College World Series champion.