Abby Haab and Tim Bates are two seniors who play for Wittenberg’s softball and baseball teams.
Haab is from Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. She is one of the team’s dynamic pitchers. She is majoring in finance and after she graduates in May, she has accepted a job as finance analyst for Scotts Miracle-Gro in Marysville. Prior to accepting this position, she had an internship with the same company.
Haab started playing t-ball at the early age of 5-years-old and started pitching at 10. She decided to play for Wittenberg after she took a visit to the school and met members of the team. She enjoyed how the team Wittenberg felt like home.
Her favorite memories playing so far has been hosting the NCAC softball championships last season and the spring break trips.
The softball team has amazing team chemistry and everything clicks at the right time throughout the regular and postseason.
Haab’s pregame rituals include being social and interacting with her teammates while placing her mask on the right side. Her personal goal and team goals for this season are improving the team’s record from last year, having fun while being competitive and hosting and winning the NCAC championship to get an automatic bid in the NCAA tournment.
Outside of playing softball, Haab is a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, was on the Panhellenic Council and works in the business department office. As a softball player, Haab is the softball representative of Student Athlete Athletic Council (SAAC) and served as their president.
Bates is from Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. When he graduates from Wittenberg in May, he will be working at an advertising firm in Columbus. He accepted a job as an account coordinator, and Bates will be able to take lead or assist on the variety of ads that their company has received.
Outside of baseball, Bates is a part of the student leader fellowship, a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and is an intern at the admission office.
Bates has played baseball since he could walk, as he was influenced by his father, who was a baseball coach. He first played organized baseball at the early age of six. He played t-ball, then played every level of baseball since then from travel baseball to collegiate level.
Bates originally came to Wittenberg to play football but after his freshmen season, he wanted to play baseball as he saw the potential change in the baseball program. Former baseball coach Jay Lewis asked Bates if he could make the transition from shortstop to first base. Because of this transition, he was able to play as a freshman.
For the past two seasons, Bates gives Wittenberg new head coach Brian McGee tremendous amounts of credit for changing the baseball program and culture of the team. He describes Coach McGee as a high octane and very intense coach who shows respect and love for his players.
His favorite memory playing baseball so far has been the first week that Coach McGee was head coach. It was during batting practice when he created a situation that if you could hit eight line drives out of 10 pitches, the team does not have to run the triangle. The triangle is running from home plate to the right field pole then to left field pole and back to home plate. Bragging rights were on the line because if a player could hit eight line drives, then practice would end at that moment. Bates was that player to hit eight-line drives. On the 10th pitch, he hit the ball over the shortstop’s head, and Bates celebrated by bat flipping and the team all came together and celebrated this rare accomplishment. This was the moment he could foresee the significant change in the baseball program.
Now, the team is ready to contend for the NCAC baseball championship. Bates always washes his jersey the night before each game and before a road trip or home game, he stops at Speedway to stock up on Gatorade and sunflower seeds.
