Kelly Hardman Named Athlete of the Week

Kelly Hardman, a senior righthander and our Cranford Patch Athlete of the Week, will once again anchor the Lady Cougars pitching staff after leading Cranford to a state sectional title last season.

She feels her best is yet to come. 

"I definitely feel that I'm stronger, bigger, faster," said Hardman. "I trained the last two seasons during the off-season and just playing all year round. Freshman and sophomore year I played other sports as well so I didn't dedicate as much time to softball, but I feel this year I definitely dedicated much more time and put in a lot of effort. Hopefully it will show."

The hard-throwing Hardman finished 2009 with a 12-4 record on the mound and a .375 batting average. She has developed her skills through intense training, playing with the Jersey Inferno in the off-season in tournaments and weekend practices. But it wasn't easy to give up a few other sports that she enjoyed along the way.

"I played field hockey and basketball, I played basketball forever, as long as I can remember," said Hardman. "My mom played basketball in college. Field hockey I started playing in seventh and eighth grade, and softball I just stuck with. I really like pitching, I enjoy the game. My parents were athletes and my sister and I always played since we were little. My older sister, Kristin, goes to the College of New Jersey also."

So when it came to selecting a college after the recruiting process, Hardman only had to travel to South Jersey to find her new home. She fell in love with the idea of attending TCNJ for a number of reasons.

"The key factor was the team," Hardman said. "I absolutely loved the girls on the team when I went for my overnight. They were great. They're really passionate about sports and school. They're a great team, the coach is great. It's a good college academically. My sister is also there and that was an important factor in my deciding."

But before she takes the mound for Lions, Hardman has another season ahead with the Cougars.

"We did great last year, I couldn't have asked for anything more. And hopefully a state title this year wouldn't be a bad way to go out my senior year. Everything's different now. We just want to take it one game at a time."

Hardman knows you need the right people around you to be successful.

"It feels great being on varsity for four years," said Hardman. "I've been blessed with a good coaching staff. Having a real pitching coach who can work one-on-one with me as well as the other pitchers is important."

Cranford, who finished 204 last season, has captured three of the last four Union County championships. Hardman and her teammates hope to add another piece of hardware to the trophy case this spring.