DePaul University Athletics
Alumni Spotlight: Erin (Hickey) Dransfeldt
10/11/2024 12:00:00 PM | SOFTBALL
Dransfeldt played at DePaul from 1994-1997
CHICAGO - Erin Dransfeldt battled through many obstacles during her years with DePaul softball. She had a typical freshman year, before breaking her hand halfway through her sophomore season, and then tearing a ligament in her knee at the start of her third year as a Blue Demon. Although she experienced frustrations, she knows she would not have traded her years as a DePaul student-athlete for anything else.
"It was intense, hard, and sometimes painful but I would still do it again because it was worth every second to be on the field. Sometimes you don't even realize it's the last pitch you're seeing or the last ball you're fielding."
She battled through her injuries to finish out a successful career at DePaul, which included three trips to the NCAA tournament, and a career batting average of .402 that tops the Blue Demon record book. Dransfeldt also ranks third in career stolen bases, just behind a familiar name, current head coach Liz-Bouck Jagielski.
Dransfeldt acknowledged that the mental challenges of softball often seemed greater than the physical ailments she was facing. She recalls her dad helping her find success through mental imaging.
"From a very young age, my dad would lay me on the couch and have me visualize going through certain game situations. He even spoke to some of my teammates about envisioning swinging through a pitch cleanly, or fielding a ground ball well."
She recognized the sense of calm that visualization brought to her college career, as these mental repetitions decreased the negative emotions she felt during a game.
"Even in the most difficult situations, if you have envisioned something positive happening, your body will just begin to do it and you won't feel that intense paralyzing fear. You may feel adrenaline, but you've already been in that situation before," she describes.
Dransfeldt certainly experienced many positive plays on the field, being described as the "fastest player in DePaul softball history" by then-coach Eugene Lenti when she was inducted into the DePaul University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. She remains tied for third all-time with 82 hits in a single season, achieving this feat in 1997, as DePaul reached the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.
Upon graduation, she went on to attend graduate school and earn her master's degree in counseling. She now works as a counselor at Coal City High School, and she credits DePaul with assisting her in developing the needed skills for her career.
"I quickly learned attention to detail, organization and time management as a student-athlete. DePaul always offered so many resources and tools to ensure our academic success," she reflects.
Dransfeldt resides in Coal City, Illinois with her high-school sweetheart, Kelly, who played collegiate baseball at the University of Michigan, and went on to a five-year career in Major League Baseball. They have three children, Kameron, Kennedy, and Karson.
"It was intense, hard, and sometimes painful but I would still do it again because it was worth every second to be on the field. Sometimes you don't even realize it's the last pitch you're seeing or the last ball you're fielding."
She battled through her injuries to finish out a successful career at DePaul, which included three trips to the NCAA tournament, and a career batting average of .402 that tops the Blue Demon record book. Dransfeldt also ranks third in career stolen bases, just behind a familiar name, current head coach Liz-Bouck Jagielski.
Dransfeldt acknowledged that the mental challenges of softball often seemed greater than the physical ailments she was facing. She recalls her dad helping her find success through mental imaging.
"From a very young age, my dad would lay me on the couch and have me visualize going through certain game situations. He even spoke to some of my teammates about envisioning swinging through a pitch cleanly, or fielding a ground ball well."
She recognized the sense of calm that visualization brought to her college career, as these mental repetitions decreased the negative emotions she felt during a game.
"Even in the most difficult situations, if you have envisioned something positive happening, your body will just begin to do it and you won't feel that intense paralyzing fear. You may feel adrenaline, but you've already been in that situation before," she describes.
Dransfeldt certainly experienced many positive plays on the field, being described as the "fastest player in DePaul softball history" by then-coach Eugene Lenti when she was inducted into the DePaul University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. She remains tied for third all-time with 82 hits in a single season, achieving this feat in 1997, as DePaul reached the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.
Upon graduation, she went on to attend graduate school and earn her master's degree in counseling. She now works as a counselor at Coal City High School, and she credits DePaul with assisting her in developing the needed skills for her career.
"I quickly learned attention to detail, organization and time management as a student-athlete. DePaul always offered so many resources and tools to ensure our academic success," she reflects.
Dransfeldt resides in Coal City, Illinois with her high-school sweetheart, Kelly, who played collegiate baseball at the University of Michigan, and went on to a five-year career in Major League Baseball. They have three children, Kameron, Kennedy, and Karson.
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