HOPE — A casual observer watching Dani Steward play softball might find it hard to believe that she can see out of only one eye.
The Hauser senior has been lighting up opposing pitching in her first season with the Jets, and she’s done it despite being blind in her left eye. She has Morning Glory Syndrome, where the optic nerve is not connected.
“I’ve never been able to see out of that eye at all,” Steward said. “I was born like this, so to me, I guess there’s never really been an adjustment. It’s just been how it is, and I’ve just learned to deal with it.”
Saturday, Steward will help lead the Jets into the North Daviess Semistate. Hauser will play Clay City at around 1:15 p.m., and with a win, would play Loogootee or West Washington in the 7 p.m. final.
Steward, who plays right field and bats left-handed, is hitting .430 with 13 doubles and 33 RBIs.
“Honestly, I think it’s pretty miraculous, and it’s truly a testament to how great God is because if you look at how the eyes work and all the signs behind it, I should not have any depth perception at all,” Steward said. “But it’s all just God letting me be able to play the sport that I love.”
After spending her first two years of high school at Indianapolis Lutheran, Steward moved to Hauser prior to her junior year. She likely would have been the Jets top pitcher last season, but spring sports were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was really looking forward to playing last year because I saw the way we were looking in winter practices, and we were going to be epic last year, probably a little bit better than we are this year,” Steward said. “We’re amazing this year, but I was so pumped for last year and it was really depressing that it got canceled.”
With freshman Paige McDaniel taking over most of the pitching duties this season, Steward mostly has played right field. She is 0-1 with a 4.45 ERA in 11 innings in the circle.
“I am a pitcher, but I’ve always been more of an outfielder because all the teams that I’ve been on have had pitchers that are better than I am,” Steward said. “But I came in here just looking for an opportunity to play somewhere and be on a team that I felt like I was a part of.”
Jets coach Andy Brunner is happy to have her on that team.
“Dani is a leader, but she’s a calming presence, as well,” Brunner said. “She believes in her craft on both sides of the ball. I think a lot of the young girls look up to the confidence, the calming that she has. She’s a tremendous player and an even better teammate. You couldn’t ask for a better kid. It’s unfortunate that losing last year, we only get one year with her, but it’s better than none.”
In Steward’s first game at Hauser, she went 3 for 3 with three doubles and six RBIs in a 15-5 season-opening win against Columbus East.
Brunner said watching Steward play every day, he sometimes forgets that she can see out of only one eye.
“It’s not anything that has hindered her,” Brunner said. “She has figured out a way around it. She fights through it day in and day out to the point where you don’t notice it. The kid is so confident and such a strong player and teammate, you absolutely forget about it.”
Her future is in complete focus. Steward, who graduated third in her class, plans to play softball at Hanover and major in biochemistry with a pre-med track.
“I have always wanted to play college,” Steward said. “I used to actually want to play at the University of Kentucky, but as I grew up, I realized that my education is far more important than softball, and going to Hanover is just the perfect fit because I can focus on getting my degree while also continuing softball.”
The focus, for now, though, is trying to help the Jets (25-4) get through Saturday’s semistate and onto the Class A state finals for the first time since they won the title in 2015.
“I think we have a really good chance Saturday,” Steward said. “I’m really looking forward to it, and I am absolutely planning to bringing home a trophy.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
North Daviess Semistate (Class A)
Saturday
11 a.m.: West Washington (21-9) vs. Loogootee (14-7)
1 p.m.: Hauser (25-4) vs. Clay City (20-6)
7 p.m.: Championship
Admission: $8 per session or $10 for both sessions
[sc:pullout-text-end]
