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Watch out for the Irish… and standout hitter Leea Hanks!
On Friday, Notre Dame trailed Miami of Ohio 2-0 in the fourth inning in the opening game of the NCAA DI Regionals when Leea stepped up from the left side and smashed this shot over the fence.
𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐑 ☘️@HanksLeea BLASTS a three-run shot and we take a 3-2 lead in the fourth! #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/iDbdJJRL9f
— Notre Dame Softball (@NDsoftball) May 21, 2021
The three-run blast proved to be the difference in the first-round game in the Lexington Regional and after a big 12-3 win over #14 seeded Kentucky on Saturday, the Irish move on to play in the final on Sunday–the first time for the school it goes directly to that stage of the playoffs since 2005.
It comes as no surprise to us at Extra Inning Softball that Leea, sophomore outfielder, can come up huge on the biggest of stages: in July of 2019; we named her as an Extra Inning Softball 1st Team High School All-American (Outfielder) after a standout senior season that culminated with Leea earning All-State honors in Florida.
Here’s what we wrote about her then:
Sr. Leea Hanks, Eustis FL
Leea was a 2nd Team Extra Inning Softball All-American last year and moves to the 1st Team after a senior season that saw the Notre Dame signee earn 1st Team State honors. Leea batted .625 with 55 hits, 39 RBIs and also had 28 steals. She was the Extra Inning Softball National High School Player of the Week on April 1, 2019.
She was also ranked in the Top 20 of the 2019 Extra Elite 100… here’s the bio we compiled and published on Oct. 25, 2018:
T-17—Leea Hanks, OF, Jersey Intensity (Notre Dame)
Leea has great speed and instincts on offense and defense and led Eustis (Florida) High to a district title this year, hitting a grand slam in the championship game on her way to batting .565 with a .620 on-base percentage and 32 steals. Her honors included a being named a 2nd Team Extra Inning Softball All-American and a second consecutive 1st Team All-State selection. Leea also won a title with the East Cobb Bullets-Schnute 18U team at TC/USA Nationals in which she went 4-for-5 in the championship game. Leea has gone 67-for-71 in attempted steals at the prep level and will be an impact player as soon as she gets to South Bend. She committed to the Irish in November of 2015 and moved to the Intensity to play with three other Notre Dame senior commits: pitcher Alex McManus, catcher/infielder Joley Mitchell and infielder/outfielder Karina Gaskins.
You’ll also enjoy reading this interview we did with the talented lefty back around the time she signed with Notre Dame… and this week, we’re sure Notre Dame fans and followers are quite happy that she did end up in South Bend, Indiana!
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Pre-Signing Preview: Leea Hanks… Why Signing Day Is an Important Anniversary For Her
Originally published Nov. 11, 2018
The Irish have put together a nice recruiting class for the Class of 2019 and one of the key pieces is Leea Hanks who earned Extra Inning Softball All-American recognition and Florida All-State honors for the second straight year as she hit .565 with 32 steals.
Her speed is one of the elements that makes defenses nervous as she has gone 67-for-71 in steals in her three years at Eustis High.
A Top 20 honoree in the Extra Elite 100, Leea will appreciate Wednesday’s Signing Day for a special reason–it marks three years to the day that she verbally committed to Notre Day!
Here’s more on the talented senior…
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Name: LEEA HANKS
Club Team: Jersey Intensity KOD Premier
High School: Eustis (Eustis, Florida)
Position: Outfield
College: Notre Dame
1. Where will you be signing your Letter of Intent this week?
My signing will be done at home.
2. Will it be a big occasion or more low-key?
It will be low key.
3. Will you do anything to celebrate the big day?
My family and I will be going out to eat that night.
4. What date did you actually commit and how long ago was it?
I committed to Notre Dame on November 14, 2015. It’s so cool because I will be signing my Letter of Intent on the same exact day (November 14).
5. What highlight stands out to you about the recruiting process?
Softball has taking me all over this great country. I’ve had the opportunity to visit a few campuses along my journey and they were all wonderful in their own way. The recruiting process was at times full of anxiety but at the same time so exciting. The highlight for me was discovering my home away from home. Notre Dame just felt right in every way! It was a no-brainer for me and I couldn’t be more excited about my future.