Hailey Rath, Eatonville's softball smasher, is SBLive's Class 1A Senior Athlete of the Year

Welcome to a continuing tradition at SBLive Washington – honoring the WaFd Bank 2021-22 senior male and female athletes of the year for each classification.

Because the SBLive crew gets so immersed in specific sports seasons, it is nice to take a step back to pick a statewide honor from a broader perspective.

The criteria isn’t too expansive: The starting point is finding seniors who are all-league/all-state performers in two or more sports. Totality of career is also a factor. So is administrator/coach/fan recommendation.

Enjoy as we honor some of Washington’s top multi-sport senior athletes!

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Watch Eatonville's Hailey Rath perform in softball, basketball or soccer for just a few minutes, and it's easy to recognize her distinct physical advantage over others.

Power.

"She's built tough - like a brick wall," said Sarah Rath, her mother.

But there's also something else about Rath less obvious to start, but more prevalent deeper into games.

She lives for the big moment.

And on the softball diamond, in particular, Rath dictated how a sequence went, usually winning with a ball deposited over a fence some 250 feet away from home plate.

She hit 24 home runs in her senior season, which ranks in the top 10 nationally.

"I've never witnessed anything like that - and it was so fun," said Jen Smith, the Eatonville softball softball coach.

"It's like a sense came over me when was up to bat, like I knew I was going to watch a show."

Added the slugger headed to Western Washington University: "It's a different atmosphere. I can be myself. I can go out and crush the ball."

Sure, the bat talks loudest: Rath, an avid weightlifter, swings with enormous speed. Combine that with her astute eye at the plate, when she does connect, it usually goes very far.

"It started my junior year, and I was like, 'Where did this come from?'" Rath said. "But that's also when I knew I could be great at this."

Rath. a member of the Puyallup-based Bandits club for Joe Breer, puts in the time, too. She hits three days a week, minimum - and that does not includes tournaments in which she plays in.

Breer said her exit velocity has been clocked at "80-plus mph" - elite in softball.

But it's just not the bat-swinging. Rath can throw runners out trying to score from deep in center field with a 65 mph throw.

In soccer, she has a thunderous foot - one that netted a hat trick to end her junior season. And in basketball, she gets shots up on any defender at point guard, setting the school record with a 43-point outing against Clover Park as a sophomore

"I always give 100 percent, no matter what the sport is," Rath said. "I like to be the best.

"But who doesn't?"

HAILEY RATH BIO

School: Eatonville.

Sports: Soccer, basketball, softball.

Next step: Signed to play softball at Western Washington University (D2) where she will also study elementary education.

Senior-year highlights: Was the state's top home-run hitter in softball (24) this spring, and ranked in the top 10 nationally. She hit .605, scored 64 runs and drove in 62 runs in leading the Cruisers to a school-best third-place finish at the Class 1A state tournament in Selah. Was named to SBLive WA's all-classification all-state team, and was voted the unanimous 1A Evergreen Conference player of the year in center field. ... Averaged 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 2.0 assists per game at point guard on the basketball team, and was named to the all-league first team. ... Started 15 games in soccer, and was voted to the 1A EvCo first team as a midfielder.

Career accomplishments: In 71 games (222 at-bats) in softball, Rath hit .620 with 48 home runs, 101 extra-base hits and 175 RBI. She also did not make an error in center field. In addition to being named the 1A EvCo player of the year as a senior, she was the 2A SPSL MVP last spring as a junior. Led the Cruisers to a pair of 1A state tournament appearances (2019, 2022). ... Scored 1,074 points in basketball, and set the school's single-game scoring mark as a sophomore with 43 points against Clover Park in 2020. ... Twice was named to the all-1A EvCo team in soccer - once as a defender (2020) and the other time as as a midfielder (2022). ... Selected to next month's 2022 Alliance Fastpitch/Under Armour All Star Game in Indianapolis for top seniors in the country. .... Standout in one of the state's best club softball programs - the Puyallup-based Bandits.

School/community achievements: 3.654 GPA; National Honor Society member for two years; named Eatonville senior athlete of the year; won Clint Names multi-sport scholarship through Tacoma Athletic Commission; Key Club International member through school for community service; volunteer in Eatonville Youth Sports Association as coach for softball, and referee for basketball; volunteered for '9-11 Day of Service and Remembrance" town clean-up.