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Caity Healy<\/strong> | Editor-in-Chief<\/span><\/p>\n This spring, Haley Fabian, a senior business major, took her final year at Western as an opportunity to prove herself on the field as a fierce competitor. She earned First Team All-GNAC accolades, and she was a D2CCA All-West Region Second Team member; on top of this, she set a Western all-time career record for most wins this season, and as the season came to a close, she <\/span>was tied for No. 2 in the GNAC with a 2.55 earned-run average. As an athlete, she was a force to be reckoned with. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBeing the furthest that our softball program has gone\u2026 I think that\u2019s a really cool way to end your senior year, Fabian said. \u201cI\u2019m really proud of it, and I feel like I can leave happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her experience with softball dates all the way back to when she was 8 years old, when she grew up in Wenatchee, Washington. At the time, her sister was playing both softball and basketball, and Fabian knew she wanted to follow in her footsteps. So, she began the sport that she\u2019d eventually excel in.<\/span><\/p>\n Living in Wenatchee, a town that she described to be known for its agriculture, Fabian always had something to do.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI played sports… I would go boating since the Columbia River goes right through it,\u201d said Fabian. \u201cI\u2019d go hiking a lot over there.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Being known for her immense skill on the softball field as a pitcher, I was intrigued by the fact that she mentioned playing multiple sports, rather than just the one she broke records in this season.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI played basketball up until the end of my sophomore year of high school, but then I just stuck to softball,\u201d Fabian explained. \u201cI loved softball more than I liked basketball. And softball is kind of like a year-round commitment, so I was doing that year-round\u2026 travelling.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n When it came time to begin looking at colleges her junior year of high school, Fabian was attending a camp on Western\u2019s campus when she became enamored by it.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI did a camp here for softball,\u201d said Fabian. \u201cI kind of heard about the program \u2014 I heard about Coach Sarge \u2014\u00a0so I came to the camp and I loved the campus. I did a tour and I knew I wanted to come here.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Though she\u2019s been playing softball for the majority of her life, there was never a single point where she considered taking a break or leaving.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis was the only sport where I was like, \u2018this is the one I\u2019m going to stick with forever,\u2019\u201d Fabian said. And by sticking with it, she explained that it had taught her a lot of life skills.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI feel like it taught me to handle different situations,\u201d she said. \u201cIt also taught me to not take life so serious, too. Even though it\u2019s just a game, you create memories and friendships \u2026 it taught me to cherish those teammates that I have and the friendships I have with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Now that the season as wrapped up, finding time for herself is something Fabian isn\u2019t entirely used to. But, there are some go-to activities that she enjoys now that she does have some extra time.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI like to be with my family and my friends \u2014 especially my family. I like to travel with them and go visit them wherever they are,\u201d Fabian explained. As for time with her friends, she noted that they often take a day to go to the beach, or explore around Salem or Corvallis when they get the chance.<\/span><\/p>\n With her business degree, Fabian hopes to pursue a career that, in some way, involves her love for clothing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI like clothes,\u201d said Fabian. \u201cEspecially athletic clothing. So if it could be with Nike or Lulu Lemons or Adidas or something like that \u2026 creating a product would be really cool.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Before she was a business major, though, her dream careers looked a little bit different.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to be a teacher. I think every kid wanted to be a teacher,\u201d Fabian mentioned. \u201cAnd then there was a point where I wanted to be a dental hygienist.\u201d But ultimately, she chose business because, as she said, \u201ca lot of schools have it and I feel like there\u2019s a lot I can do with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As for her future, Fabian knows she will be continuing with softball being a part of her life in some way as she moves to Coos Bay, Oregon.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have actually talked to the softball coach at (a community college) there and I\u2019m hoping to \u2026 be an assistant coach,\u201d she explained. \u201cSo we\u2019ll see \u2014 I definitely plan on staying with the sport as of right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n