Anna Fagan’s mind may have been made up for weeks, if not months. Still, the Guilford native felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders when she formally decided in late February to commit to Dartmouth College to play softball.

“It was definitely (a relief), especially because I committed so late,” says Anna, a senior at Sacred Heart Academy (SHA) in Hamden. “A lot of the other girls were committed September of their junior year. That was definitely nerve-racking, definitely stressful, but I think everything happened the way it was supposed to. Everything happens for a reason.”

With that order of business down, Anna can now move on to the next item on her to-do list: winning a state championship.

Anna was a fixture on last year’s SHA softball team, which made it all the way to the Class M final and lost to a buzzsaw in top-seeded Woodland, 16-0.

“We came up just short,” Anna says. “We were the runners-up in Class M. It was an amazing run. We continued to battle. We were the 18th seed, so nobody really expected us to be there. We were playing the one seed; it was an uphill battle just to get there.”

Anna feels a wave of motivation to get back to that title game, not just for herself, but also for her team. As a star pitcher, so much depends on how she performs.

Fortunately for Sacred Heart Academy, Anna wouldn’t have it any other way. She savors the responsibility that comes with that role of being spotlighted every time she steps on the mound.

“I love having the ball in my hand every pitch,” Anna says. “It is an amazing feeling.”

Last season, the two-way star struck out 109 batters in 82.2 innings and batted .357 with 22 RBI and a .416 on-base percentage. She was voted All-Southern Connecticut Conference. Sacred Heart Academy went 17-8, defying expectations nearly every step of the way. These statistics certainly don’t go unnoticed by her squad steward.

“Anna is someone who is just a leader on her own,” Sacred Heart Head Coach Meagan Onofrio says. “She knows the game very well; she works hard constantly on and off the field. I couldn’t ask for more from her. She definitely will be in that circle for us throughout the season.”

Anna trained throughout the offseason to diversify her five-pitch arsenal, which consists of a fastball, changeup, curveball, screwball, and dropball. She will be working with a new catcher this year in Gianna Tortora, but that’s only a minor adjustment. Anna says they’re “pretty close.”

Sacred Heart started practice this past week, the first step in a ramp-up for the Saturday, March 30 opener against Staples. The home opener is slated for Monday, April 1 against Lauralton Hall.

Last season was Sacred Heart Academy’s first trip to the state finals since 2014, and sixth all-time. The school is 1-5 in those appearances, with its only title coming in 2011 against Seymour in Class M.

Expectations, of course, are genuinely high year after year, and Anna knows her squad has the ability to make a statement.

“We have a great team this year,” Anna says. “We made a deep run in states last year, and I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Anna stayed busy during the offseason, trying to hone her craft. Since she also plays travel ball with Stars National out of New Jersey, summer weekends were devoted to competing in national showcases throughout the U.S. This summer’s schedule has her traveling to Colorado, Georgia, Alabama, and Indiana to play.

An arm injury two summers ago prevented her from getting the exposure needed in front of college coaches. Because of that, Anna had to tap the brakes on the college recruitment process.

Anna had also considered fellow Ivy League schools Columbia and Princeton before setting her mind on Dartmouth following an official visit in January.

“They were very welcoming,” Anna says. “It just feels right. I don’t really know how to explain it. It just feels like home.”

Onofrio sees Anna as a constant competitor day in and day out, and someone who she knows will find success at the next level because of her tenacity and toughness.

“Ever since I met Anna, she has had that goal to go to an Ivy and play softball,” says Onofrio, Anna’s coach since her sophomore year. “It is hard to get into any Ivy to begin with, and it’s hard to play softball at the same time. She works just as hard in the classroom as she does in the field. She has that kind of swag, ‘Hey, you’re going to have to beat me.’”

Sacred Heart Academy is still home for now. Anna, who transferred in after her freshman year at Guilford High School, appreciates everything about the school. Her time there may be winding down, but she is going to try to make the most of it, both on and off the field.

“The fact that I will be on campus in Dartmouth in just a few months is a little scary, but it’s also incredibly exciting,” Anna says. “I’m going to try to enjoy every last minute I have at Sacred Heart.”