CONGRATULATIONS: Texas Tech Signee Hannah Wells Crowned 2024–2025 Gatorade National Player of the Year After Record-Breaking Season
In a moment destined to live in sports lore, Hannah Wells—Texas Tech’s prized softball signee—was named the 2024–2025 Gatorade National Player of the Year following a transcendent senior season that redefined high school softball excellence.
Wells, a 5-foot-10 two-way phenom from Prosper High School in Texas, torched the record books with a staggering .612 batting average, 27 home runs, and 82 RBIs. But that was only half her dominance. From the circle, she posted a 0.48 ERA, fanning 234 batters in just 118 innings. She was, quite literally, untouchable—leading Prosper to a 38–1 record and a Class 6A state championship, where she threw a no-hitter and blasted two homers in the final.
The Gatorade committee cited not just her statistics, but her impact: “Hannah Wells didn’t just dominate—she elevated everyone around her,” the selection panel wrote. “She’s the kind of athlete who changes programs, inspires teammates, and reshapes what’s possible in women’s sports.”
What truly sets Wells apart is her character off the field. A 4.0 GPA student, National Honor Society leader, and founder of “Gloves for Girls”—a nonprofit that donates equipment to underfunded youth softball programs across Texas—Wells embodies the Gatorade award’s threefold criteria: athletic excellence, academic achievement, and exemplary character.
Texas Tech head coach Sami Ward, who led the recruitment of Wells, called the honor “a national coronation of what we already knew: Hannah is the future of college softball.”
“She chose us over legacy programs because she wanted to build something new,” Ward added. “And now, with this award, she’s not just coming to Lubbock as a recruit—she’s coming as the top player in the nation.”
Wells’ signing has electrified the Texas Tech fan base and drawn national attention to the Red Raiders’ meteoric rise in the softball world. Her commitment already contributed to the school’s best-ever recruiting class, and her arrival next fall is expected to instantly place Tech in championship conversations.
In an emotional speech at the award ceremony held in Los Angeles, Wells thanked her parents, coaches, and teammates. “I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was nine years old,” she said, tears welling. “But this award isn’t just about me. It’s about every girl who was told her sport didn’t matter. We’re changing that—one pitch, one swing at a time.”
As the curtain falls on her high school career and the gates of collegiate glory open wide, one thing is clear: Hannah Wells isn’t just the Gatorade National Player of the Year—she’s a generational talent poised to change the game forever.
