With the 2023 softball season well underway, one Raider is making the most of her final season.

Hannah Marsteller, a graduate student from Fredericksburg, Virginia, finished her undergraduate degree in Biology last Spring before coming back for her Master’s Degree. Originally coming in as a mathematics major, Marsteller discovered her interest in biology after watching veterinary shows with her mom.

She started playing softball at four years old, taking after her older sister who also played. “She kind of has been my idol, I’ve looked up to her, followed her in her footsteps,” Marsteller said.

Joining her school’s volleyball team as well at eight years old, she played both competitively, until she decided to focus only on softball due to better opportunities.

And those opportunities flourished over her career with the Raiders. Marsteller was ranked second by Extra Inning Softball’s top 100 Division II college players, and it is easy to see how she got that rank. 

It might’ve been her .516 batting average in 2022, her back-to-back National Player of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022, her being named the 2021-22 NCAA division 2 statistical champion for batting average and on-base percentage. Marsteller has over a dozen more accomplishments – there is simply no room on this page to list them all.

Her reputation as a good player also tends to precede her during games. Many times, Marsteller is forced to walk by the opposing pitcher rather than getting a hit, which she describes as frustrating. This doesn’t stop her from being focused on her team though, knowing sometimes it is a better option to help the team as a whole win. 

Despite all of these accomplishments though, things almost turned out very differently for Marsteller. 

“I did not want to come to Shippensburg,” Marsteller said.

According to Marsteller, coach Alison Van Scyoc had seen Marsteller at a tournament and invited her to a softball camp at Shippensburg University. After having previously wanted to go to Christopher Newport University, she took a chance on the small Pennsylvania town, even though she dreaded the experience.

After less than a week, Marsteller fell in love with the camp and the university.

“They tell you that you’ll know when you’re in the right place, where your home is for college. That’s exactly how I felt when the camp was over,” Marsteller said. 

With May 6 fast approaching, Marsteller has already applied to veterinary schools in order to advance her degree. She doesn’t intend to leave softball behind though, and has begun trying to connect with professional softball teams overseas. Additionally, she has spoken with coach Van Scyoc about helping coach the Raider softball team.

“I don’t want to put softball in the past. I want to keep it in my life and keep it in the present. It’s something that is always going to be a part of me, and I’m not ready to give that up yet,” Marsteller said.

Until then, you can catch Marstellar and the entire Raider softball team for their next home game at Robb Sports Complex this Friday, March 3, at 1 p.m. 

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