University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
/ Softball
Hansen Named Ms. Softball, Throws Out First Pitch at Twins Game
8/23/2018 11:23:00 AM | Softball
Incoming freshman Emily Hansen was recently named the 2018 Play Ball! Minnesota Ms. Softball winner and had the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Minnesota Twins game. Hansen, in her senior season, helped lead Buffalo High School to a fourth place state finish in Class AAAA. Named the 2018 Star Tribune Metro Softball Player of the Year, she posted a .509 batting average with 15 home runs, 36 RBI and was intentionally walked 13 times.
Gophersports.com had the chance to talk to Hansen about being named Ms. Softball and what it means to be playing softball for the University of Minnesota.
GopherSports.com: First off welcome to the Gopher softball family, how excited are you to get on campus and start the school year?
Emily Hansen: I'm super excited to finally make my dreams a reality! It's going to be a great year and I can't wait to get after it with the team!
GS: You were recently named the 2018 Play Ball! Minnesota Ms. Softball winner, what does that honor mean to you?
EH: I was so blessed to be able to win Ms. Softball this year among many other amazing softball players and I was lucky enough to call most of them my best friends. It was a goal of mine to reach and I am truly honored.
GS: With the honor came the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Twins game, what was that experience like?
EH: Being able to throw out the first pitch was such a great opportunity to represent my community, the university, and softball in such a high manner. It was super fun and I'm so glad that I didn't bounce it to the plate!
GS: How did you get into the sport of softball?
EH: When I was about 5 years old my parents made me choose between soccer or softball and I chose softball because my dad played slow pitch and it sounded more fun than soccer.
GS: What does it mean to stay in your home state of Minnesota to play collegiate softball?
EH: I've always wanted to represent the U since I was little, so it means the world to me that I get to start my next journey in my home state.
GS: Do you have any personal expectations or goals you are looking to accomplish while at Minnesota?
EH: One major goal I'm looking to accomplish over the course of my time at the U is to be the best teammate I can be on the field and off the field. I believe that when you have a great team culture you can accomplish anything.
GS: What are you most looking forward to in your first season?
EH: I'm most looking forward to putting on the Maroon and Gold uniform, and being able to make memories on the diamond with all of my teammates.
Gophersports.com had the chance to talk to Hansen about being named Ms. Softball and what it means to be playing softball for the University of Minnesota.
GopherSports.com: First off welcome to the Gopher softball family, how excited are you to get on campus and start the school year?
Emily Hansen: I'm super excited to finally make my dreams a reality! It's going to be a great year and I can't wait to get after it with the team!
GS: You were recently named the 2018 Play Ball! Minnesota Ms. Softball winner, what does that honor mean to you?
EH: I was so blessed to be able to win Ms. Softball this year among many other amazing softball players and I was lucky enough to call most of them my best friends. It was a goal of mine to reach and I am truly honored.
Congratulations to Play Ball! Minnesota Mr. Baseball Seth Halvorsen and Ms. Softball Emily Hansen! Congratulations again to all the finalists! #PrepBaseball #PrepSoftball #PlayBall pic.twitter.com/Lba0pDvQJg
— Play Ball! Minnesota (@PlayBall_MN) June 17, 2018
GS: With the honor came the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Twins game, what was that experience like?
EH: Being able to throw out the first pitch was such a great opportunity to represent my community, the university, and softball in such a high manner. It was super fun and I'm so glad that I didn't bounce it to the plate!
Incoming freshman @emilyhans25 threw out the honorary first pitch at the Twins game Tuesday after being named the 2018 @PlayBall Minnesota Ms. Softball winner! Congrats Emily, we can't wait to see you on campus! pic.twitter.com/ugw5D5pFCA
— Minnesota Softball (@GopherSoftball) August 16, 2018
GS: How did you get into the sport of softball?
EH: When I was about 5 years old my parents made me choose between soccer or softball and I chose softball because my dad played slow pitch and it sounded more fun than soccer.
GS: What does it mean to stay in your home state of Minnesota to play collegiate softball?
EH: I've always wanted to represent the U since I was little, so it means the world to me that I get to start my next journey in my home state.
Buffalo's Emily Hansen is the Star Tribune 2018 Metro Player of the Year in softball https://t.co/36zcTCOuSk@emilyhans25 @BHSBison @buffalosoftball
— Jim Paulsen (@JimPaulsen) June 4, 2018
GS: Do you have any personal expectations or goals you are looking to accomplish while at Minnesota?
EH: One major goal I'm looking to accomplish over the course of my time at the U is to be the best teammate I can be on the field and off the field. I believe that when you have a great team culture you can accomplish anything.
GS: What are you most looking forward to in your first season?
EH: I'm most looking forward to putting on the Maroon and Gold uniform, and being able to make memories on the diamond with all of my teammates.
Follow Minnesota Softball
Support Minnesota Softball
Support the University of Minnesota Softball program. Your support helps our student-athletes succeed athletically, academically, and socially. It takes just seconds to make a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you for your support! Give Now
Saturday, May 30
Saturday, May 02
Tuesday, April 21
Sunday, April 05