Senior Emory Hadden recently announced her verbal commitment to continue her softball career at Dickinson College. The right-handed pitcher and outfielder will be attending in the fall of 2024, and plans to major in psychology with a minor in Spanish.

Although Hadden started playing the sport at a relatively late age, her passion for the sport and competitive nature has contributed to her quick development as a player.

“When I was nine, my parents signed me up for my first ever Little League and ever since then, I’ve been playing,” Hadden said. “I just couldn’t imagine my life without softball. I just love the art of a team sport and winning and losing. Everything about it just made me excited.”

Exposure to college coaches was vital for the recruiting process, so Hadden attended numerous college camps, showcases, and spent many hours sorting through game film to send to college coaches.

“It was a huge time commitment,” Hadden said. “I’ve been working on getting recruited since I was 14 years old, it’s been a good three years of just going to softball camps and writing emails. My dad and I have driven [across] all of the East Coast [for these camps], we’d be in New York one weekend and then Pennsylvania the next. It’s a lot of wear and tear.”

The recruiting process involved more than just Hadden, as her family also played a major role in supporting her choices and helping her manage her busy schedule.

“You have to maintain regular communication with coaches,” Hadden’s father, Tim Hadden said. “I handled a lot of the administrative stuff that goes back-and-forth, which is just necessary to grind out in the recruitment process.”

As Hadden narrowed down her options, it became clear that Dickinson was the best place for her. The team finished close to the top of their conference last season, boasting an impressive record of 12-4 in the Centennial Conference and 23-15 overall.

“[Dickinson] really met most of my criteria. I wanted to be at a high academic school that had a good softball program, and it has all of those things,” Hadden said. “I also did not want to be too far from home because I’m very close with my family. [Dickinson] being two hours away is pretty perfect for me.”

Hadden expressed her excitement to continue her career at Dickinson because of her love for the sport and desire to continue to improve as a player.

“Even though there is more failure than there is success, once you do get that success, it’s very fulfilling,” Hadden said. “I’ve learned to adapt to the structure of high school ball and really enjoy it, and I’m just excited that I get to continue my softball career for four more years.”