It has been a year to remember for Hannah Hill.

The Fryeburg Academy junior established herself as one of the state’s top hurlers. She pitched her team to the Class B state championship. She was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Maine and secured her college plans with a full scholarship.

“It’s exciting,” said Hill. “It’s really cool that I can be rewarded with such a great team and with so many blessings. I love playing softball, and I wouldn’t play softball if I didn’t love it. So being able to be rewarded for something I love to do is just incredible.”

It’s been a whirlwind month for Hill, who recently made a verbal commitment to Seton Hall. At the beginning of the month, Hill had only done preliminary work on finding a college home. An inquiry from Seton Hall sparked her interest and the process blossomed into a full scholarship as her team began its historic run to its first regional and state title.

“I went in looking for academics and seeing how the coaches would be,” said Hill. “It really felt like it fit very well. It didn’t make it a difficult decision. Getting, obviously, a huge offer like that is incredible but also feeling really comfortable and really welcome and the fact that they really wanted me and really wanted to work with me was nice.”

Seton Hall Coach Ray Vander May had seen Hall pitch in a showcase last year in Devens, Massachusetts. He came to Maine and scouted her earlier in the year against Cape Elizabeth. He contacted Fryeburg coach Fred Apt, who put him in touch with Hill. She went down to South Orange, New Jersey for an unofficial visit the first week of June, just after the Raiders’ regular season ended.

She received a grand tour – meeting players, coaches and academic faculty. She was pleased about the emphasis on academics. The head of the nursing department said that athletes were given the opportunity to manage their schedules between school and athletic responsibilities. She also learned that the softball team’s GPA was one of the highest in the nation.

“Originally, I just wanted to look at the nursing part of it and see how the coaches felt about academics,” she said. “The team’s GPA is an average of 3.5 or higher. They take academics very seriously.”

She was impressed by the campus and community and felt comfortable with the coaching staff. A player she talked with described how the coaching staff was like a second father to her. Vander May is also a pitching coach and has already offered Hill suggestions on things she can work on.

“Coach Vander May reminds me so much of Coach Apt,” said Hill. “When he started talking, it was mannerisms and different ways he said things that reminded me exactly of Coach Apt. I haven’t met anyone else who’s like Coach Apt. I love Coach Apt. So seeing someone that was similar to him was really, really cool.”

One concern she had was the fact that the school was in New Jersey. She had imagined going to school somewhat closer to home. The coaching staff addressed homesickness and made it clear it was something to which they monitored closely.

“They made me feel very comfortable with the fact that I was going to be far from home but also the team is going to be here to help me,” she said.

At the end of the visit, Vander May offered her a full scholarship.

“I was extremely excited, but I didn’t know exactly what to say at that point,” said Hill. “So we went home and thought about it for a few days.”

After discussing it with her parents and mulling over the decision, Hill felt it was an easy choice to make.

“I realized that I really loved the school and the community,” said Hill. “So I called Coach Vander May and accepted.”

Hill will sign a letter of intent in November and make an official visit in October. Early in her search, she had given Boston College, Maine and St. Anselm preliminary looks. She saidshe’d have been happy playing at the Division II level, if that’s what she chose, but the opportunity to play in the Big East is the kind of challenge she covets. During Vander May’s 12 years, Seton Hall has won two Big East Championships, finished second twice and made it to the NCAA Tournament three times.

“Being able to play at a Division I level and really push myself and become better is going to be so exciting,” said Hill.