Ankeny senior Lily Hans will continue her softball career at Missouri Western State University.
The Griffons are members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and compete in NCAA Division II.
“I can’t wait to be a Griff!” Hans tweeted on Wednesday.
Hans, an infielder, said she was really impressed by coach Joe Yegge and assistant Lexi Kinnaird.
“I knew I was looking for a smaller college close to home that had a great team culture,” said Hans. “I looked at a few colleges, but when I met coach Yegge and the rest of the team I knew without a doubt that was where I wanted to be. Coach Yegge values hard work, and my competitive nature and his honesty throughout the process made my decision so easy. His assistant (Kinnaird) also played for him so to have a past player come back and coach with you says something about the person and coach that he is. The team’s culture was exactly what I was looking for. These players work hard and have fun doing it. They are there to compete at every practice and every game, and they all seemed to genuinely get along.”
Hans helped Ankeny to a 31-8 record last season. The Hawkettes qualified for the state tournament and tied for seventh place in Class 5A.
Hans batted .231 with one home run, two doubles and six RBIs.