SALEM, Va. --- Virginia Wesleyan University sophomore righthander Hannah Hearl was named the NFCA Division III Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday ahead of action starting in Salem in the final round of the Division III Softball Championship.

Hearl is the third Marlin and fifth player in ODAC history to win the Division III top player or pitcher award. NFCA player and pitcher awards have only been handed out 17 times. From 2016 to 2018, only one award encompassed both honors. In 2019, the NFCA began honoring both a player and pitcher of the year.

Former Marlin lefty Hanna Hull twice won the player of the year plaque in 2017 and 2018 and added a third laurel with the 2021 top pitcher nod. That season, former VWU catcher Jessica Goldyn claimed national player of the year plaudits, one year after former University of Lynchburg slugger Mackenzie Chitwood garnered the same recognition. In 2025, Randolph-Macon College righty Gracie Ellis was named the Division's top hurler. That means Hearl represents the third time the ODAC has gone back-to-back with either honor.

Hearl leads a list of seven players from ODAC members that garnered All-America distinction in 2026. She and teammates Morgan Tucker (OF) and Emma Adams (LHP) earned First Team All-American honors, while fellow Marlins Taylor McQueen (C) and Samantha Deitsch (UT) received Second Team All-America appointments. VWU's Laci Campbell (OF) was joined by Bridgewater College's Caroline Malandra (2B) on the All-America Third Team.

Entering play in Salem, Hearl was 26-0 with a 0.51 ERA over 136.0 innings. She fanned 199 batters and allowed just 49 hits to limit opposing offenses to a .109 batting average. Hearl helped punch the Marlins' ticket to the final round at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex with a perfect game over Case Western Reserve University in the super regional round.