As coach Heather Tarr prepares the Washington Huskies for the 2027 season, she'll have one of her deepest lineups in recent years.
While a lot of that is credit to veterans like Alexis DeBoer, Jadyn Glab, and Giselle Alvarez, who will fill out the middle of the order, the 2026 freshman class proved during its first year that there's a lot to look forward to in the future of UW softball. Among that group is catcher Ally Hetzel, who put together an impressive freshman campaign.
The local product of Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie posted a .316 batting average and 1.016 OPS across 52 appearances in 2026 with 35 hits, 6 home runs, 23 runs batted in, 22 walks, and 21 runs scored during her first year, and is looking to continue growing as a sophomore
thanks to UW's team chemistry.
"The main thing is just growth; I wouldn't be able to grow if it wasn't for my amazing teammates," Hetzel told Circling Seattle Sports' Charles Hamaker. "Without them, I don't know how comfortable I would be at all because they brought us in; we had a movie night on the field; we had team bonding experiences...without that, you don't know what would happen. When I look back on my freshman season, I think about growth."
Those experiences helped Hetzel get comfortable off the field and helped turn her into a regular contributor for Tarr's lineup as the season went on, and she continued to adapt to the college game.
"When you come in, you don't know everything; you don't know how to play college softball," Hetzel continued. "The game in high school and club versus college softball is played very differently and a way faster pace, so to have those people, not only my teammates, but the people that have played college softball on our roster, our coaching roster, is something that is super important because they know how to play that game and translate that."
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington softball's Ally Hetzel showed plenty of growth in 2026
