COAHOMA, Texas — Hannah Wells has never been afraid of playing under pressure.
Since her breakout freshman season, she has never shied away from the brightest lights and reached peak performance on the biggest stages.
Wells capped off one of the most decorated careers in Texas high school softball with a sensational senior season in 2025. Coahoma’s senior ace and designated hitter excelled in the circle and clobbered opposing pitchers at the plate.
Alongside an experienced group of fellow seniors, and a deep lineup, she helped lead the Bulldogettes to the Class 3A Division II UIL softball state championship to make Coahoma the first program ever to win three straight UIL softball state titles.
For her poise under pressure, veteran leadership and jaw-dropping season statistics, Wells has been chosen as the Abilene Reporter-News’ 2025 All-Big Country Softball Player of the Year.
“It’s really special, so surreal,” she said. “My freshman year, I had a talk with Coach (Alexander) Orozco and he asked me what I wanted to do. I was like, ‘I want to win state. To win state championships.’ Getting to see that lived out was pretty awesome, and something I wanted to do since I was a little girl.”
Wells’ fingerprints have been all over Coahoma’s recent run of success as both the Bulldogettes’ most reliable hitter and everyday pitcher.
However, Wells — a Texas Longhorns signee — would argue that it’s really the other way around: the Bulldogettes’ one-of-a-kind culture had a significant impact on her.
She credits the program’s rich winning tradition and Coahoma’s expectation of excellence with pushing her to maximize her potential as a softball player.
“I would not be here without them. We have a saying called, ‘Forget about me. I love you.’ That’s been instilled in us since we were in junior high,” she said. “So setting that foundation, having them in my corner, teaching me what hard work looks like, is really what helped me get here today.”
Wells also pointed to her Bulldogettes’ teammates and coaching staff, especially Coahoma softball head coach Alexander Orozco, as key factors behind her emergence as an elite hitter and pitcher.
The Bulldogettes’ senior applauded her teammates for the support they provided — from making diving stops in the field to sparking rallies around her most pivotal at-bats.
She credited Orozco with building her confidence and developing her skill set after naming her Coahoma’s starting pitcher and designated player as a freshman.
“He gave me an opportunity to be great at whatever I chose,” Wells said. “He didn’t keep me in a box. He let me lead the team. He’s given me every opportunity that I could ask for with a smile on his face. I’m very grateful to him for everything he’s done for me.”
During her senior campaign in 2025, Wells was virtually unhittable in the circle and enjoyed the best offensive season of her entire high school career as part of the Bulldogettes’ record-setting run to the 3A DII state title.
In addition to earning the first three-peat in UIL softball history, Wells and Coahoma broke another UIL record by rattling off a 91-game unbeaten streak — the longest such streak in Texas high school softball history. The Bulldogettes didn’t lose a game for more than 800 days.
Individually, though, she was also setting new high-water marks.
Wells belted a career-best 31 home runs to lead the UIL in homers for 2025. She finished the year with a .602 batting average (65-for-108) and tallied career highs in RBIs (75), runs scored (54), extra-base hits (48), OPS (2.287) and slugging percentage (1.639).
Wells was even better in the circle, however.
Coahoma’s senior ace sported a 22-1 record with 20 complete games and a pair of saves in 25 pitching appearances and 127⅔ innings pitched. She also led all Big Country pitchers in ERA (0.49), strikeouts (258), WHIP (0.71) and opponents’ batting average (.112).
“I think it just (comes down to) my ability and knowledge of the game. I’ve played this game my entire life, since I was four years old, so building those skills and knowledge of the game really helps me on both sides of the ball,” Wells said.
“I put in a lot of hours. I’ve had a lot of people pour into me, so I just trust that side to come out on top. It’s either one or the other. If one’s not doing well, the other one’s gonna come through. And I don’t have to rely (only) on myself at all. I have my teammates who are 100% behind me.”
Now with a storied high school career in the books, Wells will prepare to join the softball program at the University of Texas, where she plans to study to become a coach to pass down her knowledge and love of the game.
“The game of softball and Coahoma have taught me so many life lessons that I’ll use for my little girls, hopefully when I grow up and coach,” she said.
Her departure from Coahoma to Austin also marks the start of a one-year separation for Wells and longtime teammate Mia Clemmer — a junior catcher committed to the Texas Longhorns, too.
Wells’ graduation to the next level also signals the start of an exciting new chapter on the horizon for the pitcher-catcher duo that has shared a softball diamond for nearly a decade together.
“A lot of people ask me that question because she’s graduating this year. They’re like, ‘Are you sad?’ I’m definitely very sad, but our story gets to continue,” Clemmer said.
“It’s a great thing we get to do at the Division I level at the best university, and it wouldn’t have happened without God, so we’re very thankful. We’re very blessed for everything that has happened to us.”
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Coahoma’s Hannah Wells named 2025 All-Big Country Softball Player of the Year
Reporting by Andrew McCulloch, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
