Hannah Tong named Ms. Softball finalist

Rangers pitcher takes home East Metro Player of the Year honors

Forest Lake’s star senior pitcher Hannah Tong had herself a notable final season in a Rangers uniform in 2024, helping command Forest Lake to yet another Class AAAA state title berth, while gathering a 19-6 overall record on the campaign.

To further cap off what was a brilliant year for Tong and her Rangers, the Minnesota State University, Mankato commit added a unique accolade to her resume: being named as a finalist for the prestigious 2024 Ms. Softball Award for the first time in her career. Tong also added the honor of being named as this season’s East Metro Softball Player of the Year voted by the Pioneer Press.

“It means a lot,” head coach Sean Hall said. “It’s just a product of all the hard work she’s put in over the years. Her teammates supported her, they were a big part of her journey along the way. Not only did she have a great year at the mound, but she also put together one of the better hitting seasons I’ve seen out of anyone I’ve coached.”

The award, which represents some of the finest seniors across the state, was presented by the Minnesota Twins Community Fund. The finalists of the award were selected by a large panel of current high school and collegiate coaches, where seasonal accomplishments, as well as character and athletic attributes were also being considered.

“It means more than words can describe,” Tong said. “Although I might not have won it, being a finalist was an incredible honor. It truly shows that hard work does pay off and that if you put your mind to something, it is very possible it will come true.

Tong put together a masterful season, starting all 21 games at the mound while going 14-4 in all. The Rangers star pitcher allowed just three home runs, while throwing a whopping 148 strikeouts on a 2.94 ERA. In facing 172 batters, Tong recorded 446 strikes on only 243 thrown balls, an impressive ratio, while earning a WHIP of 1.36. Due to her skill set, Tong also made a mark for herself within the batter’s box. In 69 total at-bats, Tong scored 10 runs, recorded 37 hits on six home runs, while adding 36 RBIs on a .536 batting average – an extremely impressive mark for the now graduated senior.

“Being named East Metro Player of the Year is also a tremendous honor,” Tong said. “There are so many amazing softball players across the state that would be eligible to win this award, and for me to be named Player of the Year makes me feel like my hard work and dedication that I’ve put into this sport for years on end has finally paid off.”

“It tells you that her hard work and dedication has helped her obtain multiple individual accolades. It’s a great thing to see from her and she’s just been a force for us everywhere. I’m very proud,” Hall said.

Outside of Tong, the other finalists being considered for the Ms. Softball Award included Heidi Barber of White Bear Lake, Cameron Chard from Belle Plaine, Cecilia Hanson of Rosemount, Randolph’s Carly Kimmes, and Katie Klotz and Jordyn Marsh, both from Farmington.

The winners were announced on Sunday, June 23, in a ceremony honoring the finalists at Target Field in Minneapolis, where Rosemount’s Cecilia Hanson earned the consensus vote of being the recipient of the annual 2024 Ms. Softball Award.

Since being thrown into the varsity lineup as a freshman, Tong made an immediate impact. In her four years as a starting pitcher, the team went on to earn four consecutive Class AAAA state berths, while finishing as the second-place runner-up twice, along with a state championship in 2022, and most recently a fourth-place finish this past season, which Tong states “was an all-around team effort.”

“The team pushing themselves to be better everyday, not just for themselves, but for the whole team to achieve the final goal of making it to state is what assisted me in having such a productive season,” Tong said, on what sparked her dominant 2024 run. “We knew that it was going to be a lot of work to get to that goal of ours. We learned from our losses, figured out what we needed to do better, and came back the next game stronger than before, which helped us dominate our opponents most of the time,” Tong said.

Hall said the team’s success with Tong at the helm “says a lot” about her. But her accomplishments surpass her role in a Ranger uniform. Tong was selected to pitch for Team Minnesota, where she was one of three pitchers coached by Hall.

“She pitched five innings against Team Wisconsin and only gave up a single run, while adding a solo home run herself. She helped us sweep Team Wisconsin for the very first time since 2014.”

As her high school career comes to a close, Tong will aim to find the same level of success down in Mankato this coming fall with the well-constructed Division II Mavericks softball program.

“Personally, I can’t wait to play at the next level,” Tong said. “Not just with a new team, but with a whole different coaching staff. I will have an all female staff next year, which is something I’ve never had before, so I think it will be interesting to see the coaching side from a different point of view. I’m a little nervous to possibly pitch against [collegiate] hitters next year because they are at such a high level of play, but I believe that my coaches will help me push myself to get better in order to face those batters.”