Hansen, Ashley
Ashley Hansen was a standout softball player at Stanford and for Team USA. The Chandler native attended Corona del Sol High School from 2004-2008. During her time at Corona, she earned numerous All-Region and All-State honors, while being named the East Valley Tribune Player of the Year three years in a row and earning 2008 Arizona Player of the Year awards. She also led the Corona softball team to the state championship game as a sophomore and a senior, ending up as runners-up both years.
In club softball, Ashley played for the Arizona Hotshots Gold team in 2005, helping them to become ASA National Runners-up. In 2006 she transferred to the Worth Firecrackers Gold club team. The Firecrackers were once again ASA National Runners-up in 2006 before breaking through and winning the National Championship in 2007.
Ashley's play caught the attention of USA Softball, and she earned a roster spot on the US Junior National Team in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, she helped the team to the Junior Pan American Games Championship. The following season, 2007, she led the team to the Junior World Championship, hitting an astounding .483 during the course of the tournament.
Ashley committed to play collegiately at Stanford University, where, even as a freshman, she made an immediate impact. Her impressive stat line included a .400 average, 4 home runs, 24 doubles, 5 triples, 55 RBI, and she only struck out 14 times. Her 24 doubles ranked second in the nation, 5 triples put her 18th, and her 55 RBI ranked 32nd nationally. Her 24 doubles, 84 hits, 5 triples and 46 runs were all Stanford records for freshmen. She earned 2nd Team All-America honors, was named the PAC-10 Freshman of the Year, and was a finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year award.
Her sophomore year was also stellar. Her .337 average, 59 hits, 42 runs, 39 RBI, and 18 doubles garnered her more All-PAC-10 and All-Western Region honors. That season, her 7 sacrifice flies led the nation in that category.
After what some might call a "sophomore slump," Ashley excelled in her junior season. She hit .495 on 95 hits, with 25 doubles and 51 runs scored. She led the PAC-10 Conference in several offensive categories, and recorded Stanford school records for batting average (.495), hits (95), and slugging percentage (.797). She earned 1st Team All-America honors, all conference honors, and was the PAC-10 Player of the Year. To top it off, she was named the USA Softball National Player of the Year, an honor equal to receiving the Heisman Trophy. She was only the second position player to ever earn the award.
As a senior, Ashley was again exceptional. She hit .368, with 8 triples, 34 walks, 14 doubles, 53 runs scored, and only struck out 5 times. Her 8 triples set a Stanford record and ranked her 4th nationally. Ashley piled more All-PAC-12 Conference honors on her resume, was named a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Finalist, and once again was named a USA Softball National Player of the Year Finalist. She was also named the PAC-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
She finished her career with her name spread far and wide on the Stanford record books, for both single season records and career records, including all-time Stanford records for career doubles (81) and career triples (18). She is the only player in PAC-10/12 Conference history to earn Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Player of the Year honors.
Ashley's play earned her an invitation to the 2007 Team USA Women's National Team Selection Camp, where she was the only high school athlete invited to participate. The camp was in preparation for the 2008 Olympic games. While Ashley put on a good show in camp, she did not receive an invitation to participate in the Olympics. By 2009, she was a regular with Team USA. She helped the team to the 2009 Canada Cup Championship, batting .292 in 9 tournament games. Later that season, she literally won the KFC World Cup of Softball for Team USA, blasting a grand slam in the gold medal game to beat Australia. She also participated in the 2009 Pan American Games Qualifier tournament, helping the team to the gold medal by hitting .351 with 11 runs, 9 RBI, 2 triples, and a home run.
In August, 2009, the IOC met to discuss adding softball back into the Summer Olympic Games for 2016. Ashley Hansen, representing the future of USA Softball, and Jennie Finch, an established star of USA Softball, scheduled a joint press conference to discuss the decision. Unfortunately, the IOC voted against adding softball back into the Olympics. With that decision, Ashley retired from competitive softball.
Ashley Hansen
Inducted into | Sports | School/ Affiliation | Accomplishments | ||||||||||
Softball | Corona del Sol | Sophomore - 2006 Arizona State Runners-Up Junior - Team captain (2007) Senior - 2008 Arizona State Runners-Up | |||||||||||
Volleyball | Corona del Sol | Freshman - 2006 Arizona State Runners-Up | |||||||||||
Club Softball | Arizona Hotshots Gold | 2005 ASA National Runners-Up | |||||||||||
Club Softball | Worth Firecrackers Gold | 2006 ASA National Runners-Up 2007 ASA National Champions | |||||||||||
Softball | US Junior National Team | 2006 Junior Pan American Champions 2007 Junior World Championships Gold Medal | |||||||||||
Softball | Stanford University | Freshman- Second-Team NFCA All-American (2009) Sophomore - First Team All-Pac-10 Junior - USA Softball National Player of the Year (2011) Senior - Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year (2012) Stanford career record .402 AVG (3rd all time) | |||||||||||
Softball | US National Softball Team | Participated in 2007 Team USA Women's National Team Selection Camp 2009 Canada Cup Champions 2009 KFC World Cup of Softball Gold Medal 2009 Pan American Qualifier Gold Medal | |||||||||||
Softball Coach | Ashley Hansen Softball Academy | Founded Ashley Hansen Softball Academy | |||||||||||