Softball Trio Named B1G Players to Watch
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State softball juniors Hannah Hawley and Britain Beshears, and freshman Jacey Schuler were named 2025 Big Ten Softball Players to Watch on Tuesday afternoon as announced by the conference office.
Hawley and Beshears are key returners for the Spartans this season, both coming off National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Great Lakes Region honors in 2024. Beshears was a third team selection while Hawley was named first team all-region and second team All-B1G as a sophomore. It was the first time MSU softball was represented by multiple student-athletes on the All-Region teams since 2017.
Beshears started in all 51 of Michigan State's games hitting .272 along with a .353 on-base percentage, a .626 slugging percentage and a .979 OPS. Beshears' 15 home runs led MSU and ranked third in the B1G. Her 15 long balls rank second in program history for single-season homers. Beshears also led the Spartans in RBI with 40.
Hawley led the Spartans with a .349 batting average, a .462 on-base percentage, a .671 slugging percentage and a 1.133 OPS. Her 52 hits, 31 runs scored, 24 extra base hits and 25 walks also led Michigan State. Her 12 home runs ranked second on the team and were good for sixth all-time by a Spartan.
Hawley's slugging percentage ranked fifth in the B1G and her on-base percentage ranked seventh, combining to rank sixth in OPS among qualified batters. Her 12 long balls ranked 10th in the league. In 66 at-bats vs. Top 75 RPI teams Hawley hit .364 with five home runs and a 1.114 OPS.
Schuler has already started to make a name for herself despite not having made an official appearance in the Green & White. In January, Schuler was named to the Softball America Freshman Watch List. A two-time NFCA High School All-American, Schuler earned three consecutive Lake County News-Sun Softball Player of the Year honors at Antioch Community High School while leading the Pilots to a second straight 3A second-place finish in 2024. Schuler finished her senior campaign with a 23-4 record along with a 1.54 ERA and 321 strikeouts in 172 innings pitched, while also hitting .523 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI.
Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.
