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BUCHANAN — It is going to be a busy spring for Buchanan senior Hannah Herman.

One thing she will not have to worry about is selecting a college to continue her academic and athletic career at as she already has signed a national letter of intent to play softball at Michigan State University.

Herman, who is a two-time first-team Division 3 All-State selection, has helped the Bucks win three straight conference, three consecutive district titles and its second regional crown in three years. Herman also helped lead Buchanan to the Division 2 state finals in 2021.

She hit .540 last spring with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 44 RBIs. She also scored 75 runs and stole 26 bases.

Even though Herman, who was recently crowned Miss Buchanan, had plenty of schools trying to bring her to their programs, Michigan State has been in the lead for a long time.

“When I was about 10 years old, I went to a camp at Michigan State and fell absolute love to say the least,” she said. “After that, I continued to attend camps for years. When Sept. 1 of my junior year came around, I did not know what to expect, but I was overwhelmed with excitement when the Michigan State staff invited me on a visit.

“Stepping onto campus again, as a recruit this time, was so special. I always explain it to people as ‘a warm fuzzy feeling’ in my body, and that is how I knew Michigan State was going to be my home. The school is so special and the softball program is amazing. The support that is offered for the student-athletes is like no other. My favorite thing about Michigan State is the ‘home away from home’ feeling I feel every time I am in East Lansing.”

When recruiting officially opened up in September of 2022, Herman said she did not know what to expect. Coaches had been following her on social media as well as attending games during the summer. She knew, however, that all that could have changed.

“I woke up the morning of Sept. 1 not expecting much, but I was very surprised,” she said. “A few schools had contacted me wanting to set up phone calls. Throughout the months of September, October and November I talked to and visited different schools in the Mid-American and Big Ten conferences weighing my options. It was a crazy time being able to see all my hard work paying off. A few weeks into recruiting is when I got the phone call from Michigan State. When I called my parents to tell them, my mom teared up.”

Herman, the daughter of Matthew and Angelina Herman, plans to major in communications in hopes of working in broadcasting.

“I always have watched Jessica Mendoza on ESPN and have dreamt to go into broadcasting or an occupation like her some day.”