Very soon—as in this week—Line Drive Softball will announce the publishing schedule for next year’s Line Drive HOT 100 classes covering athletes in who graduate in 2025 down to those who compete in 2030.

Earlier this year (May), we cov`ered one of those class that will be updated in the new year and that was the Class of 2028 which is loaded with promising young talent.

One of those that made the list is Teal Hamman, a pitcher/infielder from Northern California, who continues to impress and elevate herself as one of the best in the current high school freshman class.

Teal was ranked at No. 37 in the 2028 Line Drive Hot 100 and here’s what her bio write-up said at the time (last Spring) when she was competing in the Sorcerers organization:

T-37 Teal Hamman, P/CIF, Sorcerer – Robles
Teal is a dedicated athlete who shines in five sports: softball, her favorite; basketball for both a top-level AAU program as well as on her 8^th grade school team; a travel swim team, volleyball—both indoor and beach—as well as golf. Teal has gotten up early before school every day since she was eight years old and does strength training lifting weights with dad; then after school on Monday/Wednesday and Thursdays she does double-days in which she attends AAU basketball practice for two hours followed up with pitching or hitting practice for another hour or two. Tuesdays and Fridays she leaves directly from school and drives almost two hours one way to attend her Sorcerer team softball practices for 2 ½ hours and then does her homework in the car ride home. Three months ago, Teal was fortunate enough to hook up with star pitcher Monica Abbott and since then has been taking weekly virtual one-on-one pitching lessons with the all-time great. Teal is also impressive with the bat and over the last year has batted .410 and has compiled a .950 fielding percentage. She has been MVP in numerous softball tournaments as a pitcher and also in several basketball tournaments.

Today, Teal is with the Firecrackers organization and is a freshman at Pleasant Valley High in Chico, Calif. where she is pulling down a 4.1 GPA and is also involved in student government and various clubs.

And, as her bio above indicates, Teal is a tremendous all-around athlete who has excelled in five sports, but is having to make some important decisions as to where she will put her time moving forward.

“I took on volleyball this year and was on a very successful team winning the EAL Championship,” the athlete begins. “I also play year-round AAU basketball, with the TarHeels, at a high level and was moved up to the JV High School basketball team as a freshman.”

She not only has shined for her JV team, she has been the team’s leader in scoring and rebounding so it appears Teal will continue to star in hoops and in volleyball, at least for a bit longer… but two sports have had to be dropped because of time commitments.

“I have been a competitive champion swimmer and golfer for eight years,” she continues, “but had to give them up recently to further pursue my passion for softball, which is what I really love.”

Her passion for softball has seen her join the competitive Firecrackers – Leles/Yoder travel squad which has earned a ticket to Alliance Nationals. This spring will see Teal play for her Pleasant Valley High team which is loaded and looks to be one of the top returning squads at the Div. 2 level.

The NorCal freshman, who carries the fun nickname of  “T-Dawg,” is a pitcher and infielder who usually bats in the middle of the lineup and at one PGF tournament this Fall, she batted a sizzling .778.

Her head coach for the Firecrackers is Karen Lee Yoder, who was the head coach for UC Davis for over 20 years and is currently the Athletic Director for Cal-State Maritime Academy.

“I am a strong proponent of multi-sport athletes,” the successful coach and administrator begins. “I played multiple sports in high school and know that there are studies that show that, for female athletes, there’s a higher risk of overuse injuries in those who play just one sport.”

“I encourage my players and athletes to diversify and play multiple sports,” Yoder adds. “The majority of those on our 14U team play two sports; I think it helps them socially and helps reduce those overuse injuries which can impact bones, ligaments, tendons and more.”

It really enhances their experience, and Teal is the epitome of this… she’s a great teammate and is such a great asset to our program.”

Teal’s hitting coach, Janae Leles, is the co-head coach for the Firecrackers and has had a long history of success as a pro player and in college where she won two National Championships at the Univ. of Arizona.

Although the athlete’s schedule is loaded with sport practices and workouts—the high schooler says she typically has “two-a-days” to be able to practice multiple sports and excel at them—she quickly adds: “I truly love every minute of it!”

Her father, Kory Hamman, has had a front row seat to Teal’s hard work and says he and the athlete’s mother couldn’t be more proud of her.  

“Teal’s drive to want to be the very best in everything she does is pretty amazing and it’s all self-motivated. She has lifted weights in the morning before school for years and regularly does Two-A-Day practices for softball and other various sports.”

Bridget Hamman, mom to the talented athlete, loves how Teal is able to multi-task and still excel in all areas.

“Driving two-plus hours one way for softball practice or lessons while doing homework in the car and getting home at 10pm is the norm for her but she thrives on it.”

Travel softball alone will see her flying across the country to attend big tournaments in Kansas, Colorado, California, Utah, Indiana, Texas and Arizona, but Teal says she has an ulterior motive in putting the bulk of her training into softball.

“My ultimate goal is to play softball someday in the Olympics and beyond,” Teal reveals, “so I know that there will come a time when I will have to focus on just softball training and I am prepared for that.”

“For the time being, though, I like to be well-rounded athlete playing many sports, but on the other hand I can’t help but wonder how my softball skills will be fully maximized once I concentrate on only softball.”

“It will be exciting!”

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball