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Washington County softball teams have learned it’s a smart thing to fear “Boo” when facing North Hagerstown.
That’s because Danielle “Boo” Wissinger is one of the county’s best players, possessing power, patience, speed and fielding prowess that has made her a cornerstone for the Hubs.
And soon, Wissinger hopes, for the University of Delaware.
Wissinger, a two-time Herald-Mail All-County First Team honoree who still has her senior season to play, signed a letter of intent on Nov. 21 to play for the Blue Hens after her prep career is over.
“I started going to their softball clinics my sophomore year and really felt a connection with the players and the coach,” Wissinger said. “The campus is beautiful and I fell in love with the school.”
North coach Amanda Fleming fell in love with Wissinger’s talents long ago.
“She’s very smart in the batter’s box, whether it’s finding a base hit, a walk, whatever she has to do, and then she has the speed to move around,” Fleming said. “When she started out, we had some power hitters so she was a quick little lefty who could get on base before them. Now, her role has changed. She’s become our power hitter, and we want to get a couple runners on base before her and she can hit them in.”
Wissinger made an impact as a freshman, hitting .294 with six extra-base hits, eight walks and 16 runs scored.
She’s only gotten better.
As a sophomore she hit .377 with five extra-base hits, 10 walks, 16 stolen bases and 31 runs scored. Last season as a junior, she hit .448 with three home runs, 11 walks and 24 runs scored.
Overall, Wissinger is hitting .369 with eight doubles, three triples, four home runs and 71 runs scored in her prep career. Her 29 walks boost her on-base percentage to .451.
“I always feel more confident as the years go on, and I became more of a power hitter,” Wissinger said. “We work on (patience) a lot. It just depends on who you’re playing, some pitchers will throw that first-pitch strike and others won’t. You just have to have a plan when you step up to the plate.”
She’s been solid in the field as well. She played third base for the Hubs as a freshman and sophomore before shifting to catcher as a junior — which is where she plays in club ball, currently for the Tri-State Thunder 18U gold team.
“(Delaware) likes how I can play multiple positions, but I was recruited for my catching,” Wissinger said.
“It’s always good to have that player who has the athletic talent and ability for the game and you can put them wherever you need,” Fleming said. “She did a great job at third base. Now she’s back at catcher, but if I had problems elsewhere, I could move her anywhere because she has that flexibility in her game.”
Delaware is coached by Jaime Wohlbach, who took over the Blue Hens’ program for the 2011 season. Delaware is 36-75-1 over the past two seasons as Wohlbach tries to turn things around.
“She’s trying to build the program ... and I feel like I can help her and am excited to try to help us get to the NCAA regionals, because that’s her main goal,” Wissinger said.
“She’s excited to move to that next level,” Fleming said. “The training and practice intensity gets turned up and she’s meant for that. She’s ready to join a team like that, and with her leadership qualities, she can step in as a freshman because she’s always working to improve her game and tries to help out other players. I think she’ll definitely help her team out significantly.”