Softball Starts 2018 Early Signings with Seven Additions
11/8/2017 4:58:00 PM | Softball
Ladyjacks sign seven for the 2018 class on the first day of the early signing period
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin softball program announced the signing of seven newcomers for its 2018 class Wednesday on the opening day of the early signing period. The Ladyjacks welcome Kaelyn Roberts, Mackenzie Bennett, Cassidy Tucker, Alex Hedspeth, Kaitlyn Boudreaux, Darryan Welborn and Kassidy Wilbur to the SFA softball family.
Roberts, a standout pitcher from Spring, Texas, is entering her fourth year as a letter winner at Spring High School. Earning honorable mention as a freshman, Roberts was tabbed as defensive player of the year and claimed a spot on the Houston Chronicle's All-Greater Houston Pitcher Second Team this past spring. She is a three-time first-team all-district pitcher who has struck out 373 batters over her last three years at Spring, while tallying 45 RBI and knocking out five home runs. Planning to major in nursing at SFA, Roberts owned a 1.40 earned run average her junior year and batted an impressive .441 for the season.
"Kaelyn is a great athlete from a great family," head coach Nicole Dickson said. "She has dominated at Spring High School in the circle, and through hard work and a competitive spirit she has developed into one of the top pitchers in the greater Houston area over the last season. She spins the ball, locates well and changes speeds to keep hitters off balance. I am excited to work with her and add her to our pitching staff next year."
A native of Santee, California, Bennett is one of just two early signees from outside of the Lone Star State. An impressive hitter as a catcher at Santana High School, Bennett has batted at a clip of .491 through her first three varsity seasons, recorded 20 home runs and totaled 81 RBI. Bennett hit .500 her junior year, homering nine times, collecting 15 doubles and registering 27 doubles en route to leading Santana to a San Diego Section Division II title. As a sophomore, the catcher batted .526 with nine home runs, 34 RBI, 14 doubles and a triple.
"Bennett is a strong, physical kid offensively and behind the plate," remarked coach Dickson. "She is from California and comes from a supportive family with a baseball background. Mackenzie has a confident and fun personality, and is very knowledgeable about the game. She is not afraid of hard work and is very coachable as well. I expect her to make an immediate impact offensively in our lineup, in addition to being a great teammate."
Tucker, the only other early signee from outside of Texas, is an infielder at North Little Rock High School in North Little Rock, Arkansas. She recorded a batting average of .539 as a sophomore and has hit at a mark of .444 over the last two years. With 61 RBI, 25 doubles, three triples and nine home runs between her sophomore and junior seasons, Tucker has posted an on base percentage of .470 and a slugging percentage of .806. She will be majoring in psychology at SFA.
"Tucker is a big-time offensive addition to our program and has the ability to play multiple positions," commented Dickson. "She is a high-character kid who takes pride in her training and development, and isn't afraid to put in the work. She plays for both a competitive high school and travel program. We are excited to add her to our SFA family."
Hailing from Lockhart, Texas, Hedspeth has had an impressive varsity career that is not done yet. A three-time all-state and all-district performer, Hedspeth was named District 26-5A Defensive Player of the Year this past spring as a junior after hitting .481 for the season, tallying four homers and claiming 30 stolen bases. She also earned a spot on the 2017 Austin American-Statesman All-Central Texas First Team and the 2017 Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A All-State First Team. The infielder led Lockhart High School to a district championship as a sophomore in 2016 and was named Texas Sports Writers Association All-State honorable mention as a shortstop. Hedspeth owns an on base percentage of .709 and a batting average of .585, she has registered seven homers and stolen 106 bases in 111 attempts. She plans to major in social work.
"Alex is that kid who is fun to watch play the game," added coach Dickson. "She is a great athlete who can hit for power and make things happen on the bases with her speed. Hedspeth has a high softball IQ and natural leadership qualities on and off the field. She is humble and is self-motivated to be successful academically and athletically. It's very exciting to have this kid join our SFA family."
Boudreaux, a native of Port Neches, Texas, is a two-time District 22-5A Defensive Player of the Year as a catcher for Port Neches-Groves High School. Named district newcomer of the year as a freshman in 2015, Boudreaux was selected to the Beaumont Enterprise Super Gold Team in both 2015 and 2017, while claiming academic all-district honors the past three years. As a junior at PNG, Boudreaux hit .461 with five home runs, 12 doubles, a triple, 30 RBI and 14 stolen bases for an on base percentage of .551 and a slugging percentage of .786. She will be majoring in business at SFA.
"Boudreaux is one of our 2018 catchers and has the ability, attitude and work ethic to be one of the best defensive catchers I have ever coached," Dickson said. "This kid has a phenomenal skill set receiving and blocking, in addition to a great pop-time. We are losing two senior catchers and expect big things from KB right away behind the plate. She is up for the challenge and is an amazing student-athlete who gives 100% both academically and to her teammates. Kaitlyn is calm and confident and will do a great job working with our pitching staff. I'm very blessed to have her join our SFA family."
A Dallas native, Welborn is an all-district infielder and outfielder at Rockwall High School where she will be a fourth-year varsity letter winner. Tabbed as a District 11-6A First Team selection as both a sophomore and junior, Welborn has posted a fielding percentage of .912, while hitting .350 with 12 home runs. She owns an on base percentage of .481 and a slugging percentage of .662 through three seasons playing at Rockwall. Welborn plans to major in pre-health at the university.
"Wellborn may be our most competitive kid in our 2018 class," contributed coach Dickson. "She is versatile on the field and can play both infield and outfield positions. Darryan comes from a successful high school program with a disciplined and competitive environment. Offensively, she hits for both power and average, and also runs the bases well. I'm excited to see the impact she has on our program and culture with her competitive drive."
Wilbur, a native of Bridge City, Texas, has had an illustrious prep career at Bridge City High School. Earning a spot each of her first three years on the Beaumont Enterprise Super Gold Team, Wilbur was named Super Gold MVP as a sophomore and junior. She was tabbed as District 24-4A Offensive MVP as a freshman in 2015 and has been selected as the district's MVP the past two years. Earning the honor of 2016 Southeast Texas Coaches Association Softball Player of the Year, Wilbur was named Orange Leader Female Athlete of the Year this past spring.
As a junior at Bridge City, Wilbur posted a 23-5 record inside the circle with a 0.66 ERA, tossing 159 innings and striking out 284. At the plate, Wilbur batted .416 with 11 homers and 34 RBI. Kassidy's brother, Conner, is a multi-event track & field student-athlete at SFA. Wilbur will be majoring in criminal justice.
"Wilbur is one of the top pitchers in the state of Texas in the 2018 class," continued Dickson. "She has velocity, movement and command of the zone. Kassidy is an amazing athlete and hits for power offensively. I am looking forward to working with her and watching her grow. She will be a big part of our team culture here at SFA."
The 2018 season for the Ladyjacks will get underway Feb. 9 when SFA competes in Monroe, Louisiana, taking on UT Martin and UT Chattanooga in neutral site games at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. as part of the ULM Tournament.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball.
-SFA-
Roberts, a standout pitcher from Spring, Texas, is entering her fourth year as a letter winner at Spring High School. Earning honorable mention as a freshman, Roberts was tabbed as defensive player of the year and claimed a spot on the Houston Chronicle's All-Greater Houston Pitcher Second Team this past spring. She is a three-time first-team all-district pitcher who has struck out 373 batters over her last three years at Spring, while tallying 45 RBI and knocking out five home runs. Planning to major in nursing at SFA, Roberts owned a 1.40 earned run average her junior year and batted an impressive .441 for the season.
"Kaelyn is a great athlete from a great family," head coach Nicole Dickson said. "She has dominated at Spring High School in the circle, and through hard work and a competitive spirit she has developed into one of the top pitchers in the greater Houston area over the last season. She spins the ball, locates well and changes speeds to keep hitters off balance. I am excited to work with her and add her to our pitching staff next year."
A native of Santee, California, Bennett is one of just two early signees from outside of the Lone Star State. An impressive hitter as a catcher at Santana High School, Bennett has batted at a clip of .491 through her first three varsity seasons, recorded 20 home runs and totaled 81 RBI. Bennett hit .500 her junior year, homering nine times, collecting 15 doubles and registering 27 doubles en route to leading Santana to a San Diego Section Division II title. As a sophomore, the catcher batted .526 with nine home runs, 34 RBI, 14 doubles and a triple.
"Bennett is a strong, physical kid offensively and behind the plate," remarked coach Dickson. "She is from California and comes from a supportive family with a baseball background. Mackenzie has a confident and fun personality, and is very knowledgeable about the game. She is not afraid of hard work and is very coachable as well. I expect her to make an immediate impact offensively in our lineup, in addition to being a great teammate."
Tucker, the only other early signee from outside of Texas, is an infielder at North Little Rock High School in North Little Rock, Arkansas. She recorded a batting average of .539 as a sophomore and has hit at a mark of .444 over the last two years. With 61 RBI, 25 doubles, three triples and nine home runs between her sophomore and junior seasons, Tucker has posted an on base percentage of .470 and a slugging percentage of .806. She will be majoring in psychology at SFA.
"Tucker is a big-time offensive addition to our program and has the ability to play multiple positions," commented Dickson. "She is a high-character kid who takes pride in her training and development, and isn't afraid to put in the work. She plays for both a competitive high school and travel program. We are excited to add her to our SFA family."
Hailing from Lockhart, Texas, Hedspeth has had an impressive varsity career that is not done yet. A three-time all-state and all-district performer, Hedspeth was named District 26-5A Defensive Player of the Year this past spring as a junior after hitting .481 for the season, tallying four homers and claiming 30 stolen bases. She also earned a spot on the 2017 Austin American-Statesman All-Central Texas First Team and the 2017 Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A All-State First Team. The infielder led Lockhart High School to a district championship as a sophomore in 2016 and was named Texas Sports Writers Association All-State honorable mention as a shortstop. Hedspeth owns an on base percentage of .709 and a batting average of .585, she has registered seven homers and stolen 106 bases in 111 attempts. She plans to major in social work.
"Alex is that kid who is fun to watch play the game," added coach Dickson. "She is a great athlete who can hit for power and make things happen on the bases with her speed. Hedspeth has a high softball IQ and natural leadership qualities on and off the field. She is humble and is self-motivated to be successful academically and athletically. It's very exciting to have this kid join our SFA family."
Boudreaux, a native of Port Neches, Texas, is a two-time District 22-5A Defensive Player of the Year as a catcher for Port Neches-Groves High School. Named district newcomer of the year as a freshman in 2015, Boudreaux was selected to the Beaumont Enterprise Super Gold Team in both 2015 and 2017, while claiming academic all-district honors the past three years. As a junior at PNG, Boudreaux hit .461 with five home runs, 12 doubles, a triple, 30 RBI and 14 stolen bases for an on base percentage of .551 and a slugging percentage of .786. She will be majoring in business at SFA.
"Boudreaux is one of our 2018 catchers and has the ability, attitude and work ethic to be one of the best defensive catchers I have ever coached," Dickson said. "This kid has a phenomenal skill set receiving and blocking, in addition to a great pop-time. We are losing two senior catchers and expect big things from KB right away behind the plate. She is up for the challenge and is an amazing student-athlete who gives 100% both academically and to her teammates. Kaitlyn is calm and confident and will do a great job working with our pitching staff. I'm very blessed to have her join our SFA family."
A Dallas native, Welborn is an all-district infielder and outfielder at Rockwall High School where she will be a fourth-year varsity letter winner. Tabbed as a District 11-6A First Team selection as both a sophomore and junior, Welborn has posted a fielding percentage of .912, while hitting .350 with 12 home runs. She owns an on base percentage of .481 and a slugging percentage of .662 through three seasons playing at Rockwall. Welborn plans to major in pre-health at the university.
"Wellborn may be our most competitive kid in our 2018 class," contributed coach Dickson. "She is versatile on the field and can play both infield and outfield positions. Darryan comes from a successful high school program with a disciplined and competitive environment. Offensively, she hits for both power and average, and also runs the bases well. I'm excited to see the impact she has on our program and culture with her competitive drive."
Wilbur, a native of Bridge City, Texas, has had an illustrious prep career at Bridge City High School. Earning a spot each of her first three years on the Beaumont Enterprise Super Gold Team, Wilbur was named Super Gold MVP as a sophomore and junior. She was tabbed as District 24-4A Offensive MVP as a freshman in 2015 and has been selected as the district's MVP the past two years. Earning the honor of 2016 Southeast Texas Coaches Association Softball Player of the Year, Wilbur was named Orange Leader Female Athlete of the Year this past spring.
As a junior at Bridge City, Wilbur posted a 23-5 record inside the circle with a 0.66 ERA, tossing 159 innings and striking out 284. At the plate, Wilbur batted .416 with 11 homers and 34 RBI. Kassidy's brother, Conner, is a multi-event track & field student-athlete at SFA. Wilbur will be majoring in criminal justice.
"Wilbur is one of the top pitchers in the state of Texas in the 2018 class," continued Dickson. "She has velocity, movement and command of the zone. Kassidy is an amazing athlete and hits for power offensively. I am looking forward to working with her and watching her grow. She will be a big part of our team culture here at SFA."
The 2018 season for the Ladyjacks will get underway Feb. 9 when SFA competes in Monroe, Louisiana, taking on UT Martin and UT Chattanooga in neutral site games at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. as part of the ULM Tournament.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball.
-SFA-
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