Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU Softball Inks Three
11/14/2001 | 12:00:00 | Softball
Nov. 14, 2001
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois University head softball coach Kerri Blaylock announced today that three recruits have signed national letters of intent to become Salukis in the fall of 2002. All three of which, are from the St. Louis, Mo., area.
"Our main objective as a coaching staff this season was to recruit speed, athleticism and versatility to go along with last year's class," said Blaylock. We feel that we are bringing in three great talents again and hopefully they will help bring us another step closer to winning a conference championship."
Leading off the 2002-03 class is Katie Louis (SS/OF) who joins the Salukis from O'Fallon, Ill. As a prep at O'Fallon High School, she capped off her senior season batting .414 with 35 RBI, while posting a .979 fielding percentage. In addition, she was named the team's MVP in 2001 and was both a two-time all-conference and all-area pick.
"Katie has great, true athletic ability," Blaylock said. "She is big, strong and fast, and can basically play any position on the field. She will make an immediate impact."
Joining Louis is Lauren Roney (C/OF) who comes to SIU after an impressive career at Belleville West High School. A native of Belleville, Ill., Roney garnered first-team all-conference and all-area honors in both 2000 and 2001. As captain of the team, she batted .354 with five doubles, eight triples, 37 runs scored and one home run. She also stole a perfect 10-of-10 bases.
"Lauren is also a versatile athlete," added Blaylock. "She can catch and play middle infield or outfield. Her speed will be of great help immediately. She is a hard-nosed player that goes all out on every play and her hustle will be a great addition."
Lastly, Samantha Carter (SS/OF) joins the Maroon and White from St. Louis, Mo., where she was a three-time all-conference pick at Hazelwood East High School. Also a two-time all-district selection, Carter batted .416 with five triples, three home runs and two doubles her senior season. Additionally, she registered a .721 slugging percentage.
"Samantha has a great combination of explosive speed and power," concluded Blaylock. "She is a tremendous athlete and we were lucky to get her. She plays an extremely competitive select schedule which will help her to jump into the college level more easily."
