SIU Softball Welcomes Five Signees
03/14/2001 | 12:00:00 | Softball
November 8, 2000
Local pitching standout Amy Harre was one of five recruits inked to national letters of intent Wednesday as the Southern Illinois University Carbondale softball team announced the signing of its 2001 class.
Joining Harre to round out the group of newcomers appearing to be one of the best ever in SIU history, were Maria Damico (OF, Pacific, Mo.), Katie Jordan (C/INF, Fenton, Mo.), Jami Weddle (1B, Garden Grove, Calif.), and Kelly Creek (INF, Belleville, Ill.).
Harre, a three-time first-team all-SIRR Conference pick from Nashville High School, compiled a 22-4 record with a stunning 0.12 ERA as a junior. She threw two perfect games and five no-hitters while striking out 281 batters in 170 innings pitched. As a sophomore, Harre was 10-3 with an earned run average of 0.79 as the Hornettes made their first ever trip to the Class A State Tournament where they finished fourth. She was also named all-South, Belleville News Class A all-Area first-team, and Most Valuable Player on three occasions throughout her prep career. In addition, she garnered both second-team Illinois Coaches Association and Chicago Tribune special mention all-State honors as well.
"We are so pleased to get a pitcher the caliber of Amy to add to our program," said head coach Kerri Blaylock. "She is one of the best pitchers to come out of southern Illinois and we are pleased she chose to stay and play at home. I'm so anxious to work with her."
Along with Harre, SIU welcomes the addition of St. Louis, Mo., standouts Jordan and Damico. Jordan capped off a stellar prep career at Rockwood Summit High School (Fenton, Mo.) where she was a four-time first-team all-State, all-Metro, all-District, and all-Conference selection behind the plate. Leading the conference in hitting with a .473 average as a senior, Jordan also became the only catcher in the school's history to garner all-Conference laurels and be inducted to her high school's Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Damico garnered all-Conference, all-District, all-State, and all-Metro accolades in each of her four years as an outfielder at Pacific High School. Batting .522, Damico belted two home runs, seven doubles, and eight triples while knocking in 17 runs and scoring 24 others to cap off an impressive senior outing.
"Katie and Maria were both highly recruited and we are fortunate to have both of them joining us next year," added Blaylock. "Maria is such a complete player who tracks the ball great in the outfield, hits with power, and has speed to go along with a great arm. We look for her to take over for Marta (Viefhaus) next year. Katie, on the other hand, has great defensive skills behind the plate and a strong arm as well. She is also another hitter that will help us immediately. The St. Louis area has been good to us and we feel we got two of the best out of that area this year."
Rounding out the 2001 class are infielders Weddle and Creek. Weddle joins the Dawgs all the way from Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove, Calif., where she was Orange County's home run leader (7). Along with her reign as the county's leading longball threat, Weddle also listed second countywide in both batting average (.541) and runs batted in (42). A first-team all-League, all-County, and all-CIF pick, Weddle led her team to its first Garden Grove League Championship in 25 years.
"Jami could be one of the most powerful hitters that has played at SIU," commented Blaylock. "She is a complete hitter being able to hit for power and also spray the ball to all fields. She will make an immediate impact."
Last but not least, Creek comes to Saluki Country from Belleville East High School where she was named first-team all-Area News Democrat and Belleville Journal and first-team all-Southwest Conference. Most recently, Creek was honored by the NFCA as she was named both first-team all-Midwest Regional and Honorable Mention All-American. In addition, she was named Chicago Tribune Honorable Mention.
"Kelly is a very versatile athlete and could play every position on the infield," concluded Blaylock. "She comes from a great high school program and is very knowledgeable about the game."
Interestingly enough, between the five 2001 recruits, SIU was chosen over a combined dozen top Division I schools in the country which included Arizona State, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, Northwestern, Kentucky, Iowa State, and Notre Dame to name some.