Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Softball Signs Five Athletes On National Signing Day
11/12/2003 | 12:00:00 | Softball
Nov. 12, 2003
By Lou Antoine
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University head softball coach Kerri Blaylock announced her fifth recruiting class on Wednesday, receiving national letters of intent from high school athletes Tiffanie Dismore, Lauren Haas, Chelsea Petty, Krystal Stein and Becky Wegmann on National Signing Day, the first day of the early signing period from November 12-19. Blaylock's 2004 recruiting class includes three all-state and two all-conference athletes and is expected to build on SIU's success.
"This is a great recruiting class. Our theme was speed and power," said Blaylock. "All five athletes have played on tremendous summer league teams, which has prepared them for Division I softball. They were all highly recruited and we feel fortunate that they chose Southern Illinois."
Three of Blaylock's five recruits live within two hours of the SIU campus in Petty (Pinckneyville, Ill.), Stein (Nashville, Ill.) and Wegmann (St. Louis, Mo.), while Dismore (Lafayette, Ind.) is just one state away and Haas (Bremerton, Wash.) is from the Northwest.
"We want to continue to keep the best players in the Southern Illinois area at SIU, as well as keep up our connection with the St. Louis metro area and their top athletes as well," Blaylock stated. "Because recruiting has gotten more competitive, we also chose to branch out a bit and try to develop ties elsewhere."
Dismore, a senior outfielder at McCutcheon High School, was named team MVP as a sophomore, all-area and all-district as a sophomore and junior and all-conference as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Her summer team finished fifth at the ASA 16 and Under National Tournament. As a junior, Dismore hit .448 with four doubles, three triples, 14 RBI, 19 stolen bases, a .625 batting average with runners on base, .515 on base percentage and 18 runs without one error in the field.
"Tiffanie has tremendous speed and covers a ton of ground in the outfield. She is a gamer and gets on base. She caught my eye this summer and I knew we needed a player like her," Blaylock added.
Haas, a senior infielder at Olympic High School, was nominated for the national Wendy's High School Heisman award after hitting .456 as a junior. She also hit .387 with 53 RBI and 21 stolen bases for her team last summer. Haas was first team all-league and her high school MVP as a junior. As a sophomore, she was all-league co-MVP and the Offensive MVP of her team.
"Lauren has great skills in the infield and is very quick. She will be an immediate offensive threat. We noticed her ata tournament in Colorado and feel fortunate she chose SIU," said Blaylock.
Petty, a senior infielder/outfielder at Pinckneyville High School, was named second team all-state as a junior, first team all-conference as a sophomore and junior and to the IHSA First Team State All-Tournament Team as a sophomore. Last summer Petty was a member of the ASA 16 and Under team that finished second at the ASA National Tournament, hitting .379 with 38 RBI, 18 extra base hits and 19 stolen bases. As a junior, she hit .396 with 30 RBI, 16 extra base hits and 26 stolen bases at Pinckneyville High.
"We are so glad to keep a player of Chelsea's caliber close to home. She hits the ball with power and has good speed. Chelsea had a fantastic summer and will be ready for Division I softball," added Blaylock.
Stein, a senior outfielder at Nashville High School, was named first team all-state as a sophomore and junior and earned all-South and all-conference honors as a freshman, sophomore and junior. She was named team MVP as a sophomore and played for the Southern Force, a summer team that beat the Canadian Junior National Team to win the Canada Cup, a tournament for the best 18 and Under teams in Canada and the United States. Stein hit .500 with 12 RBI, six extra base hits and 38 stolen bases as a junior and follows former Nashville High graduates Amy Harre (P) and Jenny Doehring (SS) to SIU.
"Krystal had a great summer playing against outstanding competition and gained great experience by winning the Canada Cup. She is very quick and will be an asset in the outfield. Krystal also does a great job in the classroom," Blaylock stated.
Wegmann, a senior shortstop at Oakville High School, was named first team all-state as a junior and senior and earned first team all-conference, all-district and all-region as a sophomore, junior and senior. Wegmann was named team MVP, Co-conference Player-of-the-Year and to the St. Louis Post Dispatch All-Metro Team as a junior. She also played with fellow signee Petty, on the ASA 16 and Under team that finished second at the ASA 16 and Under National Tournament. Wegmann hit .411 as a senior with 21 RBI, 17 extra base hits and 15 stolen bases.
"Becky has been brought in to replace Jenny Doehring (2nd Team All-MVC) at shortstop and she understands how special that responsibility is. She is quick on the infield and a leader in the middle infield and that is a key. Becky teamed with Chelsea to finish second in the nation in the ASA 16 and Under National tournament and will be well prepared to play at SIU," said Blaylock.
The Salukis are coming off a record-setting season, finishing 39-14 with an NCAA Tournament Regional final appearance and as one of the final 16 teams left in the NCAA Tournament. The 2003 Salukis won SIU's first three NCAA Tournament games and earned SIU and the MVC's first NCAA Tournament at-large bid. In addition, SIU finished the season with its first Top 25 national ranking, ranking #22 (NFCA) and #23 (ESPN.com/USA Softball) respectively in the nation in the final Top 25 polls.
SIU will open the 2004 spring season at the Triple Crown Invitational on Feb. 6-8 in St. Augustine, Fla., a tournament SIU won with a 4-0 record in 2003. The Salukis return 12 athletes, including all ten starters, from the 2003 Sweet Sixteen team.
