Softball signs four athletes to National Letters of Intent
11/14/2007 | 12:00:00 | Softball
Nov. 14, 2007
By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois head softball coach Kerri Blaylock announced Wednesday the signing of four athletes to National Letters of Intent. Mallory Duran (Windsor, Colo.), Haley Gorman (Arcadia, Calif.), Alicia Junker (Saugus, Calif.) and Courtney Kennedy (St. Louis, Mo.) will make up the freshman class of 2009.
"The staff and I realized the talent that we were going to lose and worked very hard to get these four quality recruits," said Blaylock. "We focused on great athletes and all of them have great speed."
The four signees include two infielders, an outfielder and a utility player, and feature athletes from California, Colorado and Missouri.
"This class was highly recruited and we battled with Michigan, Washington, NC State and others to get these kids. They have all played at the highest level of summer ball to prepare them for Division-I, and it's a credit to the kids that they believe in what we have to offer at SIU."
Duran, an outfielder and native of Windsor, Colo., had a very successful 2007 season for Windsor High School. She recorded a .698 batting average, with seven home runs, 30 runs batted, and did not strikeout once. She is a two-time All-Colorado Player of the Year, named All-Weld Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007 and was selected as the 2006 Gatorade Player of the Year for Colorado.
"We're so fortunate that Mal has decided to continue her career at SIU," said Blaylock. "She is a big time player that can run, hit for power, hit for average, has a great arm, and also does a tremendous job in the classroom."
Gorman, a shortstop, is one of two athletes from California, hailing from Arcadia in suburban Los Angeles. Gorman was named first-team all-league during her sophomore and junior years and defensive player of the year as a junior at St. Lucy High School. She played on the nationally known Southern Cal Pride Amateur Softball Association of American team, and went 19-for-21 at the plate with no errors in 11 games at the Under-16 Nationals in Seattle.
"Haley is a tremendous shortstop," said Blaylock. "She has great range and a great arm. She's also is triple threat offensively that can slap, drag and hit, and fly on the base paths. She was highly recruited and we are extremely happy for her to be at SIU."
Junker, a utility player, also from Southern California, played at Saugus High School in Saugus, Calif. She competed in one of the toughest high school leagues in Southern California and recorded a .414 batting average as a sophomore, and also hit .400 and was teammates with Gorman on the Southern Cal Pride summer league team.
"The more I watched Alicia this summer the more I knew that I wanted her to be a part of our program," said Blaylock. "She can play any infield position and can play the outfield. She quietly goes about her business, is consistent at the plate, and has a great softball demeanor."
The final athlete, Kennedy, is an infielder and native of St. Louis, Mo. During the 2007 season she hit .455, had a .589 slugging percentage, and posted a .935 fielding percentage while being named first-team All-State. She is also a three-time all-conference award winner and led Oakville High School to a second place finish in the Missouri State Tournament.
"Courtney is a great defensive infielder," said Blaylock. "She can play anywhere on the infield and with her strong arm and speed could go into the outfield. She's played very competitive high school and summer ball, which should prepare her for Division-I."
The Southern Illinois University softball team is coming off of a 41-16 season in which the Salukis advanced to their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament. SIU is one of only 22 teams in the nation that currently have five or more consecutive NCAA appearances. SIU also spent 13 weeks during the 2007 season ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
The Salukis are set to kick off the 2007 season on Feb. 8 against the University of North Carolina-Greensboro at the Jacksonville University Invitational Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla.