Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Softball signs five to NLIs
11/12/2014 | 12:00:00 | Softball
"I think our coaching staff did a great job identifying the needs of the program moving forward and filling those needs," Blaylock said. "We knew with Bertie (Katie Bertelsen) and Lil (Alyssa Wunderlich) graduating, we needed to bring in pitching that could step on the mound immediately. Brianna Jones and Nicole Doyle can definitely do that. We also needed to try and replace Meredith (Wilson), Kalyn (Harker) and Kara (Kimball) in the outfield. We feel that we have also accomplished that. All of these kids played at a very high level in the summer, which is definitely going to prepare them for the Division I level. I love this class's competitive spirit."
Eyrika Brandenburg - Outfield // Mooreland, Okla.
Eyrika Brandenburg was an All-Region and All-State honoree in 2014. She earned Wendy's High School Heisman honors in Oklahoma last year and made the Enid News and Eagle All-Northwest Oklahoma team. Brandenburg holds 17 school records, including season records for hits, total bases, runs, triples, home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, extra base hits, and slugging percentage. Her school career records include total bases, runs, doubles, triples, batting average, on-base percentage, extra base hits and slugging percentage. Brandenburg has hit .550 in her 114 career high school games and has piled up 197 hits, 182 runs, 108 RBIs, and 40 doubles. She struck out only six times in her high school career.
Coach Blaylock on Brandenburg
"Eyrika possesses both speed and power. She hits from the left side and can come at an opponent in many different ways. She has played up at the Gold level for several years, so she is very experienced against older competition."
Nicole Doyle - Pitcher // Aurora, Ohio
Nicole Doyle has a 28-4 record in her first three years of high school and has a sub-1.00 ERA. She has six no-hitters, 13 shutouts and more than 390 strikeouts in the last two years alone. She is a three-time All-Conference honoree and has been team MVP in each of the last two seasons. Playing in club ball for the Ohio Outlaws, Doyle's team finished ninth of 150 teams at the 16-and-under ASA Nationals in 2013. She is also an accomplished hitter, batting .395 with 24 RBIs as a junior and .479 with 20 RBIs as a junior.
Coach Blaylock on Doyle
"Nicole possesses the ability to strike batters out in any situation. She has unbelievable movement and is another great competitor. She also has had success in a competitive summer environment, which will prepare her for Division I softball. We are very lucky to have signed both her and Brianna in the same class."
Brianna Jones - Pitcher // Manchester, Tenn.
Brianna Jones is a three-time District 8AAA Pitcher of the Year and a three-time All-District honoree. She ranked fifth in the nation with 372 strikeouts in 2014 and was an All-Midstate honoree in 2013 and 2014. In three years of high school, Jones has already broken her school record for career strikeouts with 906. Her career record is 57-19 and has a career ERA of 0.75. In club ball with the Tennessee Fury, Jones' team won the 14-and-under ASA National Championship and also the 16-and-under ASA Gold National Championship.
Coach Blaylock on Jones
"Bri won a national championship at both the 14-under and 16-under Gold level. That is a phenomenal accomplishment. She is a great pitcher and a greater competitor. She will make an impact on this program immediately."
Hanna Porter - Outfield // O'Fallon, Mo.
Hanna Porter has earned All-Conference, All-Metro and All-Region honors three times and earned second-team All-State honors in 2012. She was named her high school's Most Valuable Player in 2013 and 2014. In her four-year high school career, Porter racked up 24 home runs and 35 stolen bases while batting .561 and slugging .962. She is also a four-time All-Academic Team honoree and a member of the National Honor Society.
Coach Blaylock on Porter
"Hanna is a strong athletic hitter. She hits with power and average. I could tell in the recruiting process that Hanna wanted to be a Saluki and that meant a ton to the entire coaching staff. She plays the game very hard and it makes her teammates better."
Hanna Stam - Third Base // Farmington, Mo.
Hannah Stam signs with SIU after an illustrious four-year high school career. Stam earned All-State honors in 2014 and is a four-time All-Conference, All-District and Academic All-State honoree. She piled up 142 hits, 143 runs and 92 RBIs in her high school career with a batting average of .469 and on-base percentage of .583. Playing club ball for the St. Louis Gamers, Stam hit .357 and had an on-base percentage of .429 in 18-and-under games, and she was a ASA Metro All-Star team honoree.
Coach Blaylock on Stam
"Hanna played with Hanna Porter in the summer. When we would watch Porter, we would also notice Stam as a stand out player. She plays a great defensive third base as well as the outfield. She was a gutsy hitter that seemed to always get on base. She was a very good pick up for us."
