Southern Illinoise University Athletics
11/11/2026 | 4:31:00 | Softball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team announced a four-player recruiting class on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Â
The Salukis inked pitcher Tegan Breaux, infielder Hunter Hopkins, first baseman/utility player Ashtyn Lynch, and catcher/utility player Lanie Rosner.Â
Breaux, a right-handed pitcher from Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, Calif., led the Jackrabbits to their first Division 3 CIF championship. A First Team All-Conference pick the last two years, Breaux struck out 94 batters in 92 innings last season and finished with a 1.89 ERA. She struck out 37 in 35 1/3 innings with the Firecrackers RTY travel team.Â
"Tegan is the big surprise arm of this class," SIU coach Jen Sewell said. "We went back this fall looking for an additional arm and we found it. Tegan is going to sit 63-65 miles per hour right now with a bowling ball drop and spinny rise. Her work with Arizona national champion Susie Parra has been key to her late development. Tegan has another year to finish crafting herself into a vertical split pitcher and fine-tune her tunneling and changeup. When she does she's going to bother hitters even more than she already does."
Hopkins hit .584 last season at Marquette Academy High School with 68 runs scored, 38 stolen bases, 37 RBIs and four home runs. The Ottawa, Ill., native had a .636 on-base percentage and was named All-Conference, All-State and All-Area.Â
Hopkins helped her travel team, the Beverly Bandits (Moran/Lewis), to the PGF Premier national championship and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Ranked in MaxPrep's top 50 and Line Drive Media's top 100, Hopkins hit .381 and had a .956 fielding percentage in the middle of the infield.Â
"Hunter has dominated her high school and club seasons for years now. Another in-state grab that brings a very dynamic bat and great defense to our lineup," Sewell said. "I want fans to realize they will get to see a national champion and national-level MVP play in a Saluki uniform. Hunter has made the competition at the highest levels of softball look easy, but behind all that, is a worker. She plays a high-energy brand of ball that can get a team and fans fired up."
Hopkins was the captain of her high school volleyball team, where she was an All-Conference libero, and captain of the girls basketball team, where she is a four-year starter.Â
Lynch comes to SIU from Norman, Okla., after helping Moore High School to the state quarterfinals. Lynch was named First Team All-District, First Team All-Region and Large West All-State after slugging .750 with six home runs and 35 RBIs. It was Moore's third straight appearance in the state quarterfinals and their third straight regional title.Â
"Ashtyn has been one of the top power hitters in Oklahoma for a few seasons now. She will have big shoes to fill in our hitting lineup," Sewell said. "Her time with the OK Athletics and a really impressive high school program has prepped her to be ready for at-bats against the tough schedule we play."
Lynch hit .414 with the OK Athletics with a .623 slugging percentage. She helped the team win the Colorado Sparkler Power Pool 18U championship and was named to the 2025 Impact Gold Fall Exposure All-Tournament Team.Â
"She's a professional hitter and fits nicely into our offensive philosophy, where one swing can produce multiple runs," Sewell said. "Ash is a low heart rate hitter - one of those who swings easy but hits rockets."
Lynch is also a three-time state qualifier in the shot put and holds a 3.98 GPA. She plans on majoring in sport administration and minoring in coaching.Â
Sewell was happy to keep Rosner, a Lemont, Ill., native, in-state after an impressive junior year. Rosner batted .482 with an on-base percentage of .538, an OPS of 1.310 and a .772 slugging percentage at Benet Academy. She is a two-time All-Conference pick, a two-time All-State selection, and has been named the MVP of her softball team twice.Â
"She's had an impressive high school career and really went off in her last few summers. Lanie can catch but gives us the versatility to do other things on defense as well," Sewell said. "We have a history of catching greats here at SIU and she's going to be right there with them. Lanie is another bat expected to fill some holes left by graduation. We expect our catchers to play a big role - hit big, control the run game, and make pitchers look good in the zone."
Rosner plans on majoring in political science on a pre-law track.
SIU comes off a 34-17 season last year, in which it went 21-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis finished second in the league, and reached the MVC Tournament semifinals. It was SIU's eighth top-three finish in the conference in the last 10 years.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Softball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiSoftball and on Instagram at @SIU_Softball. Fans can also download the Salukis Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
