Bria Kennedy
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State head softball coach Margie Wright unveiled the program's 2012 signing class on Friday after receiving National Letters of Intent from six highly acclaimed student-athletes.
Wright praised the versatility of the class, as she signed three pitchers that can all play in the infield, a pair of outfielders and a catcher/infielder. "This year's group of signees is multi-faceted," Wright said. "Having players being able to play anywhere in the infield or outfield yields a tremendous amount of versatility and extra opportunities to succeed. "All of our signees have had extensive travel ball experience and have competed on and against top club teams. All six can make an immediate impact. This is a great young group coming in and I'm excited to have them as Bulldogs." Included among the pitchers are Jillian Compton (Oceano, Calif.) out of Arroyo Grande High School, Hannah Harris (Santa Barbara, Calif.) from Dos Pueblos High School and Taylor Langdon (Glendora, Calif.) from Glendora High School. "We have three pitchers coming in and each one can strike someone out whether they do it with power or with movement, finesse or location," Wright said. Catcher/infielder Paige Gumz (Chino, Calif.) comes in highly acclaimed at the plate, as she batted .392 in the box during her junior season when she led Chino Hills High School to a 25-6 record and the Sierra Conference championship. "We have a catcher coming in who is solid behind the plate with a very strong arm and power at the plate as well," she said. In the outfield, Bria Kennedy (Hanford, Cailf.) out of Hanford West High School and Whitney Smith(Loomis, Calif.) out of Del Oro High School bring in speed and Smith is a player that can also play in the infield as well. "Our outfield will have a speedy addition in Kennedy, a local product out of Hanford West who is crafty with the short game, but also can hit for power as well as cover a lot of ground," Wright said. "Smith is our final addition and is an all-around utility player who is not only a very solid athlete that can play infield or outfield, but also has a strong arm, runs well and hits for power and average." |