Nov. 14, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF head softball coach Renee Luers-Gillispie announced Friday that Marissa Menendez (Tampa, Fla.), Shelby Renfer (Dallas, Ga.) and Samantha Soltis (Plantation, Fla.) have all signed National Letters of Intent to join the Knights for the 2009-10 season.
"We are very excited about these three young ladies signing with us," Luers-Gillispie said. "All three players are quality student-athletes that work extremely hard both on and off of the playing field. They have seen the campus and met with the team and have decided that they all want to be a part of the UCF softball program and the UCF family."
Marissa Menendez - 2B/OF
A second baseman for Chamberlain High School, Menendez helped lead her team to the FHSAA Softball State Final Four in both 2006 and 2007 and was named All-State in each season, while also garnering Rookie of the Year honors in 2006. As a junior, Menendez was honored as Chamberlain's Offensive Player of the Year, while also earning spots on the All-Conference and All-County squads for the third-consecutive season. Heading into her senior year on the diamond, Menendez is hitting .407 with 24 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 60 RBI and 86 runs scored in her career. The Tampa, Fla., native currently plays travel ball for Team Florida 18U Gold.
Off of the field, Menendez excels in the classroom. She has held the title of the Chamberlain Advanced Placement Scholar (CAPS) since 2006 and, in 2007 was inducted into the National Honor Society and was honored with the Chiefie Award for high-outstanding scholastic achievement. In 2008, she was inducted into both the Beta and Latin National Honors Societies and received an academic letter. Menendez also donates her time for local community service projects, recently volunteering at University Hospital Carrollwood Tampa PACU.
"Marissa is going to bring a lot of speed to our program and is going to be a tough out on the bases," Luers-Gillispie said. "She comes in with an immense amount of experience at second base at Chamberlain, but her versatility and athleticism will allow us to play her at different positions if we need to. She really has excelled in the classroom as well. She has established herself as a quality student-athlete with her community service and her academics, as well as being in one of the toughest programs in ASA."
Shelby Renfer - C/1B
Renfer was named an adidas "Top-100 Recruit" in 2007 as the catcher at East Paulding High School where she helped lead her team to a fourth-place finish at the Georgia State AAAA Tournament and to a second-place finish at the Region 7AAAA in 2005. Renfer has been named to the All-Region 7AAAA and 5AAAAA squads three-consecutive seasons and paced her team in batting average, on-base percentage, walks, doubles, triples and RBI as a junior, contributing to her .400 career batting average. The Dallas, Ga., native currently plays travel ball for the Atlanta Vipers-Vallery Gold. While with the Vipers, Renfer has qualified for the ASA Nationals six-straight years, taking home runner-up honors in 2004 and finishing in ninth place this past summer. Her team also claimed the Georgia ASA State Championship crown in both 2006 and 2007.
Off of the field, Renfer holds a 4.0 grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society, while also earning the Stephanie Phillips Commitment to Excellence award in 2007 for her leadership, spirit and inspiration. Renfer has donated her time to the Special Olympics as a volunteer coach for the past three years.
"When we first saw Shelby she had the athletic ability, the strength and the arm; the whole package that we were looking for," Luers-Gillispie said. "She is a solid long-ball hitter and has an excellent arm behind the plate. She likes to call her own games and has the ability to that. We needed to find someone that could really stroke the ball and she is definitely one of those players."
Samantha Soltis - C/3B
A catcher at American Heritage High School, Soltis helped lead her team to the 3A Florida High School State Softball Championship title in 2004, 2005 and 2008, while also being named to the All-Broward County First Team for the fourth-consecutive year following her junior season. As the captain of her squad in 2008, Soltis was honored with the American Heritage Coaches Award and garnered the title of American Heritage's Best Female Athlete as voted on by her peers. Soltis was also named her school's Iron Man of the Year in 2005 and her team's Offensive Player of the Year in 2007. Soltis currently plays travel ball with the Miami Stingrays. Prior to joining the Stingrays, Soltis was a member of the Gold Coast Hurricanes Gold, where her team placed third at the ASA Gold Nationals in 2007 and seventh in 2005.
The senior holds a 3.31 grade-point average and has volunteered with a non-profit athletic organization which helps athletes obtain college scholarships for the last six years.
"Samantha is one of those tough, tough players," Luers-Gillispie said. "She works hard everyday to get better at her position. She is a consistent singles hitter that you can count on to get something done at the plate. She is quality when it comes to leadership as well. I think she will be one of the more vocal and direct players when she wants to get something done on the field."
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
-UCF-