Dec. 5, 2011
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By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
UCF head softball coach Renee Luers-Gillispie announced the signing of 11 future Knights to National Letters of Intent on Monday. The signing class consists of Taylor Wagner (Lakeland, Fla.), Shelby Turnier (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Mackenzie Huhn (North Palm Beach, Fla.), Jasmine Acavedo (Largo, Fla.), Kalyn Cenal (Tampa, Fla.), Samantha Charles (Houston, Texas), Lauren Dannelley (Sweeny, Texas), Mariah Garcia (Houston, Texas), Brittanne Gasser (Sterling Va.), Lindsey Neyland (Shreveport, La.) and Samantha McCloskey (Detroit, Mich.).
The new student-athletes will join the UCF Softball program prior to the 2012-2013 campaign.
"It's very difficult to lose the amount of seniors we are going to be losing this year, but thankfully the quality of this student-athlete class coming in for 2012 is very strong and it's really going to help our program in the long-term," Luers-Gillispie said. "We've got a great group of seniors who are leaving and these ladies are going to be able to come in and help fill those gaps. Two things we definitely stress when looking for student-athletes are quality versatility and quality academics. We know these new student-athletes have the ability to play multiple positions, which really helps us moving forward. Everyone is versatile enough to play multiple spots until they really settle into the position that works best for them and the team. The other thing we look for is quality academics. We want our incoming players to not only excel on the field, but in the classroom as well. We could not be more excited to be bringing on our newest UCF Knights."
UCF is returning 10 players from last season's squad with seven seniors ready to lead the Knights this season. UCF opens their season Feb. 10, 2012 at the National Training Center Tournament in Clermont, Fla. and opens their home schedule Feb. 24 at the UCF Softball Complex.
Taylor Wagner
OF, Fr., 5-3
Lakeland, Fla. (Bartow Senior HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four-year varsity player under head coach Glenn Rutenbar
-Hit .385 with 24 runs, 17 RBI and a .510 OBP in 78 at bats as a junior
-2011 5A State Runner-Up
-2011 District and Regional champion
-Second Team All- District player as a junior
Personal
-Born Jan. 27, 1993
-Daughter of Dan and Candy Wagner
-Has one brother, Daniel
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Shelby Turnier
P/OF, Fr. 5-5
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Palm Beach Gardens HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four-year varsity player under head coach Randy Jackson
-Rookie of the Year and second team all-county as a freshman
-Player of the Year, first team all-county and all-conference as a sophomore
-Pitcher of the Year and Palm Beach Post Player of the Year as a junior
-First team all-county, all-conference, and all-state as a junior
Personal
-Born May 16, 1994
-Daughter of James and Torre Turnier
-Has a sister, Ashley
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mackenzie Huhn
P/1B, Fr., 5-8
North Palm Beach, Fla. (William T. Dwyer HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four-year varsity player under head coach Joe Bellarocca
-2009 regional 5A finalist
-2010 most improved player and district 5A champion
-Member of the traveling Classic Gold Coast Hurricanes
-2010 National Merit Award winner
Personal
-Born March 16, 1994
-Daughter of Mitchell and Michelle Huhn
-Has a sister, Morgan
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Jasmine Acevedo
OF, Fr., 5-3
Largo, Fla. (Osceola Fundamental HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four year varsity player under head coach Jodi Oberer
-Second team all-district as a freshman and sophomore
-First team all-district as a junior
-Hit .325 with 2 home runs, 18 runs batted in, and 10 walks as a junior
-Multiple time honor roll recipient
Personal
-Born July 29, 1994
-Daughter of Bernardo and Julissa Acevedo
-Has a brother, Jeremy, and a sister, Priscilla
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Kalyn Cenal
SS/C, Fr., 5-8
Tampa, Fla. (Thomas Jefferson Senior HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four-year varsity player under head coach Eve Suarez
-2010 JHS Best Offensive Player
-2010 all-conference second-team
-2011 Western Conference first-team All-American and team MVP
-Hit .585 with a .646 OBP while earning player of the week distinction three times
Personal
-Born Feb. 22, 1994
-Daughter of Todd and Melissa Cenal
-Has a sister, Reyna
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Samantha Charles
2B, Fr., 5-4
Houston, Texas (Mirabeau Lamar HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four-year varsity player under head coach Melvin Jenkins
-Hit .557 and led her team in hits, triples and runs scored
-First team all-district and 5A all-state team in 2011
-Named team defensive MVP and team leader in 2011
-National Honor Society
Personal -Born April 6, 1994
-Daughter of Steven and Aurora Charles
-Has two brothers, Steven and Matthew, and one sister, Jennifer
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Lauren Dannelley
P, Fr., 5-10
Sweeny, Texas (Sweeny HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four-year varsity player under head coach Sam Chalmers
-Second team all-district and regional quarterfinalist as sophomore
-First team all-district pitcher and academic award winner
-Second team all-state pitcher
-National Honor Society member
Personal
-Born May 30, 1994
-Daughter of Dennis Dannelley and Shari Morris-Barnett
-Has one brother, Gage
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mariah Garcia
OF, Fr., 5-6
Houston, Texas (Macarthur Senior HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four year varsity player under head coach James Grotenhuis
-District newcomer of the year as a freshman
-First team all-district player last three seasons
-District MVP as a junior
-Member of the undefeated district championship team as a junior
Personal
-Born Feb. 4, 1994
-Daughter of Chris and Elaine Rueda
-Has a brother, Brandon, and a sister, Alyssa
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Brittanne Gasser
1B, Fr., 5-8
Sterling, Va. (Dominion HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four-year varsity player under head coach Anne Gasser
-Broke school record for most hits in a season as a freshman
-Athlete of the Month in May 2011
-Led district with most home runs and was named to first team all-district
-Team captain with a .469 average and no errors defensively
Personal
-Born June 2, 1994
-Daughter of Donald and Anne Gasser
-Has a brother, Donnie, and a sister, Virginia
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Lindsay Neyland
SS, Fr., 5-5
Shreveport, La. (Evangel Christian Academy)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four-year varsity player under head coach Sher Mueller
-All-district first team as a freshman
-Class 2A All-state first team as a sophomore
-2011 District MVP as a shortstop
-Hit .444 with 44 runs scored, 25 stolen bases and a .568 on base percentage in 124 at bats as a junior
Personal -Born Dec. 29, 1993
-Daughter of Chuck Neyland
-Has a brother, Trey
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Samantha McCloskey
Utility, Fr., 5-10
Detroit, Mich. (Palm Harbor University HS)
Athletic Accomplishments
-Four year varsity player under head coach Chuck Poetter
-Voted as team's most outstanding hitter as a freshman
-Led Pinellas County with a .485 BA as a freshman
-Voted team MVP as a sophomore
-Hit .614 with 3 home runs and 36 runs batted in and a county best .864 on base percentage
Personal
-Born July 11, 1994
-Daughter of Gordon and Suzette McCloskey