Dec. 1, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Head coach Robin Petrini is proud to announce the first wave of athletes to sign National Letters of Intent to play softball for Penn State. Cassidy Bell, Shannon Hutchinson, Kailyn Johnson, Alyssa Renwick and Lauren Yao will join the Nittany Lions as freshmen next fall.
Hailing from Bakersfield, Calif., Bell will join the lineup as an outfielder. During her time at Liberty High School, she has been named to the CalHi Sports All-State First Team, a First Team All-Area selection and the Southeast Yosemite League First Team. A multi-sport athlete, Bell is also the team captain of the cross country team. With the Orange County Batbusters she collected a third place finish at the ASA 16U Nationals.
Petrini's Praise:
"Cassidy is a triple threat athlete with speed, power, and finesse. We are very excited to see her step right in and be an immediate impact player in our outfield. She comes to us with a resume of experience that will serve her well in the Big Ten Conference. Cassidy has the potential to be a force to reckon with in so many ways throughout her career."
Hutchinson has piloted Washington Township High School (Sewell, N.J.) to two Olympic Conference championships in three years. The outfielder leads the team in at-bats, hits, total bases, on-base percentage and runs scored. As a four year varsity starter she has been named the team captain for the 2009 campaign. She has also earned first team nods for the All-Olympic Conference and All-Gloucester County. An excellent student, Hutchinson is in the top 10% of her class.
Petrini's Praise:
"When we saw Shannon play the first time, I thought right away, she is a Penn State kind of player. Her aggressiveness on the bases and tenacity at the plate is exactly what we are looking for in those that wear the blue and white uniform. I expect her to push us constantly to make good decisions on defense and will raise our offensive game with her speed."
Another Calif. native, Johnson will bring hitting power to the lineup. She has amassed a .370 batting average overall and a .516 average in Sunset League play. She is a two-time All-Sunset League selection and helped lead Esperanza High to the league championship in 2008. Additionally, she was a Division I Second Team selection en route to the teams' quarterfinal berth in the state playoffs.
Petrini's Praise:
"We are very excited about the power that Kailyn will bring to our lineup. She has such a natural swing and the ball seems to simply jump off her bat. She is very versatile defensively which will be a huge asset for us next year. Kailyn will join former summer teammate Danee Collett on our roster."
Renwick has demonstrated her versatility as an outfield and infield player. Through her time at Clinton High School (Laurens, S.C.) she has collected multiple accolades including Region III 3-A Player of the Year and a South Carolina All-State Team selection. The multi-sport athlete has also earned Region III 3-A honors for basketball. An excellent student, Renwick has been named a South Carolina Junior Scholar and was recognized for the Duke University Scholar Talent Identification Program.
Petrini's Praise:
"Alyssa is going to be a great addition to our roster. She comes to us in a long line of successful summer camp participants. As soon as we had her on our campus and got a chance to work with her, we knew she was going to be a great fit for Penn State. Her athleticism is off the charts. I am very anxious to see her versatility throughout her career."
Yao wraps up the early signees as one of the most dangerous players in southern California. While at Cantwell Sacred Heart School (Los Angeles, Calif.) she has been named to the All-CIF Second Team in 2007 and the CIF Player of the Year in 2006. She has also earned a scholar-athlete award for the highest GPA.
Petrini's Praise:
"Lauren is a very bright and articulate young lady that is going to be very successful in our program. I have seen her make some plays in the middle infield that I had to blink twice to make sure I saw correctly. She has very soft hands and has the potential to drive the gap for power. We are excited to see her join the Penn State family!"
The Nittany Lions will lead-off their 2009 campaign Friday, Feb. 6 through Sunday, Feb. 8 at the Kajikiwa Classic in Phoenix, Ariz.
