ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop head softball coach Mark Cooke announced the addition of five players for the 2011 season, Friday afternoon.
Cooke is adding freshmen Sara Allen, Lauren Beaver, Natalie Becker, McKenzi Corn and Courtney Gaddy.
The Lady Eagles are coming off a 28-29 season and the program’s 11th appearance all-time in the Big South Conference Championship game. Cooke is looking to replace a pitching staff that featured two of the most dominant pitchers in school and Big South history. All-Big South selection Pearl Coleshill along with Big South All-Tournament Team selections Lenny Stoddart and Ashlee Revell will also have to be replaced.
Allen is a pitcher out of North Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, NC and played travel ball for the Magic 18-under team out of Charlotte. This past season she was 8-2 with an earned run average of 0.82 with 126 strikeouts in 82 innings for North Mecklenburg. Cooke first noticed Sara when she was playing in a tournament in Rock Hill and was impressed with her mound presence as well as her power. She can also hit and play a corner.
Beaver, from North Davidson High School in Lexington, NC, is a power hitter that played first base and caught for her high school team. Cooke said he first saw her in summer ball when her club team the Magic (Charlotte, NC) played in a tournament in Rock Hill. Beaver is expected to compete for a spot at either corner and spend some time behind the plate.
Becker is a left-handed pitcher out of Waterloo, Ontario where she played summer ball with the Brantford Bobcats. She has competed in two Canadian Championships as well as four Ontario Softball Championships. In 2007 she was named the Canadian Bantam All-Star Pitcher and in 2008 was named the Canadian Bantam Championship MVP as well as earning the Top Pitcher Award. Cooke noticed Becker at the NSA Nationals in Rock Hill in 2009 and watched her lead her team to a second place finish.
Corn is out of Mauldin, SC where she was a four-year starter in center field. She was a lead-off hitter and was named the MVP of the Queen of Diamonds Game in 2007 and 2008. Corn was named All-State in 2009 by the High School Sports Report. As a junior she was named All-Region and earned the Best Defense Player award for her high school team. Cooke has been following Corn’s career for years and is anxious to become a Lady Eagle.
Gaddy is a middle infielder from Roanoke, VA where she played high school for Cave Springs. Cooke describes her as having a very good hand and a strong throw. The coaching staff first noticed her playing with her U-18 team as a junior. They were able to see her play in the Queen of Diamonds Tournament in Rock Hill. Cooke added that Gaddy is primarily a second baseman and uses her ability to make difficult plays seem easy.