WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNC Wilmington softball head coach Melissa Jarrell has announced the
signing of five prep softball standouts to National Letters of Intent (NLI) for
the 2008-09 academic year. Current high school seniors Amanda Davenport
(Raleigh, N.C./West Johnston), Kelsey Eddinger (Raleigh, N.C./West Johnston),
Katelyn Houmard (Greenville, N.C./J.H. Rose), Jennifer Ladd (Durham,
N.C./Riverside), and Stacey Pinno (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford) will join the
Seahawks on campus in the fall of 2008.
"Amanda, Kelsey, Katelyn, Jennifer and
Stacey are all impact players that will come in and make an immediate
difference in our program," Jarrell said. "This is a group that will
bring a lot of versatility to our team and make significant contributions both offensively
and to our pitching staff."
Davenport, a right-handed pitcher, is a three-year
starter at West Johnston, where she has
compiled a 43-8 record in circle with a 0.81 earned run average and eight
no-hitters. The 2007 Greater
Neuse River Conference Player-of-the-Year, Davenport has led the Wildcats to
back-to-back Greater Neuse River
Conference Championships.
Houmard, meanwhile, is a teammate of Davenport’s on the Carolina Flames club team out of Durham. They will be the
fourth and fifth players from the Flames on the Seahawks 2009 roster, joining current Seahawk sophomores Morgan Walters, Michelle Harrison
and Rachel Sawyer.
"We are very excited about adding two
more Flames to our roster,” Jarrell said. “Amanda will give us much some needed
depth on our pitching staff. In the outfield, Katelyn will help fill the void
left by the graduation of two seniors."
A teammate of Davenport’s
at West Johnston, Eddinger is a three-year
letter-winner for the Wildcats and coach Wayne Collins. The three-time All-Greater
Neuse River Conference honoree is also
a three-time all-academic team recipient.
Ladd, a teammate of Ladd’s on the Cape Fear
Storm travel softball team is expected to provide power to the Seahawks' lineup.
"Jennifer will compliment our pitching
staff in that she throws hard and has good command of her pitches,” Jarrell
said. “She also has the ability to be an offensive threat at the plate."
Pinno is a three-time all-league honoree and
two-time team MVP at Oxford.
Pinno, who played her summer ball with the Maryland Legends, will rejoin former
Legends teammates and incoming UNCW freshman Allison Lanouette on the 2008-2009
Seahawk squad.
"We are very excited about Stacey’s
abilities behind the plate as well as the plate as a hitter," Jarrell said.
“She will be a valuable addition to our lineup.”
The Seahawks open the 2008 season Feb. 13
when it hosts UNC Chapel Hill in a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader at Boseman Field.
Courtesy: UNCWSports.com
