Softball Rounds Out Recruiting Class with Pair of Junior College Standouts
July 2, 2012ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson University head coach Tommy Hewitt has announced that junior college standouts Lauren Bell and Samantha Young have signed national letters of intent to play softball for the Trojans.
“I am really excited about adding these two players to our program.” said Hewitt.
Bell, a 5-foot-6 right-handed pitcher, went 17-8 as a sophomore for Georgia Perimeter College last season. She recorded a 1.97 ERA and struck out 106 batters, while walking just 49 batters in 156 innings of work. Offensively, Bell hit .317 while ripping four doubles and drove in 14 runs, while earning second-team all-region honors.
The Woodstock, Ga., native finished 9-5 with a 2.11 ERA as the Jaguars' No. 2 starter as a freshman in 2011. She tossed 93 innings and surrendered 67 hits while striking out 80 batters and issued just 36 walks. At the plate, Bell ranked third on the team with 23 RBI, while batting .431 and recorded a pair of home runs. During her senior season at Sequoyah High School she posted a stellar 20-5 record with a 0.12 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 144 innings. Bell earned GHSA Class AAAA All-Region 7 accolades following her senior campaign with the Chiefs.
“Lauren is going to be a great addition to our pitching staff,” added Hewitt. “She is a strong pitcher with tremendous upside and her work ethic is amazingly strong. She will bring a lot of positive energy to our program and will be the type of player everyone will gravitate around.”
Young is a 5-foot-8 third baseman/outfielder out of Gordon College who started every game the last two seasons for the Highlanders, while batting .348 as a sophomore last season. Batting from the left side of the plate, Young ranked third on the squad with 33 RBI and recorded four home runs. She recorded three homers in the NJCAA Region 17 Tournament versus Darton College and was named to the all-tournament team, while also earning second-team all-region accolades. Young helped lead Gordon to the Region 17 title, as the Highlanders advanced to the NJCAA World Series as the 14th seed in St. George, Utah.
She was a perfect in stolen bases last season, swiping 12 bases, while going 20-of-21 in that department during her two seasons at Gordon.
Young posted a .319 batting average as a freshman for the Highlanders, while ripping 12 doubles, recording 33 RBI and scoring 25 runs. She was a two-year letterwinner for Tonya Carlisle’s Cherokee High School (Canton, Ga.) Warriors, where she helped lead the team to third place in the GHSA Class A state tournament as a junior. During her final two prep seasons, Young batted .308 and drove in 45 runs.
“Samantha is a very good all-around player,” noted Hewitt. “She played third base for Gordon but I expect her to play outfield for us and have an immediate impact on our outfield play. She will be a huge offensive threat, has lots of power and I fully expect her to be one of our leading hitters.”
Bell and Young join incoming freshmen Molly Child and Bailey Smith, who signed letters of intent during the early signing period.
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