CHARLESTON, Ill. – “I believe we have a solid and very competitive class,” said head coach Kim Schuette prior to announcing the signing of her 2010-11 Eastern Illinois softball recruiting class on Tuesday (Dec. 1).

The five incoming prep players, including three in-state products as well as standouts from Indiana and Nevada, each signed National Letters of Intent to join the EIU squad beginning next fall.

The five future Panthers are Morgan Biel (Orland Park, Ill. / Carl Sandburg HS), Angelica “Jelly” Brannick (Brownsburg, Ind. / Cardinal Ritter HS), Stephanie Maday (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove HS), Ashleigh Westover (Reno, Nev. / Damonte Ranch HS), and Carly Willert (Bloomingdale, Ill. / Lake Park HS).

“I am so pleased with the signing of Morgan, Jelly, Stephanie, Ashleigh, and Carly,” Schuette said. “All five of these young women embody the philosophy of EIU softball in regard to family, academics and softball talent. We feel that they all do the little things right, both on and off the field.”

An outfielder, EIU softball found a great fit with Morgan Biel, “thanks to her good arm and speed, coupled with some power to drive the ball,” said Schuette.

According to Schuette, Angelica “Jelly” Brannick, “is a small, feisty speedster, who will mostly likely play the outfield, but also can catch and play at second base.” Last season Brannick set new Cardinal Ritter HS records for stolen bases while also shattering a long-time school batting average mark.

Schuette says incoming pitcher Stephanie Maday is “tall and lanky and has completely dominated the competition in the state of Illinois, thanks to her excellent play in the circle.” In fact, her high school coach, Ken Grams, is a long-time friend of Schuette. “I pitched and played against coach Grams' teams while growing up in Itasca, which is just the next town over from Elk Grove Village.”

A native of Nevada, Ashleigh Westover is “a great find for us,” says Schuette, “who tends to end the game with the dirtiest uniform, because of her feisty and aggressive defensive play,” which can include making dives for balls in the hole or when hit up the middle. “Let me just say this, Ashleigh will make the highlight play when no one is looking.”

Coming from coach Schuette's prep alma mater, Lake Park HS, Carly Willert is a power hitting lefty “who can play anywhere in the infield,” said Schuette, “and can be counted on to exhibit tough field and plate play.

“Combined, these five student-athletes embody the perfect recipe for success – starting with size, power, and speed; while adding pitching, a corner, middle infield, and outfield experience to the mix; and finally include a dash of National Honor Society membership, class presidency, and honor roll awards and the outcome will be continued success for Eastern Illinois Panther Softball.”

MORGAN BIEL
Orland Park, Illinois ... Carl Sandburg High School

Morgan plays for head coach Jim Fabianski at Carl Sandburg HS, while also a member of the Beverly Bandits in the summer for skipper Bill Conroy.

SCHUETTE SAYS:  “Morgan has always wanted to come to EIU and play for the Panthers and we see a great kid who can help out our team in many ways,” said Schuette. “She's the type of person that gets it done both in the classroom and on the field. She is always smiling, looks you in the eye, works very hard, hustles, and will do anything for the team. She embodies what we preach in EIU Softball, which is to always do the little things. Morgan will likely play the outfield where she can continue to use her speed to run down balls and utilize her strong instinct to make the tough catch. She's a singles hitter with sneaky power and also loves to get out, run and steal bases. She is a contagious kid who loves the game of softball, loves life and already bleeds blue for EIU and the Panthers.”

ATHLETIC AWARDS: Earned All-Conference, All-Area and MVP honors... named to the Sun Times 'Top 100 Squad and a Southwest Suburban Athletic Excellence honoree.

ACADEMIC AWARDS & CLUBS:  Member of the National Honor Society and Varsity Club... a Perfect Attendance Award winner.


ANGELICA “JELLY” BRANNICK
Brownsburg, Indiana ... Cardinal Ritter High School

Brannick embraces the leadoff position and the job of the true slapper. Played for coach Doug Otten at Cardinal Ritter HS, where she broke and set new school records for stolen bases, including 34 as a sophomore and 35 her junior year. Jelly also shattered a 23-year-old school batting average last spring, off a .538 clip. Jelly played with the Illinois Chill Gold 18U summer squad under coach Gerry Quinn from 2007-09 and next summer will compete for the Indy Dreams Gold 18U squad which is led by Brad Lewis.

SCHUETTE SAYS:  “Following the graduation of Megan Nelson and Angie Danca, we believe that Jelly (along with Morgan Biel) will continue our speed threat and offensive scare next year,” said Schuette. “As seen with Jelly's stats and broken records, she embraces my “get out and run” philosophy, plus she just loves to steal bases. We believe Jelly understands the true responsibility of a slapper and leadoff hitter -- she's not afraid to bunt four times in a game if the defense does not adjust; while also not shy to to walk all four times in a game or find a way to get hit-by-a-pitch in order to get on base. She loves the job of being a menace to the opposing defense and pitcher. Though small and slight in stature, Jelly has the ability to soft slap as well as power slap, driving the ball to create lots of havoc on the opponent's defense. We look for her to mainly play the outfield, catch some and possibly play at second base as well. This feisty, hard working and ambitious kid will definitely continue to maintain EIU's running game and Panther Softball successes.”

ATHLETIC AWARDS:  Earned All-City, All-Conference, All-District, and 'Offensive Player of the Year' honors... also member of both the track and cross country squads, qualifying for the IHSA State Tournament, held here at EIU, in both the 200 and 400 meter dashes.

ACADEMIC AWARDS & CLUBS:  Member of the National Honor Society... tabbed as Military Scholar 'Female Athlete of the Year'... elected to the student council, class president and as a student ambassador. 


STEPHANIE MADAY
Elk Grove Village, Illinois ... Elk Grove High School

As the starting pitcher at Elk Grove HS, Stephanie has helped lead her team to both conference and regional championships under head coach Ken Grams. Grams is a long-time friend of coach Schuette having previously coached Elk Grove squads against Schuette's former prep alma mater, Lake Park HS. In the summer, Stephanie plays for coach John Poehlmann as a member of the Illinois Thunder squad.

SCHUETTE SAYS:  “Stephanie has been a dominant force in the state of Illinois since she was a freshman in high school. She plays for the long-time and successful coach, Ken Grams, who is a good friend of mine. Thanks to her combination of speed, movement, change of speeds, and command, we believe she will step right in to assist our bullpen. While having already had much success, Stephanie hasn't even begun to achieve her true potential. With her mom by her side, or behind the plate as her catcher, this hard working and quiet kid just continues to get stronger. An excellent student, Stephanie will join EIU's Honors Program and we expect that she'll be a real force on the mound for us next year.”

ATHLETIC AWARDS:  Three-time All Conference and All-Area honoree... twice named to the Sun Times 'Top 100 Squad'... Elk Grove earned Regional and Conference championships in 2007 and 2009, respectively... has been invited to play internationally for USAAI in August of 2010... also a member of the volleyball squad.

ACADEMIC AWARDS:  Twice earned the prestigious academic honor of 'Student of the Semester'... a National Honor Society member and peer tutor... elected to the senior class board. 





ASHLEIGH WESTOVER
Reno, Nevada ... Damonte Ranch High School

A left-handed hitter, Ashleigh is a great defensive player who will likely land in the middle infield for the Panthers. A member of the outstanding Bears 18 Gold summer league team, while under the tutelage of coach Kristen Morely.

SCHUETTE SAYS:  “Ashleigh is the type of player that you want up to bat when the game is on the line,” said Schuette, “or can be counted on to make a crucial relay throw to cut off the run at home. We look for this aggressive little kid to help out mainly at the shortstop position and bring another left handed bat to our offense. Ashleigh travels to the northern California area as a member of a very strong summer ball team, where she has played amongst, and against, some of the very best players in the country. We definitely think Panther Softball found a good one in Ashleigh Westover.”

ATHLETIC AWARDS:  Two-time All-Conference First Team and MVP honoree for head coach Tierney Cahill... named 'Best Defensive Player' in the league... also member of basketball squad, while also being named to All-Conference First Team and Academic All-State honors as a golfer.

ACADEMIC AWARDS & CLUBS:  Presidential Academic Award winner... graduating from Damonte Ranch HS with an advanced diploma.  


CARLY WILLERT
Bloomingdale, Illinois ... Lake Park High School

A student at Lake Park HS, which is coach Schuette's former high school, the power hitting lefty is an outstanding third baseman, but can also play at shortstop and first or second base. In the summer months, she plays for travel skipper Sarah Douglas as a member of the 18U Bandits Gold team.

SCHUETTE SAYS:  “We were so excited to have Carly verbally commit to EIU and the Panthers,” said Schuette. “At 5-9, she is a strong and tough competitor on field defense, up at the plate, and on the basketball court as well. As a power hitting southpaw, she can also bunt and slap hit when necessary. Most importantly, we think Carly is a true athlete - making tough plays look easy and stepping up when the game is on the line. She could easily become a leader on the Panther defense.”

ATHLETIC AWARDS:  Four-year starter on the Lake Park varsity squad for Tom Mazzie... twice earned All-Area and All Conference honors, including an unanimous selection her junior year... also notched Second Team All-State kudos after batting .510 her junior season... in three years, Carly has helped Lake Park secure many conference, regional and sectional titles, including an appearance at state, not only in softball but basketball as well... a four-year starter on the varsity basketball team, she has earned All-Conference honors, while also being nominated for the 'Walter Payton Player of the Week' award.

ACADEMIC AWARDS:  Named to the Honor Roll. 

... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID