CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois softball coach
Tara Archibald continues to bolster the Panthers roster for the 2021 season as the second-year head coach announced the addition of two transfers that will be joining the EIU program. Set to join the Panthers this fall are Morgan Lewis and Abby Taylor, both transfers from NCAA Division I programs.
The two players join a recruiting class that includes previously announced players Katie Nicholson, Abi Stahlhut, Aniya Holt, Olivia Price and Jordan Warzynski.
Lewis is an outfielder transferring from University of Iowa with three years eligibility after her sophomore season was shortened due to COVID-19. She played her freshman year at DMACC (Des Moines Area Community College) where she batted leadoff, played centerfield and led the Bears' to a 3rd place finish at the NJCAA Division II National Championships. Lewis finished the 2019 season with a .492 on base percentage, 16 doubles and 33 stolen bases. After her outstanding freshman season, Lewis left DMACC with NFCA All-American, first team All-Region and first team All-Conference honors. She went to Cedar Rapids Prairie High School where she was an All-State, All-Conference and All-Metro player during her career. Lewis holds school records for most hits and most singles in a single season.
Taylor is transferring from Butler University with four years of eligibility remaining. Taylor was a four-year letter winner and starter at Hamilton Southeastern High School under Indiana High School Hall of Fame Head Coach David Cook. Taylor was an All-State selection both her junior and senior seasons and a member of the Indiana South All-Star Team. During her senior season Taylor hit .524 with a .556 on base % and 22 stolen bases. Taylor finished with a career .468 batting average in high school, a conference championship and a trip to the second game of the Indiana High School Semi-State.
"We are very excited to welcome Morgan Lewis and Abby Taylor to our team this fall. Morgan and Abby are both dynamic athletes with great speed who I believe can make an immediate impact on our program," said Archibald. "Going into this season, I wanted to put a focus on adding speed and left-hand bats to our roster and these players, along with Katie Nicholson who we added earlier in the spring, will bring great depth to our program in those areas. Morgan and Abby are also outstanding students who will do very well in the classroom and help our program continue to achieve our high academic goals. We can't wait for them to get on campus this fall!"
