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Eastern Illinois softball head coach Tara Archibald has announced the addition of six players for next season as the NCAA National Signing Day opened this past week.    The players set to join the EIU roster for the 2025 season are Morgan Hance, Ava Hartman, Abbi Hatton, Jersey Summers, Kira Manganello and Maddux Marshall.
 
"We are extremely excited to welcome this 2024 class to EIU Softball! This class is a very athletic group, that will bring a great mix of both speed and power to our roster," said Archibald.   "All six of these ladies are multi-sport athletes, who have achieved great success on the field, on the court, and in the classroom throughout their high school careers. We look forward to them joining us next fall, and the contributions they will make in helping us continue to compete for OVC and NCAA Championships!"
 
Hance (Clay City, Illinois) is an outfielder that plays at Clay City High School.   She has been a three-time All-Midland Trail Conference selection and three time hitting MVP at CCHS. In addition she holds the school record for career strikeouts.   A versatile athlete, Hance has also earned All-Conference honors three times in volleyball.  In the class room, she has been a three time honor roll member and inducted into the National Honor Society.
 
Hartman (Milan, Illinois) is an outfielder/utility that plays at Sherrard High School.  She enters her senior season with a career 1.227 OPS so far hitting 21 home runs with 100 RBI in her prep career.  She is a three-time All-Conference selection.   In the class room she is a member of the National Honor Society with High Honors and a GPA over 4.0 every semester.  Her brother Brady currently plays baseball at Illinois Wesleyan.
 
Hatton (Effingham, Illinois) is a local product that plays infield at Effingham St. Anthony High School.  Last season she led the school to a third place finish at the IHSA Class 2A State Tournament finishing the season with a 1.226 OPS.  She has earned both All-Conference and All-Area honors on the softball diamond.  A versatile athlete, she is a two-time All-Conference selection in volleyball that helped lead her team to the IHSA Class 1A State Volleyball Tournament this season.  Hatton hails from an athletic family with her mom Amy, a former volleyball player at Austin Peay, and father Vern a former baseball player at Southeast Missouri.
 
Summers (Herrin, Illinois) is an outfielder/utility that plays at Herrin High School.  She is a four-sport athlete that has earned numerous honors lettering in basketball, volleyball, tennis and softball.  On the diamond she has been a three-time All-Conference performer and three-time All-State selection.  She has twice been named the school MVP, an All-South Softball selection and Southern Illinois Select All-Star.  Last season she had a 1.418 OPS, hitting .429 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI while only striking out nine times.  She has been a multiple time All-Conference selection in basketball and volleyball.  On the tennis court she has been a two-time IHSA State Qualifier.  In the class room she holds a 4.1 GPA.  Summers hails from an athletic family with both her parents playing at Southern Illinois.  Her mom Kim played softball for the Salukis while her dad Dwayne played football.
 
Manganello (New Orleans, Louisiana) is an infielder/catcher that plays at John Curtis Christian School.  She was rated the No. 28 player in the Class of 2024 by Extra Innings Softball in 2022.  She has twice earned All-District and All-Metro honors while leading her team to Louisiana State Championships in 2021 and 2022.  She has helped the school win four state basketball championships.  She was a 1st Minority Softball Prospect Game Selection in 2023 and a four-time MLB Develops Selection.  In 2019 she helped lead her team a third place finish in the LLWS.  In the class room she is a National Honor Society member with a 3.5 GPA.
 
Marshall (Huntingburg, Indiana) is an infielder that plays at Southridge High School for former EIU standout Megan Burton (Mattingly).  A team captain she set the school record for doubles in a season while leading the conference in that category.  She earned All-Conference honors in softball and was named the team MVP.  In addition she has been a four-year member of the varsity basketball team.  In the class room she is a member of the National Honor Society and will have already completed hours for a college Associates Degree upon high school graduation.
 
Last season EIU won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and made the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance.