CHICAGO- DePaul Head Softball Coach Eugene Lenti announced today the signing of seven student-athletes to a National Letter-of-Intent. The Blue Demons signed a pair of local players, Alex Morocco and Sean Plese, while the remaining five student-athletes are from out-of-state. Lindsey Dean and Brittney Yniguez are from California, while Simone Ashkar and Samantha Morgan are from Minnesota and Tara Voss hails from Texas.
Averaging a team-best .380 at the plate Morocco led her Oak Park River Forest High School team to the 2005 IHSA State Championship. "Alex is a four-tool player; she can hit, run, catch and throw with the best of them," Lenti said. "She has game saving ability defensively and game winning ability offensively."
Plese, an outfielder from Joliet West High School was twice named an all-area and all-conference selection. "Sean has great speed both offensively and defensively and should provide us with some punch at the plate," Lenti said.
Dean is a three-time Pacific View League Pitcher of the Year and MVP of her Carmarillo High School team in Carmarillo, California. "Lindsey is a power pitcher with excellent movement on the ball," Lenti said. "Her strength is her ability to keep batters of balance. Dean is a former travel ball teammate of current DePaul freshman pitcher Becca Heteniak.
Yniguez is a middle infielder and all-conference athlete from Fontana High School in Fontana California. "Brittney is an excellent shortstop with range and a strong arm," Lenti added. "Her California travel ball experiences will make her a tough out offensively."
A catcher from Minneetonka, Minnesota, Ahskar was named to the high school all-state tournament team after her Minneetonka high school team finished third in 2005. "Simone gives us some pop at the pate and much needed depth at catcher," Lenti said.
Morgan a utility player was a 2006 Metro All-State selection and joins DePaul after an exceptional career at St. Margarets High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. "Sam is versatile player as she can play right, third or catch. She should also give us some added punch at the plate," Lenti said.
A talented middle infielder Voss is the program's first player to come from the state of Texas. She is the reigning district defensive MVP and was named the district's offensive MVP as a sophomore at Klein Oak High School. "Tara is a strong middle infielder, who can play either second or short stop. Offensively she has above average speed and is a tough out," Lenti said.
"Our goal with this class was to find pitching (Dean), defense (Yniguez and Voss), speed (Plese and Monocco) and power (Ashkar and Morgan). Together this class forms the most solid class we have ever recruited which is a credit to assistant coaches Liz Bouck and Lindsay Chouinard who were major influences in not only finding these student-athletes but also signing them," head coach Eugene Lenti said.
"We are all very exited to see what the class of 2011 accomplishes during their careers here at DePaul," Lenti added.
The Blue Demons open the 2007 schedule at the Paradise Classic Tournament in Hawai'i, February 8-11. DePaul faces Auburn, Portland St., Nebraska and Hawai'i in the four-day tournament.
