| Lori Cook |
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA head softball coach Lori Cook announced Thursday that Emily Humpal (Corpus Christi, Texas/Flour Bluff HS/Creighton) and Kristin Wehmeyer (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock HS) have signed a scholarship agreement and National Letter of Intent, respectively, while Emily Blackburn (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood HS/Oklahoma State), Jordan Foster (Dripping Springs, Texas/Dripping Springs HS) and Samantha Ward (Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie HS) have joined the team as walk-ons.
The five players join fall signees Amber Anderson (Alvin, Texas/Alvin HS), Caitlin Ivy (Huntington, Texas/Huntington HS), Ashley Kappler (Lake Jackson, Texas/Brazoswood HS), Laura Little (Spring, Texas/Spring HS), Morgan Luksa (League City, Texas/Clear Creek HS) and Elyse Seals (Splendora, Texas/Splendora HS) to complete the 11-person class of newcomers that begins fall semester classes this week.
“We are very excited to add these five players to our roster in addition to the players we signed last fall,” Cook said. “This is a very big class with nine true freshmen, a sophomore transfer and a junior transfer. With the nine returnees we have back, we feel like we have assembled a team that will compete for a conference championships and an NCAA Regional berth.”
Humpal is transferring to UTSA after playing one season at Creighton, and she will be eligible to play for the Roadrunners this season. Originally from Corpus Christi, the right-handed pitcher posted a 5-2 record, 5.60 earned run average, 54 strikeouts, and 20 walks in 60 innings of work, as the Bluejays went 43-17 and advanced to the Iowa City Regional last year. A three-time first-team all-district honoree at Flour Bluff High School, Humpal posted a 48-8 record, 0.36 ERA and a school-record 508 strikeouts during her senior season. As a junior, she registered a 0.41 ERA and 362 punchouts, including fanning 36 in a 14-inning game which earned her a spot in Sports Illustrated?s “Faces in the Crowd.”
“Emily will bring a year of Division I experience to the mound, as well as at the plate,” Cook said. “She played at Creighton and got great experience playing in the Missouri Valley Conference. Emily can swing the bat and play first base, as well. We are excited she is here and we are looking forward to watching her play.”
Wehmeyer was a first-team all-district and All-Williamson County selection as a senior at Round Rock High School under head coach Jennifer Painter. She batted .391 with a .462 on-base percentage, .848 slugging percentage, eight doubles, three triples and three home runs. The catcher also was 5-for-6 on stolen bases, earned second-team All-Centex honors and was a member of the North team for the Austin Area All-Star Game.
“Kristin is a hard-hitting catcher that will come in and make an immediate impact on our program,” Cook said. “Kristin has the ability to change a game anytime she is at the plate, and as a catcher, she has a great arm and runs the defense well behind the plate.”
Blackburn is transferring to UTSA after two seasons at Oklahoma State, and she will be eligible to play for the Roadrunners this year. As a sophomore, she batted .211 with two doubles, a home run, six runs batted in and a .348 on-base percentage in 16 games. In 2007, Blackburn started 48 games, mostly at designated player, and batted .198 with seven doubles, four home runs, 19 RBIs and 17 runs scored. She was a three-year letterwinner at Kingwood High School, where she was tabbed first-team all-state twice and second-team all-state once. Blackburn helped the Mustangs win three consecutive district crowns and was co-captain as a senior.
“Emily brings another big bat to our lineup,” Cook said. “She has two years of experience playing in the Big 12 Conference with Oklahoma State, and we look for her to come in and add leadership and power to our lineup.”
Foster was a three-year letterwinner at San Antonio MacArthur High School before moving to Dripping Springs High School near Austin for her senior season. As a senior, the catcher was honored as the District 25-4A Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-district. She also was tabbed honorable mention all-state and All-Centex and helped the Lady Tigers advance to the state tournament, where they tied for third. At MacArthur, Foster earned all-district honors three times, including first-team accolades as a junior in 2007.
“Jordan is a catcher that hits for power and can also play the corners,” Cook said. “She is a strong kid that loves to play the game. She will add some power to our lineup and will be able to play several different positions. We like her versatility.”
Ward was a three-time all-district performer at South Grand Prairie High School. As a senior, she earned first-team all-district accolades as an infielder and was named SGPHS Offensive Player of the Year and Dallas Morning News Athlete of the Week. In 2007, Ward garnered first-team all-district honors as a pitcher and was named SGPHS Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Carrollton Tournament Team. She picked up second-team all-district and SGPHS Newcomer of the Year honors as a sophomore.
“Samantha is a power hitter that can play both corners and can pitch if needed,” Cook said. “She swings a big stick and we look for her to add power to our lineup, as well.
“Going into the recruiting process, we knew we needed to bolster our line up and add depth. That’s exactly what we did. Each player on this roster has a job to do and it will talk all 20 off us to get it done. We’re extremely excited about getting this team on the field to see what they can do.”