The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Softball Inks Five Prospects During The Fall Signing Period
11/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nov. 18, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB softball program formally announced the signing of five top recruits on Tuesday as the Blazer coaching staff received national letters of intent from Jessica Allred, Amanda Antonovich, Betonya Hunt, Jennifer Nelson and Leigh Walker. The newest quintet of Blazers will begin competition during the 2004-05 season.
"We have signed five very talented individuals who are also exceptional students," said UAB head coach Marla Townsend. "Each of these young ladies possesses a great desire to succeed as collegiate athletes and we are honored to welcome them to our team. We're proud to sign four of our UAB softball camp attendees because we've been able to see first hand, their development over the years."
UAB's fall signing class consists of four players from the Birmingham-metro area and one native of the state of Washington.
Nelson and Walker, who are hometown products of Birmingham, will be joined by another pair of Alabama natives in Allred and Hunt. Nelson lives in nearby Morris and attends Mortimer Jordan High School and Walker resides in Trussville where she attends Clay-Chalkville High School. Allred and Hunt are current teammates at Cullman High School.
A product of Pasco High School in Pasco, Wash., Antonovich will become the third Washington native on UAB's squad next season. The current high school senior will join Holly Krzan and Amanda Byrne as former residents of the great northwest.
"We are extremely excited about signing some of the top local talent from the Birmingham area," Townsend said. "We are also very fortunate to have a highly-touted northwest recruit in Amanda sign with us, and that is due to (Assistant) Coach (Mick) Hokanson and his recruitment of our West Coast athletes."
Allred, who currently boasts a perfect 4.0 grade point average, has the ability to contribute at third base for the Blazers. She accumulated 28 RBI on 33 hits a year ago and recorded a .438 on-base percentage, while adding eight stolen bases. The Hanceville native tentatively plans to major in pre-med.
"Jessica is a very motivated young lady," said Townsend. She is a hard worker, on and off the field, and we look forward to working with her both offensively and defensively."
Antonovich, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman, registered a .417 batting average last season and tallied 120 hits and 72 RBI. As a pitcher for both Pasco High School and the Washington Spirit Gold, she compiled a stellar 28-15 record and hurled 283 strikeouts. Antonovich was named the team captain and MVP of her high school team and led the Bulldogs to a seventh-place finish at the Washington state tournament.
"Amanda comes from the same ASA Gold program as (UAB freshman) Holly (Krzan) and will bring some excellent experience from competing in top quality tournaments around the country," said Townsend. "Coach Hokanson has worked with Amanda at the Spirit Gold camps in Tri Cities over the past few years which opened her eyes to UAB softball. She is the type of player who has the ability to come in and make an impact in her freshman season."
Hunt, who also owns a perfect 4.0 GPA, plays both first base and outfield for Cullman High School. Last season, she tallied a .422 batting average on 58 hits, 21 doubles, 10 triples and two home runs. Hunt was also a menace on the base paths as she turned in 16 stolen bases and finished the year with a .633 on-base percentage.
"Betonya is an extremely versatile player who can step into several roles for us next season," Townsend said. "She is a very focused individual and we are excited to help her reach her potential as a player."
Nelson, one of the top recruits in the state of Alabama this season, will join the Blazers as a hard-throwing, left-handed pitcher.
She attended the UAB Fastpitch Softball Camp every year since the age of 14 and has also shown the ability to play first base. Nelson garnered 2003 North-South All-Star honors and was named to the 2002 All-Metro Team by The Birmingham News. She also received 2002 All-State Honorable Mention accolades.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Jennifer for several years and I am looking forward to working with her again on a daily basis," said Townsend. "I believe that she will immediately contribute for us both on the pitching rubber and at the plate."
Walker signed with the Blazers on Tuesday as a multi-faceted threat in all phases of the game.
As a junior, she was tabbed a top-40 player in the state by both The Birmingham News and the Post-Herald after posting a .364 batting average and belting four home runs. Walker has the ability to play second base, shortstop and right field. Last season, she only committed two errors in a total of 90 games.
Walker was named the MVP of the Jefferson County School's tournament after hitting back-to-back home runs and earned 2003 North-South All-Star honors. Next season, she will join two former high school teammates, Jenna Robison and Lindsay Stanley, on the Blazer squad. Robison and Stanley are now freshmen at UAB.
"Leigh comes from a very competitive high school program," Townsend said. "She is the type of player that loves to be challenged and that is the kind of determination that will help her to improve continually as a player."
UAB finished its 2003 fall season with an unblemished 9-0 overall record (undefeated for the third year in a row) and claimed the championship titles in both the UAB and Samford Fall tournaments.
The UAB softball team will begin its 2004 season on Feb. 5, as the Blazers travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, to compete in the Paradise Classic hosted by the University of Hawaii. The four-day tournament will also include BYU, Oregon State, Saint Mary's and Tennessee.
2003 UAB Softball Fall Signees
Name, Pos., B/T, Hometown (High School)
Jessica Allred, 3B, R/R, Hanceville, Ala. (Cullman HS)
Amanda Antonovich, LHP/1B, L/L, Kennewick, Wash. (Pasco HS)
Betonya Hunt, OF/1B, R/L, Cullman, Ala. (Cullman HS)
Jennifer Nelson, LHP/1B, L/L, Morris, Ala. (Mortimer Jordan HS)
Leigh Walker, 2B/SS, R/R, Trussville, Ala. (Clay-Chalkville HS)
