| Schulty Heads for Hillsdale College |
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Taylor Schulty has signed a national letter of intent to be a student-athlete at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI, in 2009. Taylor, an Illinois Thunder player last year before the merger of the Thunder and DTA Mustangs this fall (see story below), pitches and plays outfield for the newly named DTA Elite. She is a three-time All-Conference player at Woodstock H.S. in the Fox Valley Conference. She has been a starting pitcher for the Blue Streaks since her freshman year. Last season, she was named team captain as a junior and received the team’s MVP award, recognition she has also received numerous times while playing club ball.
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This fall, Taylor appeared in 14 games as both a pitcher and position player. She hit .345 with a slugging percentage of .448 and an on-base percentage of .424. In the circle, Taylor went 5-0 with a team leading ERA of 1.75. She recorded 33 strikeouts in just 20 innings, an average of nearly 12 Ks per seven innings, and walked just five. Opposing batters hit just .167 against Taylor.
Hillsdale competes in the 10-team Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a competitive D-2 conference whose members include softball powerhouses Ferris State University, ranked fifth nationally in 2008, and Grand Valley State University, where Taylor’s DTA Elite teammate, Hannah Santora, will play starting in 2010.
Congratulations, Taylor! Go Chargers!!
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| No Bull(dog): Sully Signs to Play at Butler |
Meaghan Sullivan has signed a national letter of intent to be a student-athlete at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN, in 2009. Sully, a DTA Mustang for the last two years before the team's merger with the Illinois Thunder–Simpson team this fall (see story below), plays second base and outfield for the newly named DTA Elite. She is a two-time All-Conference and Academic All-Conference player at Wheaton-Warrenville South H.S. in the DuPage Valley Conference. She has been the starting second baseman for the Tigers since her sophomore year and received the Tigers’ Offensive Player of the Year the past two seasons.
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This fall, Sully appeared in all 22 of the DTA Elite’s games and led the team in several offensive categories, including batting average (.483), home runs (5), doubles (7), RBIs (29), slugging percentage (.931) and on-base percentage (.524).
Sully was recruited by Butler as a utility player and is expected to see time at both second base and in the outfield for the Bulldogs. Butler competes in the 10-team Horizon League, a D-1 conference whose members include the University of Illinois–Chicago, Loyola University and Valparaiso University. In recent seasons, Butler has finished in the middle of the pack in the Horizon League. Head Coach Jeanne Rayman, now in her third year as the Bulldogs’ head coach, hopes to improve on that performance with a large and talented 2008 recruiting class joining the team this year and the addition of Sully and two other talented recruits in 2009.
Congratulations, Sully! Go Bulldogs!!
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| DiGioia Commits to Kankakee C.C. |
| Bri DiGioia has signed a letter of intent to be a student-athelete at Kankakee Community College in Kankakee, IL, in 2009. Bri, a DTA Mustang for the last two years before the merger of the Mustangs and the Illinois Thunder–Simpson team this fall (see story below), is a catcher/outfielder for the DTA Elite. She is a three-time All-Conference player at Glenbard North H.S. in the DuPage Valley Conference and has been the starting catcher for the Panthers since her freshman year. This fall, Bri appeared in all 22 of the DTA Elite's games and hit .473 with 2 home runs, tallied 17 RBIs and had a .764 slugging percentage and .517 on-base percentage.
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With Bri, the Cavaliers are getting a solid all-around player to add to their already strong softball program. KCC's women's softball team ended the 2008 season with a 43-11 record. In 2008, the team won the NJCAA Region IV championship for the 10th straight time and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament. KCC has won 13 Region IV championships in the last 15 years. The program includes a fall exhibition season and a spring schedule, with play in several tournaments.
Congratulations Bri! Go Cavaliers!!
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| Holaway Earns Her "Tiger" Stripes, Signs to Play at Olivet Nazarene |
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DTA Elite outfielder Bethany Holaway has signed a national letter of intent to be a student-athlete at Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, IL. Bethany, a senior at Wheaton North H.S., is a speedy outfielder and lefty slapper with the DTA Elite. She signed the letter at ONU on September 24 surrounded by ONU head coach Ritchie Richardson, assistant coach Amanda Jensen and family members.
“Olivet has been my Number 1 choice for a year,” Bethany says. “I made three visits to the school, and the coaches came out to see me play probably close to 10 times. As a result, I got the one and only softball scholarship spot available for the 2009 recruiting class at ONU. It shows that persistence pays off.”
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Of course, having a ton of athletic and academic talent doesn’t hurt. Bethany hit .350 for the DTA Mustangs in the second half of the 2008 travel ball season and played stellar defense for the Mustangs throughout the year. In the classroom, she holds a 5.1 GPA and is ranked 60 in her senior class of 523 students at Wheaton North.
Bethany will be joining one of the top NAIA softball programs in the country at ONU. The Tigers compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). They have won nine North Central Region Championships and were crowned NCCAA National Champions in 2008, the fifth time they have reached that plateau. They also have won five NAIA Region VII Championships and have made five appearances at the NAIA World Series. The Tigers finished the 2008 season ranked 10th in the NAIA.
Congratulations, Bethany!! Go Tigers!!
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| Hane Set to Make Splash for Lake Land Lakers |
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Amber Hane, a C/3B for the DTA Elite, has committed to attend Lake Land Community College in 2009 and play for Denny Throneburg and his elite Laker softball squad in Mattoon, IL. Amber is a senior at Elk Grove H.S. and has just completed a tremendous fall season where she hit .373 with 3 home runs and 20 RBIs.
The Lakers are one of the top community college softball programs in the nation and consistently finish in the top 10 in the NJCAA national rankings. They play one of the toughest fall schedules of any community college softball program, going up against many NCAA Div. 1 teams such as Purdue University, the University of Illinois and the University of Notre Dame.
Congratulations, Amber! Go Lakers!!
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| Rovtar signs with Mississippi St. |
| Santora signs with Juco Powerhouse Kankakee CC |
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