Softball | 11/13/2014 4:31:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – Head coach
Craig Coleman, M.D., of the
Robert Morris University softball team announced the signing of five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) Thursday.
RMU received commitments from
Lacee Collins (Taylor, Pa. / Riverside),
Kaitlin Ellzy (Cadiz, Ohio / Harrison Central),
Bailey Legacy (Laguna Niguel, Calif. / Aliso Niguel),
Abrielle McCartney (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan) and
Logan Snyder (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside) to join the program in the 2015-16 academic year.
Collins, a right-handed pitcher, won eight games for Riverside this past season and posted a 2.15 ERA for the Vikings. She notched 105 strikeouts in 14 decisions and also knocked six extra-base hits while hitting over .300 on the year. Collins also posted strong numbers for the Rollin Thunder travel team as she tallied a microscopic WHIP of .739 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.5. She also made contributions with the bat for the Thunder as she hit .365 with a .730 slugging percentage, blasting 10 extra-base hits in 63 at bats. Collins has also seen game action for the Riverside football team where she serves a kicker.
"Lacee combines great ball movement with high velocity," Coleman said. "She's an extremely hard-working and disciplined athlete who will use the mental skills she has learned playing football and martial arts to her benefit."
Ellzy has racked up hardware throughout her pitching career. She was named Division III Eastern District Player of the Year and all-state first team after a junior season in which she posted a 1.75 ERA and 215 strikeouts against just 35 walks. She was also selected to an Ohio underclassmen all-star team in 2014. Ellzy put up similar numbers in her first two seasons with the Huskies as she tallied more than a strikeout an inning, compiled over 7 K's per walk and finished with a 1.66 ERA in 2013. In her freshman season, she also topped 200 strikeouts while compiling a 1.20 ERA. She is a two-time Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Player of the Year and has earned all-conference, all-district and Buckeye 8 Conference awards three times each. She also has hit extremely well for Harrison as she has batted over .450 twice, collecting a school record 37 hits in 2013 and drilling eight homers in 2014. She competed for Team Pennsylvania on the travel scene.
"Kaitlin is a classic power pitcher who uses her great strength to her advantage," Coleman said. "She has competed in some of the highest level tournaments and is expected to make an immediate impact next year."
Legacy showcased a diverse offensive skill set with her travel squad as she hit .391 with a .486 on-base mark for Team Primus. She hit for power and used her speed as she tallied 49 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 32 steals with the squad. Legacy has the uncommon feature of being a catcher who can slap at the plate. She also competed for her high school team that won the Sea View League for the first time since 2009 this past spring as the Wolverines racked up 20 wins. Legacy was also named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar-Athlete after the 2013-14 academic year.
"Bailey is an extremely aggressive and explosive catcher behind the plate," Coleman said. "She has unusual speed for that position, which she also utilizes as a running slapper."
McCartney was named the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Player of the Year in 2014 after hitting .575 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI. She slugged 1.192 and posted an OPS of 1.799 while not committing an error the entire season. She earned the second of three consecutive all-state first team awards in 2013 while leading the Big Macs to their first state title in school history. She hit .519 with 19 extra-base hits and a 1.544 OPS while helping Canon-McMillan to a 25-1 record. McCartney was
The Almanac Rookie of the Year in 2012 after hitting .507 with 19 extra-base hits, earning honors from the publication for the first of three straight seasons. She helped the Big Macs to the state semifinals in her first season with the team. McCartney, who has earned statewide honors at both catcher and outfielder, will join high school teammate
Olivia Lorusso on the Colonials. She competed for the Team Pennsylvania Cyclones and will play for the New Era Diamond Girls moving forward.
"Abrielle has a classic swing and hits for both power and average," Coleman said. "She has shown an ability to play in multiple spots on the field."
Snyder is an incredibly versatile player as she has significant experience as a catcher, an infielder and an outfielder. She earned all-section honors from the
Post-Gazette in 2014 after hitting .341 with a .444 on-base mark and a .463 SLG% for Riverside. She also notched 13 runs and 13 RBI in 14 games for the Panthers this past spring. Snyder and her teammates had an incredible 2013 season as Riverside went 22-1 and reached the state final, the school's first such appearance since 2001. Snyder had two hits, including a triple, in the championship game and was subsequently named all-county. She also hit over .300 for the Ohio Outlaws Gold squad for which she competes on travel ball scene.
"Logan is an extremely versatile player who has speed, quickness and great athleticism," Coleman said. "Her ability to play a variety of positions will be very beneficial to our program."
Robert Morris, which has won the NEC regular-season title in three of the past four seasons, finished the 2014 campaign with its best non-conference winning percentage in 20 years.
After the season concluded, Robert Morris was acknowledged for compiling the second-highest team grade point average (3.61) among all Division I softball programs during the 2013-14 academic year. That continued an impressive trend as RMU is the only Division I school in the country to have its softball program rank among the top five in team GPA in each of the past six years.
