Softball Announces Addition of 2015 Signees

MACON, Ga. – Mercer University Co-Head Softball Coaches James and Stephanie DeFeo announced their 2015 recruiting class this week, as the Bears get set to welcome six newcomers for the 2016 season.

James DeFeo's third recruiting class is his largest yet, as Lindsay Boynton, Katelin Evans, Ginny Hearn, Megan Lane, Katherine Petersen and Macy Stovall all signed with Mercer. The incoming class joins a talented young Bears' squad that finished 37-19 a year ago, while featuring a trio of Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team honorees in Taylor Miller, Kirsten Stevens and Caroline Taylor.

"This year's signing class is a result of the relentless work of our coaching staff," said head coach James DeFeo. "With the signing of this class, we are bringing in incredible athleticism, speed, power, and quality pitching that will all look to contribute immediately on the field next fall. To be able to encompass all of those facets of the game to bolster our current roster in one signing class is quite a feat and a credit to the commitment that the entire staff has to make this program better every year.

2015 Recruiting Class
Player	Pos.	Ht.	Hometown	High School
Lindsay Boynton	INF/OF	5-5	Tampa, Fla.	George M. Steinbrenner HS
Katelin Evans	OF	5-6	Simpsonville, S.C.	Hillcrest HS
Ginny Hearn	P	5-6	Palmetto, Ga.	Landmark Christian School
Megan Lane	C/UT	5-5	Brooksville, Fla.	Hernando HS
Katherine Petersen	INF	6-0	Coral Springs, Fla.	Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS
Macy Stovall	INF/OF	5-4	Suwanee, Ga.	Lambert HS

		LINDSAY BOYNTON \| TAMPA, Fla. Ht: 5-5 Pos: INF/OF Previous School: George M. Steinbrenner HS Summer Ball: Tampa Mustangs Lindsay Boynton hails from Tampa, Fla. where she's a four-year letterwinner for head coach Brenda Leach. A four-year starter with the Warriors, Boynton enters her second year as the Team Captain in 2015. The 2014 All-County performer has led her team in RBI, slugging percentage, batting average and homeruns in each of the last two seasons, while topping the squad to a pair of Class 7A Regional Final appearances. Boynton also plays club softball for the Tampa Mustangs alongside fellow Mercer commit Megan Lane. Boynton helped lead the Mustangs, who are coached by her father James Boynton, to a pair of Florida State Championships and the 2014 Amateur Softball Association (ASA) 18-Under National title while pacing the team in homeruns, RBI and total bases.

		KATELIN EVANS \| SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. Ht: 5-6 Pos: OF Previous School: Hillcrest HS Summer Ball: Carolina Elite Katelin Evans, a Simpsonville, S.C. native, where she will be a three-year letterman at Hillcrest High School under head coach Larry Wooten. The youngest of the Mercer commits, Katelin has elected to skip her junior year of high school and begin attending college a year earlier than scheduled. The 2014 first team all-region shortstop helped Hillcrest High School to a South Carolina AAAA State Championship in 2012 as an eighth grader and was honored as the 2013 South Carolina Freshman Athlete of the Year. Evans has also put together a reputable club career, helping Carolina Elite Team Mizuno to a 2014 ASA State Championship and a seventh-place finish at the 2014 PGF Nationals in Huntington Beach, Calif.

		GINNY HEARN \| PALMETTO, Ga. Ht: 5-6 Pos: P Previous School: Landmark Christian School Summer Ball: East Cobb Bullets Ginny Hearn is entering her fourth varsity season for head coach Misha Greer at Landmark Christian School. A three-time all-region recipient, she was named Landmark Christian's Most Valuable Player in 2011 and 2012, while leading the program to three-straight GHSA Sweet-16 appearances. In club competition, Hearn is a standout on the East Cobb Bullets squad coached by Scott Council. With the Bullets, Hearn has played in several large showcase events, including the Independence Day Tournament in Boulder, Colorado and the Demarini Invitational in Chicago, Illinois. In 2011, Hearn helped lead East Cobb to a runner-up finish at the ASA Southern Nationals.

		MEGAN LANE \| BROOKSVILLE, Fla. Ht: 5-5 Pos: C/UT Previous School: Hernando HS Summer Ball: Tampa Mustangs Megan Lane, a Brooksville, Fla. product, will be a four-year letterwinner for head coach Kevin Bittinger at Hernando High School. She has also earned three varsity letters for the Leopard's weight lifting program. Lane owns the school's career records for batting average (.473) and runs scored (113, while helping lead the team to a pair of district championships and Elite Eight appearances. She plays club softball on the Tampa Mustangs along with fellow Mercer commit Lindsay Boynton. Lane helped the Mustangs to two state titles and the 2014 Amateur Softball Association (ASA) 18-Under National Championship crown.

		KATHERINE PETERSEN \| CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. Ht: 6-0 Pos: INF Previous School: Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS Summer Ball: Gold Coast Hurricanes / Gators Gold Katherine Petersen is a prospect out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where she will enter her third varsity season for head coach Brian Staubly this spring. Florida's Class 8A leader in home runs, Petersen topped MSD in homeruns, slugging percentage and RBI. Petersen's production has helped Marjory Stoneman Douglas to back-to-back District Championships in 2012 and 2013 and three-straight Regional Tournament appearances, earning her First Team All-Sun Sentinel honors. In club competition, Petersen has been a standout on two separate club teams, helping the Gold Coast Hurricanes to a seventh-place finish in the 16-Under Nationals while also competing for Gators Gold.

		MACY STOVALL \| SUWANEE, Ga. Ht: 5-4 Pos: INF/OF Previous School: Lambert HS Summer Ball: East Cobb Bullets Macy Stovall, who hails from Suwanee, Ga., is a four-year letterwinner in softball and a two-year letterman in track and field at Lambert High School. She helped Lambert to three-straight playoff appearances, including a pair of regional titles and Sweet Sixteen finishes. The four-time All-Region performer holds school records for career assists, at bats, hit by pitch and stolen bases as well as single-season marks for infield assists, hit by pitch and stolen bases. Stovall also owns the program's single-game marks for doubles, hit by pitch and stolen bases. Stovall boasts a reputable club career with the East Cobb Bullets. She helped the Bullets to three ASA Fastpitch National Championship appearances and a Top 5 finish in PGF Fastipitch Nationals in 2014, while also playing for Team America Fastpitch Softball in Italy in 2013.

		LINDSAY BOYNTON \| TAMPA, Fla. Ht: 5-5 Pos: INF/OF Previous School: George M. Steinbrenner HS Summer Ball: Tampa Mustangs Lindsay Boynton hails from Tampa, Fla. where she's a four-year letterwinner for head coach Brenda Leach. A four-year starter with the Warriors, Boynton enters her second year as the Team Captain in 2015. The 2014 All-County performer has led her team in RBI, slugging percentage, batting average and homeruns in each of the last two seasons, while topping the squad to a pair of Class 7A Regional Final appearances. Boynton also plays club softball for the Tampa Mustangs alongside fellow Mercer commit Megan Lane. Boynton helped lead the Mustangs, who are coached by her father James Boynton, to a pair of Florida State Championships and the 2014 Amateur Softball Association (ASA) 18-Under National title while pacing the team in homeruns, RBI and total bases.

		KATELIN EVANS \| SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. Ht: 5-6 Pos: OF Previous School: Hillcrest HS Summer Ball: Carolina Elite Katelin Evans, a Simpsonville, S.C. native, where she will be a three-year letterman at Hillcrest High School under head coach Larry Wooten. The youngest of the Mercer commits, Katelin has elected to skip her junior year of high school and begin attending college a year earlier than scheduled. The 2014 first team all-region shortstop helped Hillcrest High School to a South Carolina AAAA State Championship in 2012 as an eighth grader and was honored as the 2013 South Carolina Freshman Athlete of the Year. Evans has also put together a reputable club career, helping Carolina Elite Team Mizuno to a 2014 ASA State Championship and a seventh-place finish at the 2014 PGF Nationals in Huntington Beach, Calif.

		GINNY HEARN \| PALMETTO, Ga. Ht: 5-6 Pos: P Previous School: Landmark Christian School Summer Ball: East Cobb Bullets Ginny Hearn is entering her fourth varsity season for head coach Misha Greer at Landmark Christian School. A three-time all-region recipient, she was named Landmark Christian's Most Valuable Player in 2011 and 2012, while leading the program to three-straight GHSA Sweet-16 appearances. In club competition, Hearn is a standout on the East Cobb Bullets squad coached by Scott Council. With the Bullets, Hearn has played in several large showcase events, including the Independence Day Tournament in Boulder, Colorado and the Demarini Invitational in Chicago, Illinois. In 2011, Hearn helped lead East Cobb to a runner-up finish at the ASA Southern Nationals.

		MEGAN LANE \| BROOKSVILLE, Fla. Ht: 5-5 Pos: C/UT Previous School: Hernando HS Summer Ball: Tampa Mustangs Megan Lane, a Brooksville, Fla. product, will be a four-year letterwinner for head coach Kevin Bittinger at Hernando High School. She has also earned three varsity letters for the Leopard's weight lifting program. Lane owns the school's career records for batting average (.473) and runs scored (113, while helping lead the team to a pair of district championships and Elite Eight appearances. She plays club softball on the Tampa Mustangs along with fellow Mercer commit Lindsay Boynton. Lane helped the Mustangs to two state titles and the 2014 Amateur Softball Association (ASA) 18-Under National Championship crown.

		KATHERINE PETERSEN \| CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. Ht: 6-0 Pos: INF Previous School: Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS Summer Ball: Gold Coast Hurricanes / Gators Gold Katherine Petersen is a prospect out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where she will enter her third varsity season for head coach Brian Staubly this spring. Florida's Class 8A leader in home runs, Petersen topped MSD in homeruns, slugging percentage and RBI. Petersen's production has helped Marjory Stoneman Douglas to back-to-back District Championships in 2012 and 2013 and three-straight Regional Tournament appearances, earning her First Team All-Sun Sentinel honors. In club competition, Petersen has been a standout on two separate club teams, helping the Gold Coast Hurricanes to a seventh-place finish in the 16-Under Nationals while also competing for Gators Gold.

		MACY STOVALL \| SUWANEE, Ga. Ht: 5-4 Pos: INF/OF Previous School: Lambert HS Summer Ball: East Cobb Bullets Macy Stovall, who hails from Suwanee, Ga., is a four-year letterwinner in softball and a two-year letterman in track and field at Lambert High School. She helped Lambert to three-straight playoff appearances, including a pair of regional titles and Sweet Sixteen finishes. The four-time All-Region performer holds school records for career assists, at bats, hit by pitch and stolen bases as well as single-season marks for infield assists, hit by pitch and stolen bases. Stovall also owns the program's single-game marks for doubles, hit by pitch and stolen bases. Stovall boasts a reputable club career with the East Cobb Bullets. She helped the Bullets to three ASA Fastpitch National Championship appearances and a Top 5 finish in PGF Fastipitch Nationals in 2014, while also playing for Team America Fastpitch Softball in Italy in 2013.

Players Mentioned

Taylor Miller

Kirsten Stevens

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