Mercer Announces 2017 Softball Recruiting Class
11/21/2016 12:25:00 PM | Softball
The Bears add seven future student-athletes to the program
MACON, Ga. – Mercer Head Coach Stephanie DeFeo has announced her 2017 recruiting class, which includes seven individuals who signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to further their softball careers with the Bears.
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Mercer received letters of intent from Laurenne Sanchez, Micayla Rood, Olivia Boger, Sydney Tucker, Allie Jones, Christen Florence and Coral Critzer, marking the second consecutive year Mercer has signed seven players. The recruiting class spans four different states including Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and California.
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"My staff and I couldn't be more excited about the talent we are bringing to Macon with this 2017 recruiting class," DeFeo said. "This class fits the mold of what our program stands for and will make an impact in the years to come."
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2017 MERCER SOFTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
OLIVIA BOGER | Mocksville, N.C.
POS: LHP
HT: 5'8
PREV. SCHOOL: Davie County High School
SUMMER BALL: Firecrackers (2016)
Olivia Boger enters her senior campaign at Davie County High School as a three-year letter winner with a 24-12 record and a 2.19 earned-run average. The southpaw has added 235 strikeouts in 214 innings pitched for the War Eagles under the leadership of head coach Dawn Lowery.
Her most impressive season came last spring when she earned All-Central Piedmont Conference (CPC) honors, All-District 7 honors and All-State 4A honors. She's suited up for the Davie Bandits (2010-14), Team NC (2015) and the Firecrackers (2016) for summer ball over the last six years.
"Olivia will compliment Sydney Tucker very well as a left-handed and right-handed duo," DeFeo said. "Her ball has great movement and I feel like she'll definitely keep a lot of hitters off balance."
A scholar athlete, Boger is an honor roll student that has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average and earned the Character Education Award during her sophomore year.
CORAL CRITZER | Midlothian, Va.
POS: C/UTIL
HT: 5'2
PREV. SCHOOL: Clover Hill High School
SUMMER BALL: Virginia Edge
A three-year All-Academic First Team selection, Coral Critzer has anchored the Clover Hill High School pitching staff behind the plate for three seasons and has provided a big bat as well for the Cavaliers. Her eight home runs as a junior set the single-season school record. She owns 10 career long balls.
The senior catcher was a All-Old Dominion District First Team selection as a junior and All-ODD Second Team honoree as a sophomore. Critzer additionally earned All-District First Team honors and All-City Second Team honors during her breakout junior campaign.
"Coral is an athlete who can play multiple positions for us," DeFeo said. "One dimension of her game that stands out is her speed – it's outstanding for a right-handed hitter. We have a lot of options to work with when it comes to Coral and that results in us having depth at various spots on the field."
CHRISTEN FLORENCE | Hampton, Ga.
POS: INF/OF
HT: 5'3
PREV. SCHOOL: Hampton High School
SUMMER BALL: Atlanta Vipers
Christen Florence was an infielder for the Hampton High School Hornets, having led them to their first Georgia state 4A playoff appearance in school history. As a shortstop for Hampton High, Florence owns school records in batting average (.572), hits in a season (42) and on-base percentage (.878). She was named the school's Softball Player of the Year.
Florence attended Woodland High School during her freshman and sophomore years, where she was two-time all-region selection and was a key player en route to the school's Elite Eight and Sweet 16 appearances both years.
She was named a Top-15 recruit for the 2017 class by USA Elite Select 30 and helped the Atlanta Vipers (Vallery 18 Golf) to numerous travel ball honors, including third place at the Junior Olympic Cup and four appearances on ESPN in the Champions Showcase.
Florence's grandmother attended Mercer University as well.
"Christen is a versatile player who can play both infield and outfield very well," DeFeo said. "We're excited about Christen offensively, being a left-handed hitter. She can slap but has a ton of power."
ALLIE JONES | Calhoun, Ga.
POS: OF
HT: 5'7
PREV. SCHOOL: Calhoun High School
SUMMER BALL: Georgia Impact
Allie Jones and the Calhoun High Yellow Jackets will enter the upcoming spring season seeking a fourth consecutive Georgia state 3A championship. The senior captain will earn her fourth varsity letter this spring and has hit .552 with 15 stolen bases, three home runs and 46 runs batted in for her career so far. A Calhoun native, Jones has earned All-State Second Team honors and additionally competed at the Premier National Tournament with the Georgia Impact travel team.
Jones, a Beta Club and National Honor Society member, has been named Student of the Year in Spanish, weight training and math throughout her three years at Calhoun High. She additionally played three years of varsity basketball as a guard.
"Allie is phenomenal in the outfield – I think she is another player in this upcoming class that will bring a unique dimension to the plate for our program. She'll create a lot of havoc in multiple aspects of the game and is simply a dynamic player."
MICAYLA ROOD | Buford, Ga.
POS: OF
HT: 5'7
PREV. SCHOOL: Mill Creek High School
SUMMER BALL: Team Georgia – Hawk
Micayla Rood will arrive on campus at Mercer as one of the more dynamic athletes, having played three sports at Mill Creek High School during her prep career. She's been a leader for the Hawks en route to a Georgia State 7A Championship last spring and a runner-up finish the year prior. With a .389 batting average and 22 stolen bases (.410 on-base percentage), Rood has been named to the All-County Team.
As a member of the Team Georgia – Hawk travel team, Rood helped the team place fifth at the Triple Crown National Championship when she hit .429.
"Micayla will be phenomenal in the outfield for us," DeFeo said. "She's fast, has great softball sense and can do so much at the plate offensively. I just feel like she's going to add another dimension to our lineup."
LAURENNE SANCHEZ | Stockton, Calif.
POS: INF
HT: 5'2
PREV. SCHOOL: Stockton Early College Academy
SUMMER BALL: Northern California Firecrackers – Miller
Laurenne Sanchez, who goes by "LoLo", is a Stockton, California native who has starred as a shortstop/middle infielder for the Stockton Early College Academy Timberwolves during her prep career. Sanchez was named her team's most valuable player in 2014 and earned San Joaquin County Athletic Association (SJAA) All-League honors the same year.
As a versatile athlete, Sanchez was a star for Spartan Lacrosse as well, setting numerous program and division records in goals and assists, among other honors.
"Laurenne Sanchez is a dyniamic player that is one of the best baserunners I've seen in a long time. Smooth defensively and has really good softball sense – she's an incredible player."
SYDNEY TUCKER | McDonough, Ga.
POS: RHP
HT: 5'9
PREV. SCHOOL: Ola High School
SUMMER BALL: Georgia Impact (Bass)
Tucker has helped lead Ola High to three consecutive state playoff appearances, including a 5A Georgia state championship win as a freshman and a sweet 16 appearance as a sophomore. The Atlanta native additionally played two years of basketball for the Mustangs.
As an A-Honor Roll member and winner of the school's Presidential Award, Tucker owns the highest GPA on her high school softball team. Tucker comes from an athletic family; her father, Eddy, played football at VMI and her cousin, Shane, plays baseball at Georgia.
"Sydney Tucker is a power pitcher that we hope can come in and develop really well," DeFeo said. "We expect her to have a lot of control of her pitches and dominate the Southern Conference's opposing batters."
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), Mercer University Softball (Facebook) and @mercerusoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Mercer received letters of intent from Laurenne Sanchez, Micayla Rood, Olivia Boger, Sydney Tucker, Allie Jones, Christen Florence and Coral Critzer, marking the second consecutive year Mercer has signed seven players. The recruiting class spans four different states including Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and California.
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"My staff and I couldn't be more excited about the talent we are bringing to Macon with this 2017 recruiting class," DeFeo said. "This class fits the mold of what our program stands for and will make an impact in the years to come."
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2017 MERCER SOFTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
| PLAYER | POSITION | HEIGHT | HOMETOWN | PREV. SCHOOL |
| Olivia Boger | LHP | 5'8 | Mocksville, N.C. | Davie County HS |
| Coral Critzer | C/UTIL | 5'5 | Midlothian, Va. | Clover Hill HS |
| Christen Florence | INF/OF | 5'3 | Hampton, Ga. | Hampton HS |
| Allie Jones | OF | 5'7 | Calhoun, Ga. | Calhoun HS |
| Micayla Rood | OF | 5'7 | Buford, Ga. | Mill Creek HS |
| Laurenne Sanchez | INF | 5'2 | Stockton, Calif. | Stockton Early College Academy |
| Sydney Tucker | RHP | 5'9 | McDonough, Ga. | Ola HS |
OLIVIA BOGER | Mocksville, N.C.
POS: LHP
HT: 5'8
PREV. SCHOOL: Davie County High School
SUMMER BALL: Firecrackers (2016)
Olivia Boger enters her senior campaign at Davie County High School as a three-year letter winner with a 24-12 record and a 2.19 earned-run average. The southpaw has added 235 strikeouts in 214 innings pitched for the War Eagles under the leadership of head coach Dawn Lowery.
Her most impressive season came last spring when she earned All-Central Piedmont Conference (CPC) honors, All-District 7 honors and All-State 4A honors. She's suited up for the Davie Bandits (2010-14), Team NC (2015) and the Firecrackers (2016) for summer ball over the last six years.
"Olivia will compliment Sydney Tucker very well as a left-handed and right-handed duo," DeFeo said. "Her ball has great movement and I feel like she'll definitely keep a lot of hitters off balance."
A scholar athlete, Boger is an honor roll student that has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average and earned the Character Education Award during her sophomore year.
CORAL CRITZER | Midlothian, Va.
POS: C/UTIL
HT: 5'2
PREV. SCHOOL: Clover Hill High School
SUMMER BALL: Virginia Edge
A three-year All-Academic First Team selection, Coral Critzer has anchored the Clover Hill High School pitching staff behind the plate for three seasons and has provided a big bat as well for the Cavaliers. Her eight home runs as a junior set the single-season school record. She owns 10 career long balls.
The senior catcher was a All-Old Dominion District First Team selection as a junior and All-ODD Second Team honoree as a sophomore. Critzer additionally earned All-District First Team honors and All-City Second Team honors during her breakout junior campaign.
"Coral is an athlete who can play multiple positions for us," DeFeo said. "One dimension of her game that stands out is her speed – it's outstanding for a right-handed hitter. We have a lot of options to work with when it comes to Coral and that results in us having depth at various spots on the field."
CHRISTEN FLORENCE | Hampton, Ga.
POS: INF/OF
HT: 5'3
PREV. SCHOOL: Hampton High School
SUMMER BALL: Atlanta Vipers
Christen Florence was an infielder for the Hampton High School Hornets, having led them to their first Georgia state 4A playoff appearance in school history. As a shortstop for Hampton High, Florence owns school records in batting average (.572), hits in a season (42) and on-base percentage (.878). She was named the school's Softball Player of the Year.
Florence attended Woodland High School during her freshman and sophomore years, where she was two-time all-region selection and was a key player en route to the school's Elite Eight and Sweet 16 appearances both years.
She was named a Top-15 recruit for the 2017 class by USA Elite Select 30 and helped the Atlanta Vipers (Vallery 18 Golf) to numerous travel ball honors, including third place at the Junior Olympic Cup and four appearances on ESPN in the Champions Showcase.
Florence's grandmother attended Mercer University as well.
"Christen is a versatile player who can play both infield and outfield very well," DeFeo said. "We're excited about Christen offensively, being a left-handed hitter. She can slap but has a ton of power."
ALLIE JONES | Calhoun, Ga.
POS: OF
HT: 5'7
PREV. SCHOOL: Calhoun High School
SUMMER BALL: Georgia Impact
Allie Jones and the Calhoun High Yellow Jackets will enter the upcoming spring season seeking a fourth consecutive Georgia state 3A championship. The senior captain will earn her fourth varsity letter this spring and has hit .552 with 15 stolen bases, three home runs and 46 runs batted in for her career so far. A Calhoun native, Jones has earned All-State Second Team honors and additionally competed at the Premier National Tournament with the Georgia Impact travel team.
Jones, a Beta Club and National Honor Society member, has been named Student of the Year in Spanish, weight training and math throughout her three years at Calhoun High. She additionally played three years of varsity basketball as a guard.
"Allie is phenomenal in the outfield – I think she is another player in this upcoming class that will bring a unique dimension to the plate for our program. She'll create a lot of havoc in multiple aspects of the game and is simply a dynamic player."
MICAYLA ROOD | Buford, Ga.
POS: OF
HT: 5'7
PREV. SCHOOL: Mill Creek High School
SUMMER BALL: Team Georgia – Hawk
Micayla Rood will arrive on campus at Mercer as one of the more dynamic athletes, having played three sports at Mill Creek High School during her prep career. She's been a leader for the Hawks en route to a Georgia State 7A Championship last spring and a runner-up finish the year prior. With a .389 batting average and 22 stolen bases (.410 on-base percentage), Rood has been named to the All-County Team.
As a member of the Team Georgia – Hawk travel team, Rood helped the team place fifth at the Triple Crown National Championship when she hit .429.
"Micayla will be phenomenal in the outfield for us," DeFeo said. "She's fast, has great softball sense and can do so much at the plate offensively. I just feel like she's going to add another dimension to our lineup."
LAURENNE SANCHEZ | Stockton, Calif.
POS: INF
HT: 5'2
PREV. SCHOOL: Stockton Early College Academy
SUMMER BALL: Northern California Firecrackers – Miller
Laurenne Sanchez, who goes by "LoLo", is a Stockton, California native who has starred as a shortstop/middle infielder for the Stockton Early College Academy Timberwolves during her prep career. Sanchez was named her team's most valuable player in 2014 and earned San Joaquin County Athletic Association (SJAA) All-League honors the same year.
As a versatile athlete, Sanchez was a star for Spartan Lacrosse as well, setting numerous program and division records in goals and assists, among other honors.
"Laurenne Sanchez is a dyniamic player that is one of the best baserunners I've seen in a long time. Smooth defensively and has really good softball sense – she's an incredible player."
SYDNEY TUCKER | McDonough, Ga.
POS: RHP
HT: 5'9
PREV. SCHOOL: Ola High School
SUMMER BALL: Georgia Impact (Bass)
Tucker has helped lead Ola High to three consecutive state playoff appearances, including a 5A Georgia state championship win as a freshman and a sweet 16 appearance as a sophomore. The Atlanta native additionally played two years of basketball for the Mustangs.
As an A-Honor Roll member and winner of the school's Presidential Award, Tucker owns the highest GPA on her high school softball team. Tucker comes from an athletic family; her father, Eddy, played football at VMI and her cousin, Shane, plays baseball at Georgia.
"Sydney Tucker is a power pitcher that we hope can come in and develop really well," DeFeo said. "We expect her to have a lot of control of her pitches and dominate the Southern Conference's opposing batters."
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), Mercer University Softball (Facebook) and @mercerusoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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