PORTLAND – Portland State softball Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk has announced the signing of seven players to National Letters of Intent for the 2014 season.
The 2014 recruiting class consists of Amee Aarhus (Camas, Wash./Camas HS), Mackenzie Bourbanis (Tacoma, Wash./Fife HS), Celena Carrisosa (Tracy, Calif./Merrill F. West HS), Alex Flores (Hillsboro, Ore./Liberty HS), Kelsie Gardner (Salem, Ore./South Salem HS), Meagan Hendrix (Puyallup, Wash./Emerald Ridge HS), and Jenna Stanford (Portland, Ore./Lincoln HS).
“This is probably the most athletic and talented class that we've had in a long time,” Echo-Hawk said. “They all could potentially come in and fight for a staring position. That's important because we are losing some pretty key people with our senior class. We are losing Anna (Bertrand) and Carly (McEachran); those are huge shoes to fill and we're expecting this class to come in and make an impact right away.”
Aarhus will be playing her senior season at Camas HS this spring after being named the Washington 3A Greater St. Helens All-Region Player of the Year as a junior. She was also named the Offensive Player of the Year and holds school records in hits, triples, and runs scored. She helped her team to an overall record of 15-2 while going 9-1 in league play last season.
“Amee is a lefty slapper with speed,” Echo-Hawk said. “She is really good on defense and is very versatile. She can play both the infield and outfield. That's what makes her the kind of person who can come in and find a spot.”
Bourbanis has one more year at Fife HS after transferring from Stadium HS midway through her sophomore year. She has been named all-league first team three times and was named team MVP her sophomore and junior years. Fife finished sixth in the Washington 2A State Tournament. She hit .388 with an on base percentage of .466 last season and had a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000.
“Mackenzie will add speed to our team,” Echo-Hawk added. “She is another lefty slapper which we're kind of lacking this year. We're hoping she can kind of fill in the role and pick up some time in the outfield.”
Carrisosa, aka “Nugget,” was an all-league second team selection the past two seasons. She helped the Wolfpack to a 19-13 overall, 8-2 league record a year ago and an CIF Sac-Joaquin Section softball semifinal game appearance. She hit .306, scored 22 runs, and stole 10 bases a year ago.
“Nugget plays with a lot of heart,” Echo-Hawk said. “She's not really big but she makes up with it for how hard she works and how much she has dedicated to this program.”
Flores sat out most of her junior season due to injury but played the final five league games of last season and into the playoffs. She was an all-league and 5A All-State first team selection as a catcher her sophomore year at Liberty HS. She hit .390 with five doubles and a team high 28 RBIs as a that year.?
“Alex will add to our offensive lineup,” Echo-Hawk added. “She can take the ball deep; she has a lot of power. She is a versatile player who can catch and play either of the corner positions.”
Gardner can play both the infield and outfield. She was an Oregon 6A runner-up last year with South Salem HS. She earned first team all-league and second team all-state honors as a sophomore.
“Kelsie is a lefty with speed and size,” Echo-Hawk said. “She's tall and is really smooth on defense. She can fill in that gap as a table setter for our team.”
Hendrix, a pitcher from Emerald Ridge HS in Puyallup, Wash., was South Puget Sound League's (SPSL) Most Valuable Player in 2012. She was also named to the Tacoma News Tribune All-Area first team and was the Tacoma Athletic Commission Softball Player of the Year. She was named the team's MVP after hitting .640 as a junior.
“Meagan is a left-handed pitcher who is really intense on the mound,” Echo-Hawk added. “She has the same presence on the mound as Anna (Bertrand). She just wants to win. She's going to be a great addition to our pitching staff.”
Stanford was an all-state second team and first team All-Portland Interscholastic League (PIL) honoree in 2012 as a junior. She was also named the PIL Player of the Year as an outfielder. She is a career .499 hitter and helped Lincoln to the PIL Championship last season.
“I've known Jenna since she was little,” Echo-Hawk said. “I used to work with her when she was in seventh grade. It's nice to see her come full circle. To see where she started, and now to see her coming to play for me, it's special for both of us.”
The seven will be joining a 2014 Viking squad that will be losing four seniors at the end of the year. The 2013 Vikings start their season Feb. 7, 2013 with San Jose State at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.
The Vikings will be playing in the Big Sky Conference for the first time since the conference expanded to include North Dakota and Southern Utah this season. They are coming off a Pacific Coast Softball Conference Championship last season and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
PORTLAND STATE SOFTBALL NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNEES FOR THE 2014 SEASON
Amee Aarhus, IF/OF, 5-5, L/R, Camas, Wash. (Camas HS)
Mackenzie Bourbanis, OF, 5-5, L/L, Tacoma, Wash. (Fife HS)
Celena Carrisosa, IN/OF, 5-3, L/R, Tracy, Calif. (Merrill F. West HS)
Alex Flores, C, 5-7, R/R, Hillsboro, Ore. (Liberty HS)
Kelsie Gardner, IF/OF, 5-8, L/R, Salem, Ore. (South Salem HS)
Meagan Hendrix, P, 5-6, L/L, Puyallup, Wash. (Emerald Ridge HS)
Jenna Stanford, OF, 5-9, R/R, Portland, Ore. (Lincoln HS)
