Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raider Softball Inks Eight in Fall Signing Period
November 08, 2017 | Softball
2018 class injects talent all across the field for head coach Adrian Gregory and staff.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech softball head coach Adrian Gregory and the Red Raider softball staff announced its 2018 signing class on Tuesday, consisting of eight players.
The class combines four signees from the state of Texas who have racked up eight all-state honors with highly coveted prospects from Oklahoma, Arizona, California and Oregon.
"We're super excited," head coach Adrian Gregory said of her 2018 class. "There's so much athleticism in this group. We have eight kids, so versatility all across the field. Our pitchers that we found want the ball. They want the big moment."
Five position players and two pitchers make up the haul for Gregory, who now enters her fifth season at the helm. The talented class features a western flair as prospects from California, Oregon and Arizona join four from the Lone Star State and one from the state of Oklahoma.
"We look for kids that love the game and want to play hard every moment, whether we're there or we're behind trees," Gregory said. "We want to see how they approach the game. Do they want the ball, do they want the big play, and how do they do in stressful situations because that's the game."
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2018 SIGNEES
Brooke BlackwelL
RHP - Grandview, TX (Grandview HS)
·        2017 District 17-3A MVP – Pitcher
·        2017 District and Area Champion, Regional Finalist
·        6-1 in district her junior year; 7 ER, 17 H, 78 Ks, 1.14 ERA, 43.0 IP
·        2016 & 2017 All-Johnson Country Pitcher of the Year
·        2015 All-Johnson Country Freshman of the Year at Joshua High School
·        2015, 2016 & 2017 Academic All-District, National Honor Society
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Peyton Blythe
OF – Hughes Springs, TX (Hughes Springs HS)
·        2017 TGCA Class 3A All-State First Team
·        2015, 2016 & 2017 TSWA Class 3A All-State First Team
·        2017 ETSN.FM East Texas Softball Player of the Year
·        2017 All-East Texas MVP by ETVarsity.com
·        2017 Texarkana Gazette All-Area MVP
·        2017 State semifinalist, 2016 regional champion, 2016 regional finalist
·        2016 & 2017 District MVP
·        2015 District 16-3A First Team
·        Four letters in volleyball, received all-district accolades her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons
·        Regional qualifier in track her freshman and sophomore years
·        Six academic all-district awards, National Honor Society Officer
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Yvonne Whaley
UTL – Houston, TX (Dobie HS)
·        2017 & 2016 TSWA Class 6A All-State Honorable Mention
·        2017, 2016 & 2015 First Team All-District 22-6A
·        Dobie High School Offensive MVP 2015 & 2017
·        Dobie High School Defensive MVP 2015 & 2017
·        Also earned two letters in volleyball and one in track
·        Played with 2017 signee Kelcy Leach on the Texas Sudden Impact travel team
·        Brother, Chris Whaley, played football at Texas and was a member of the Dallas Cowboys
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Zoe Jones
INF – Mustang, OK (Mustang HS)
·        2017 & 2014 Class 6A State Champion
·        2014-17 First Team All-Conference
·        2014-17 First Team All-Region
·        2014-17 First Team All-District
·        Mustang High School's career all-time leader in home runs and RBIs
·        Mother played collegiate softball at East Carolina University
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Miranda Padilla
INF – Downey, CA (Downey HS)
·        2017 & 2016 All-League MVP
·        2016 Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team Honorable Mention
·        Golden Glove Award
·        2015 PGF Premier Nationals 13th Place
·        Earned two letters in soccer
·        Three time recipient of the Maury Stauffer Award for a 4.0 GPA
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Grace Schmidt
Catcher – Surprise, AZ (Sunrise Mountain HS)
·        2017 Region Player of the Year
·        2017 All-State Second Team
·        2017 All-District First Team
·        2017 State finalist
 
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Morgan Hornback
RHP – Oregon City, OR (Oregon City HS)
·        2016 & 2017 Class 6A All-State First Team, First Team All-League
·        2017 Mount Hood Conference Player of the Year
·        2016 Mount Hood Conference Pitcher of the Year
·        2017 Class 6A State semifinalist, 2016 State quarterfinalist
·        Two 20+ strikeout games during her high school career
·        2015 First Team All-League
·        Also played volleyball and basketball growing up, playing basketball through her freshman year
Kaylee Buck
OF - Pearland, TX (Pearland HS)
·        2017 TGCA Class 6A All-State First Team
·        2017 TSWA Class 6A All-State Second Team
·        2017 NFCA South Central All-Region Second Team
·        2017 Class 6A State Finalist
·        2017 & 2016 First Team All-District
·        2015 Second Team All-District
