Bronco Softball Welcomes Three As Part Of The Class Of 2014

Bronco Softball Welcomes Three As Part Of The Class Of 2014

Jan. 8, 2010

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara softball head coach Lisa Mize signed three recruits to National Letters of Intent. The three early-period signees will make up part of the SCU class of 2014 and will start their collegiate careers in the 2011 season.

Joining the Broncos will be Jessica Turner (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Stephanie Fisher (Tracy, Calif.), and Laura Luther (Vancouver, Wash.), and each will fill a different need on the field.

Turner, a pitcher for Broken Arrow H.S. (Okla.) and the Tulsa Shootout Gold club team, helped her school win back-to-back Oklahoma 6A State Championships in 2008 and 2009. In her final season this fall, she was named the Conference Pitcher of the Year for the third time in her career, all-region, and all-state, and set her school's single season strikeout record with 208 Ks. Turner also competed in basketball.

In the classroom, Turner has also been outstanding. Her class rank of 60 has put her in the top 3-6% for all four years of high school, she is a member of the National Honor Society, was named academic all-conference four times, and twice was selected as the Tulsa Area Alliance of Black School Educators' Student of the Year. In 2009, she was also honored at the Warren Spahn Awards and was selected as the Ferguson Jenkins Outstanding Student Athlete Recipient.

"We are thrilled to have Jessica be part of our Bronco family and can not wait to get her to Santa Clara," said Mize. "Jessica is an extremely talented power pitcher and has both speed and movement in repertoire. Her softball accomplishments are endless and she will make an immediate impact to our program. I believe Jessica has the ability to take us to the next level."

Luther joins Turner as the only other out-of-state signee, hailing from Pacific Northwest. Luther played for Columbia River High School and Washington Eruption Gold. The right-hander has the ability to play both the corners and the outfield and is widely regarded as a power-hitter. At Columbia River, she was selected first-team Greater St. Helens League her freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons, and has led the team in batting average each year. At the club level, she has been a part of four state champion teams. The high school scholar-athlete also competed in basketball.

Off the field, Luther is involved in a number of charitable and academic programs, including the National Honor Society, Key Club, Oregon Humane Society, and Key Club.

"We were so happy when Laura accepted the offer to play for Santa Clara," said Mize. "Laura is someone who can change the game with one swing of the bat and is a definite impact hitter. Laura is an extremely hard worker on the field and in the classroom and will help elevate our team as a whole."

Fisher, the only Californian in the group, is a left-handed outfielder from Tracy High School and the RR Gold Regapala club. Mize believes Fisher, like Luther, will also be a presence at the plate with the ability to frequently clear the fence. In 2009 she was an all-league outfielder for her high school and was named the team's MVP in 2008 and 2007. Fisher is also a scholar-athlete and in addition to playing softball, ran cross country in high school.

"Stephanie will be an awesome addition to the Bronco program as she is a finessed outfielder and left handed power hitter. She has a great sense for the game and does a great job running balls down in the outfield and makes the difficult plays look easy. She will add speed and power from the left side to our offense and I am so proud to have Stephanie be a part of our Bronco Family."

Santa Clara begins the 2010 season on the road at Fresno State on Feb. 12.