SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara softball head coach Lisa Mize has signed six student-athletes to NLIs for the 2016 season. Adele Elkind, an outfielder from Fort Worth, Texas, attended Fort Worth Country Day High School.

"I loved that Santa Clara was far from home, in California, and had the perfect student to faculty ratio and class size, but I chose to go mainly because I would be able to compete at the highest collegiate level while still being able to have a challenging academic experience that would prepare me well for my future career," said Elkind. "I also really appreciated how personal and easy Coach Mize was to talk to. When I saw the campus for the first time, the dugouts were just benches behind the fence and I still fell in love, so now that there are the new facilities, I am even more excited to come and experience everything for myself.  "

"Adele brings speed, competitiveness and grit to the Broncos," said Mize. "She will make an immediate impact in our lineup."

As a junior Elkind hit .521 with a .657 on-base percentage. That season her team went undefeated in conference play. As a sophomore she hit .547 with a .585 OBP. Elkind was named all-conference, all-zone, and MVP in each of her firs three years.

In each of her first three years, Fort Worth Country Day was North Zone champions and qualified for the Southwest Preparatory Conference tournament.

She was a member of the club team the Firecrackers. The team attended ASA, Triple Crown, and PGF Nationals.

Off the field Elkind was a member of the Diversity Club and led the first student-led Diversity Day. She was also a volunteer swim coach at the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Worth and was a 2015 Texas Girls State attendee. She won the best female athlete award in high school three straight years and was the Dale Hansen WFAA Scholar Athlete of the Week once. She received honors in ninth and 10th grade and high honors as a junior.

In her free time Elkind enjoys eating, coaching, and listening to music.