BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU head softball coach Beth Torina today announced the signing of seven high school standouts that will join the Tigers for the 2017 season in Aliyah Andrews, Michal Cunningham, Nicky Dawson, Amanda Doyle, Maribeth Gorsuch, Sydney Springfield and Claire Weinberger.
Torina, who now enters her fifth season at the helm of the program, led the Tigers to a historic 52-14 overall record last season, earning the program’s fourth trip to the Women’s College World Series and second under Torina’s leadership. After inking a very versatile class last year, this year’s group is considered one of the best in the nation as website FloSoftball ranked the class No. 2 overall.
“We are so excited about this signing class and everything they will bring to this program. They are a well-rounded group and will help our program in many different areas,” Torina said. “Not only do they bring great athletic ability to our program, but they have outstanding character. We are proud of this class and expect them to represent LSU at the highest level.”
The first LSU signee is Andrews, who will be entering her senior year at East Lake High School with a district championship under her belt. The five-foot-seven speedster was named a Tampa Bay Times first team All-Pinellas County and All-Tampa Bay selection, hitting .456 as a junior, striking out just three times all season and stealing 30 bases, as she has been an all-county selection three times and all-Sun Coast selection once. She follows in the footsteps of her older sister A.J., who graduated last season after a multiple All-SEC career for the Tigers.
“Aliyah has so many tools that will help make her successful. She brings great speed to our program and will be a really tough out at the plate,” Torina said. “She also brings fearless mindset on defense and can make game changing plays in the outfield.”
A three-sport prep athlete at Wheelersburg High School in Ohio, Cunningham is coming off of a year where she was named the Southern Ohio Conference’s Division 2 Player of the Year. For her efforts, she has been selected as a first team all-conference, all-district and all-state player, winning two conference and district titles and a regional title leading to the state semifinals during her high school career. As a junior she hit .560, leading her team in hits, RBI, runs scored and on-base percentage.
“Michal is a true utility player. Her main position is catcher, and she will see quite a bit of time here in her LSU career,” Torina said. “However, she is a very solid defender and could also compete for any infield position. Her travel team has played against great competition for her entire career and she understands how to win at the highest level.”
Dawson, the first of two local products in this class, has been a stalwart on the local prep scene in a host of sports down the road at Parkview Baptist High school and has helped re-write the school’s record books. Since the eighth grade, Dawson has been on the receiving end of a litany of prep awards, including being a five-time all-district and all-metro selection and four time all-state selection, while taking home most valuable player honors for the district and metro areas in 2015. She was the 2015 Mariucci Softball Player of the year, and is considered one of the top 100 recruits in the country after hitting .602 with 74 hits, 41 RBI, 1.033 slugging percentage and 59 stolen bases.
“Is it always great when the best talent is right here in Baton Rouge, as we truly love having our local players representing their state in Purple and Gold,” Torina said. “Nicky has been a true Tiger fan her entire life and she will proudly represent LSU every day she is here. She is a natural athlete and will be one of the best athletes in our program. Expect her to break weight room records and set the bar for our team’s preparation to compete.”
A native of California, Doyle’s junior year was another productive one as she was named to the All-Santa Clarita Valley first team for the second consecutive year. Prepping at Canyon High School, she led her team with a .400 batting average, driving in 26 with six home runs, owning a .449 on-base percentage and .775 slugging mark. The infielder has been a two-time team most valuable player award winner, top defensive player award winner and a two-time Foothill League selection.
“Amanda is an amazing offensive talent. She is able to hit for average and power, and she has shown that she can do it against the best pitching in her age group,” Torina said. “She has played for great teams in her career and has a lot of experience that will make her transition into the college game very smooth. I expect her to make an immediate impact on our program.”
Gorsuch is coming off of a year in which she helped lead Lewisville High School to the state title game for the second time in three seasons back in early June. She was named a CBS/MaxPreps All-American and was one of just two non-seniors and four Texans named to the list. One of the top pitchers in the state, Gorsuch was 24-5 in the circle with a 0.86 earned run average with 343 strikeouts in 210 innings of work. The 2015 SportsDay All-Area Player of the Year was also a force at the plate, hitting .463 with 50 hits, eight being home runs, and 32 RBI on the season.
“Maribeth is an outstanding talent on the mound and was highly recruited by schools throughout the country. We consider ourselves lucky to have her at LSU,” Torina said. “While she will be a mainstay in the circle for LSU in the years to come, she will also help the program in other areas as a talented hitter and outfielder too. We look for her to be a big contributor in several different areas.”
Another native Texan is Springfield, who as a junior led Flower Mound to a 2015 district championship with a 15-1 record in class 6-6A and reached the regional quarterfinals of the state tournament. She was named first team all-district at first base last season in a district that featured the four largest schools in the state, with Gorsuch’s Lewisville among them, after hitting over .390 with more than five home runs to help power an offense that averaged over seven runs per game last season.
“Sydney is great hitter that brings a tremendous amount of power to our offense. She has the potential to hit in the middle of our lineup for her entire career,” Torina said. “Also, while she is primarily a first baseman, she is a good athlete and has the ability to play several positions well on the field.”
The final signee is Weinberger and the second Louisiana product to ink with LSU coming out of East Ascension High School. Weinberger, also a first-team all-district selection in volleyball, has been dependable on the diamond as she helped lead the Spartans to the state semifinals last season in the state’s largest class, sending them there after earning the game-winning hit in the quarterfinals. She finished the year hitting .582 with 28 RBI in being named first team all-district, all-metro and all-state.
“Claire is a special talent who brings speed and athleticism to our program. She is such a tough out at the plate, not just due to her ability, but due to how she competes,” Torina said. “She always makes things happen for her team and could easily find herself in the top of our lineup at some point in her LSU career. Claire is sure to be a fan favorite in Baton Rouge.”
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball along with @lsusoftball and @BethTorina on Twitter and @lsusb on Instagram.