Nov. 10, 2011
SEATTLE - Head softball coach Heather Tarr announced the addition of five student-athletes who signed National Letters of Intent to attend UW and play softball beginning in 2013. Dani Braun, Jocelyn Cater, Jenna Kreamer, Jennie McNeill and Missy Taukeiaho come from two different countries and three states to UW. Braun hails from Chehalis, Wash., where she attended W.F. West High School. She is a right-handed utility player and plays club ball for the Northwest Sidewinders. In 2010 she set her HS record for triples. In 2009 she was the teams Rookie of the Year, earned Second-Team All-Evergreen Conference and was named the Seattle Times Player of the Week. In 2010 she earned first-team all-conference and was named The Chronicle All-Area team. In 2011 she was named MVP by both the Evergreen Conference and The Chronicle. Along with playing varsity fastpitch, she was also a two-year varsity soccer letterwinner. "Dani is a versatile athlete who will compete for time at any of the infield positions and in the outfield. Offensively, she will make our line up more dynamic as she can hit for both power and average. Dani is a tremendous student who will enter UW as a freshman with an AA degree." Tarr said. From Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, Cater is the next in a great line of Canadian National Team players to come to Washington. She attends Seaquam Secondary School and plays club for the White Rock Renegades 95'. She will join current Husky and Canadian teammate Victoria Hayward and follow in the footsteps as a pitcher of Danielle Lawrie. She recently pitched at the Canadian Open for both the Junior and Senior National Teams and the Softball World Cup this past summer. She most recently earned a silver medal at the Pan-Am Games in Oct., and at the World Junior Qualifying Games in Columbia. "Jocelyn has a chance to be one of the best pitchers to play at UW. She's a hard throwing left-handed pitcher with big time international experience, playing for both the junior and senior Canadian National teams. We are excited to see her compete with the junior team this December in South Africa and the senior team this summer at the Canadian Open and the World Championships in the Yukon." Kreamer hails from Shreveport, La., where she is attending Evangel Christian Academy and playing for the American Freedom Gold. She is a two-time all-district MVP, a three-time all-district, all-area and all-state player and in 2010 was selection to the all-region team and has a Second-Team All-American. She set the school record with the most triples in a season (11), highest slugging percentage (.882) and highest batting average at the State Championship (.727). She has led her team to three-straight state championships. "Jenna committed to UW because she wants to help us win another national title. She has played for a very successful Evangel Christian high school program that has won three state championships in the past three years. She is a right handed power hitter that can compete at third base and play in the corner outfield positions. She is the first Husky to come from the state of Louisiana." From Simi Valley, Calif., McNeill will join the Huskies out of Notre Dame HS in Sherman Oaks and plays for the So Cal Pumas 18 Gold. In 2009 she was the Notre Dame Female Athlete of the Year and helped her basketball team to the CIF Division III Championship. In 2010 she was the basketball Defensive Player of the Year and made the CIF Academic Team for softball and basketball. In 2011, she was MVP of her HS softball team, the Mission League MVP, First-Team All-League, All-CIF Division III and a Los Angeles Daily News All-Valley selection. She also earned academic honors for the second-straight year. In HS the last two years, she has hit .539 and .492, had 80 total hits, 22 RBI and 45 stolen bases out of 47 attempts. "Jennie is fast, can play middle infield and bats left-handed," Tarr said. "We expect her to fit in right away and add speed to our line up with the graduation of Kimi Pohlman. She is versatile and will also compete for time in our outfield. Jennie has always wanted to be a Husky since she came on a visit to UW when her brother, who plays football at Wyoming, was recruited to play football here several years ago. She is a great student who will be able to thrive in the classroom here." Taukeiaho is also from California, out of Rancho Cucamonga. She attends Etiwanda HS and plays for the Worth Firecrackers 18U Gold. In she was a 2009 First-Team All-Baseline League selection and then the 2010 and 2011 MVP of the league. She was a First-Team ESPNRISE All-American in 2011 and named the Junior Player of the Year in Calif. She also earned the Daily Bulletin's Player of the Year in 2011, the Sluggers Award from 2009-2011, Team MVP in 2010-2011. Along with being a great athlete, she has also earned several academic honors. She has several family connections to the Pac-12 as she has had relatives play football at Arizona State and Oregon State. "Missy is one of the best hitters in the game of softball," said Tarr. "She is tough and competitive and that's why she's going to be a great Husky in the years to come. Her experience playing for the Worth Firecrackers and for Coach Tony Rico will allow her an immediate opportunity to play right away." |
