Wednesday, November 16, 2005

At the conclusion of the NCAA early signing period, the Mars Hill College Softball Program walked away with five future Lions committing to the institution. The five players represent strong additions for the recruiting class of 2006. “Each one of these young ladies has the potential to be an impact player for the program as early as their freshman season”, stated head coach David Williams. All five signees are from North Carolina.

Brittany Allen (Greensboro, NC) an outfielder from Western Guilford High School. Brittany will not be unfamiliar with coach Williams since she spent three years under his direction at the high school level. In 2005 as a junior she batted .444 while scoring 32 runs, and was named her team’s Offensive Player of the Year as well as being selected the squad’s Most Valuable Player. For her career she has maintained a .482 batting average and scored 84 runs. She was an All-Conference selection twice in her first three years of high school play. Brittany will bring offensive production from both sides of the plate as well as speed on the base paths.

Ashley Angell (Winston-Salem, NC) is an outfielder from North Davidson High School. Ashley is the product of a very strong high school program and travel team. Her travel program, the Crushers Red, won the NSA National Championship in 2004. Offensively, Ashley is a left-handed slapping threat with exceptional speed and poses a threat to the opposing defense. As a junior she hit .407, with an on-base percentage of .590. She also was a perfect 19-of-19 in the stolen base department and scored 31 runs. These numbers led to hear being named North Davidson’s Offensive Player of the Year for 2005.

Paige Brantley (Raleigh, NC) is a pitcher from Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. Paige is a strong right-handed pitcher who helped guide her high school team to the Class 4A State Championship in 2005. During her junior season in 2005 she posted a 16-2 record in the circle with 11 shutouts and an outstanding earned run average of 0.31. She managed to strike out 138 batters in 113 innings of work. She has seen her high school team win their conference title each of her first three seasons. She was named Conference Player of the Year in 2005 and has twice been named her team’s Most Valuable Player, in 2004 and 2005.

Tiffany Farthing (Kure Beach, NC) is a pitcher/utility player from Eugene Ashley High School. Tiffany is a right-handed pitcher who is also a threat at the plate batting from either side with tremendous speed. During the summer of 2005 playing for the Carolina Cougars she posted a 33-5 record in the circle with an earned run average of 0.62. She managed to strike out 197 batters in 236 innings of work. Offensively she batted .331 and stole 41 bases in 56 attempts. Tiffany has earned All Conference honors three times and was named Defensive Player of the Year for both her school’s conference and Eugene Ashley High School in 2005.

Christa Fullwood (Wilmington, NC) is a first basemen from Eugene Ashley High School. Christa will bring a strong left-handed bat to the Lions’ line-up as well as an excellent glove in the field. During the summer of 2005 playing for the Carolina Cougars she batted .405 and maintained a .963 fielding percentage. Christa missed her entire junior season of high school ball due to an injury. However, she was named to the All-Conference and All-Academic Teams in her first two seasons of high school action and was named All-State and Eugene Ashley’s Most Valuable Player in 2004. She will also appear on the hardwood for the Lions and has been an All-Conference selection in basketball as well.

Mars Hill College is a NCAA Division II institution and a member of the South Atlantic Conference. The league is comprised of schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

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