@MizzouSoftball Announces Seven Signees To Class Of 2016
11/12/2015 12:02:00 PM | Softball
Head Coach Ehren Earleywine brings another talented group to Columbia
| MIZZOU SOFTBALL CLASS OF 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | POSITION | B/T | HOMETOWN | HIGH SCHOOL | CLUB TEAM(S) |
| Braxton Burnside | INF | R/R | Paragould, Ark. | Paragould | Arkansas Heat |
| Parker Conrad | RHP | R/R | Winter Park, Fla. | Winter Park | East Cobb Bullets |
| Gabrielle Garrison | OF | L/R | Missouri City, Texas | Ridge Point | Texas Magic |
| Cayla Kessinger | OF | L/R | Saugus, Calif. | Saugus | So Cal Choppers |
| Taylor Kirby | UT | R/R | Decatur, Ill. | Macon Meridian | STL Espirit 18 Premier |
| Bradi Kooyman | UT | L/R | Lodi, Calif. | Elliot Christian | CA Grapettes / CA Sorcerers |
| Lexi Rampetsreiter | OF | L/R | Lee's Summit, Mo. | Lee's Summit North | KC Peppers Gold |
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Softball head coach Ehren Earleywine announced Thursday that seven future student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the program in 2016.
Mizzou will welcome Braxton Burnside (Paragould, Ark.), Parker Conrad (Winter Park, Fla.), Gabrielle Garrison (Missouri City, Texas), Cayla Kessinger (Saugus, Calif.), Taylor Kirby (Decatur, Ill.), Bradi Kooyman (Lodi, Calif.) and Lexi Rampetsreiter (Lee's Summit, Mo.) to their roster next season.
"This class is very well-rounded and it addressed all of our needs for next year's team," Earleywine said. "As usual, associate head coach Pete D'Amour deserves a lot of credit for this class as our primary recruiter. Several of these ladies will make an immediate impact for our program and we're very excited to have them with us next fall."
Braxton Burnside
INF // Paragould, Ark. // Paragould High School
Burnside made her presence known early at Paragould, slugging 12 home runs and earning Newcomer of the Year honors in her freshman season. Burnside added eight home runs during her sophomore campaign and 12 home runs as a junior. Additionally, her .551 batting average in her junior campaign marked a single-season record at Paragould.
Burnside is a star multi-sport athlete at Paragould, earning All-State honors four times in volleyball and All-State honors in softball three times. Her break out junior season also earned her "Best Under the Sun" Co-Player of the Year honors with current Tiger freshman Chase Nelson.
Burnside competed with the Arkansas Heat on the club circuit and chose Mizzou over Alabama and Arkansas.
Parker Conrad
RHP // Winter Park, Fla. // Winter Park High School
Conrad is a powerful and imposing pitcher in the circle with a fastball reaching 65-67 mph. She made an instant impact at Winter Park, earning a starting spot on the varsity roster as a freshman. Conrad was named team MVP in 2014 as a sophomore, leading the Wildcats to a 2014 District Championship.
During her 2015 junior campaign, Conrad racked up 15 strikeouts per game. Conrad competed with the East Cobb Bullets on the club circuit and chose Mizzou over Boston College, FAU and Ole Miss.
Gabrielle Garrison
OF // Missouri City, Texas // Ridge Point High School
Garrison has enjoyed a successful career at Ridge Point, highlighted by an outstanding junior campaign which she hit .437 with 22 runs scored and a .500 OBP. Garrison's break out season led the Panthers to a 27-7 record and their first state championship and final four appearance in program history.
Before the team's breakthrough season in 2015, Garrison also led Ridge Point to consecutive region championships as a freshman in 2013 and sophomore in 2014. Garrison lettered in volleyball and softball, including achieving Academic All-District Team honors.
Garrison competed with the Texas Magic on the club circuit under head coach Ronnie Tovar. Texas Magic won back-to-back Class A ASA championships in 2013 and 2014. During the 2013 season, Garrison tallied a .727 batting average with 16 stolen bases and 20 runs scored.
Garrison chose Mizzou over Houston Baptist, Seton Hall, Texas Southern and University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Cayla Kessinger
OF // Saugus, Calif. // Saugus High School
In her 2014 sophomore season, Kessinger earned First Team All-League, First Team All SCV and Most Valuable Offensive Player honors. Kessinger continued her strong play in 2015, producing a .505 batting average with eight home runs and 28 RBIs.
For her outstanding season, Kessinger was named Second Team All-State, First Team All-Foothill League, First Team All-SCV and Most Valuable Offensive Player honors.
Kessinger has also excelled in the classroom at Saugus, achieving the 2014-15 Sammy Scholar Athlete Award for academics. Kessinger has competed with So Cal Choppers on the club circuit under coaches Dean Faucett and Bill Shipman. Kessinger picked Mizzou over Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Ole Miss, Oregon State, South Carolina and Virginia.
Taylor Kirby
UT // Decatur, Ill. // Macon Meridian High School
Kirby has 27 career home runs entering her senior season, holding the career and single-season home run records at Macon Meridian High School. Kirby also possesses the school records for single-season runs scored (58) and career runs scored (130). In 2014, Kirby produced the highest single-season slugging percentage (1.000) in school history and holds a career slugging percentage of .945.
Kirby tallied a .500 batting average as a junior, adding to her school-record .488 career batting average. She's also a four-year letter winner in volleyball as an outside hitter at Macon Meridian. Kirby has shined in the classroom as she's currently a member of the National Honor Society.
Kirby competed with STL Espirit 18 Premier on the club circuit under head coach Jim Huecker. Mizzou has been Kirby's top college choice since the beginning of the recruiting process.
Bradi Kooyman
UT // Lodi, Calif. // Elliot Christian High School
Kooyman has racked up impressive numbers entering her senior season at Elliot Christian. She has a career .756 batting average, 149 hits, 36 doubles, 34 triples, 16 home runs, 158 RBIs, 140 runs scored, .783 on-base percentage and 1.527 slugging percentage.
Kooyman was a 2013, 2014 and 2015 Max Preps California Small Schools All-State Softball Team member. During her junior campaign, Kooyman was named a Max Preps All-American.
The Lodi, Calif., native has excelled in the classroom as well, earning 2014 and 2015 Summa Cum Laude honors at Elliot Christian. Kooyman competed with CA Grapettes and CA Sorcerers on the club circuit throughout her career. She picked Mizzou over Arizona State, Oklahoma and Oregon.
Lexi Rampetsreiter
OF // Lee's Summit, Mo. // Lee's Summit North High School
Rampetsreiter holds the Lee's Summit North school record for single-season stolen bases (27) and has a 100-percent stolen base success rate in her career. Additionally, she possesses the single-season school record for runs scored (32).
Rampetsreiter has garnered multiple All-District and All-Conference honors during her Broncos career. She is also a three-time Missouri All-State track and field athlete, claiming honors in the 800m and 400m dash. Rampetsreiter and her teammates are the current Missouri Class 5 state record holder in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:50.99.
Rampetsreiter competed with KC Peppers Gold on the club circuit under head coach Dan Eakin. She picked Mizzou over Iowa State and UNI.
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