Nov. 17, 2004
Columbia, Mo. - Missouri softball Head Coach Ty Singleton announced today that four Missouri natives have officially committed to the 2005-06 Tiger softball team. Andee Allen, Katie Milles, Gina Schneider and Megan Dennis will each bring athleticism, high academic standards and a strong commitment to winning to the growing MU softball program.
"All four of these young women strive for excellence on a daily basis in the classroom, on the field and in their personal lives with their friends and family," Singleton said. "We are very excited to have Andee, Katie, Megan and Gina join our softball program here at Mizzou. It doesn't happen often in college recruiting that coaches are able to get every one of their very top prospects to commit to their program, but we were so fortunate for this to happen for us this year."
This year's fall softball signing class marks the first time in several years that all four signees are from within the state of Missouri.
Allen, a native of Imperial, Mo., is a senior at Windsor High School. An All-State honoree in the fall of 2004, Allen led the St. Louis metro area in several offensive stats including batting average (.708), on-base percentage (.794) and slugging percentage (1.354). Under Head Coach Heath Allison, Allen has developed incredible speed stealing 21 bases during regular-season action. In the off season, Allen is a member of the St. Louis Fusion club softball team coached by Greg Pennock.
Milles will join the Tiger team after completing her fourth year with the Cor Jesu Academy softball team in St. Louis. A versatile player, Milles has the ability to play every position of the field, with the exception of pitcher. Milles is coached by Noah Duncan at Cor Jesu Academy and plays with the St. Louis Sluggers directed by Chuck Van Velkinburgh. Strong on the field and also in the classroom, Milles is a member of the National Honor Soceity, High Honors, C.A.R.E., Pen Pals, and the Spanish Clubs.
Both Dennis and Schneider were teammates on the Class 4 State Champion Bluejays softball team from Liberty High School in Liberty, Mo. Led by Head Coach Scott Howard, Dennis and Schneider and the Bluejays defeated Jefferson City 3-1 in nine innings on Oct. 23, to win the 2004 title.
Dennis will enter the 2005-06 season as the Tigers third right-handed pitcher on staff after dominating the state this fall in the circle. A strong hitter, she will also compete for playing time at Mizzou in the infield and outfield. Dennis is a member of the Originals club softball team coached by Earl Turnure.
Playing shortstop and second base at Liberty High School, Schneider was the number two hitter and led an aggressive base-running offense. Schnedier also plays shortstop for the nationally competitive Kansas City Lasers club team coached Kurt Stanton.
"One of our goals when we arrived at Missouri was to build a top-10 program primarily with Missouri and Midwest players," Singleton said. "This recruiting class shows that our hard work to recruit in-state student-athletes is paying off with exactly the type of players we need to win the Big 12 title, and eventually to get to the College World Series."