2011 UDM Softball Roster

Continuing to revamp the Titan softball team, head coach Sunny Jones today announced the signings of six more student-athletes for the 2011 season with five freshmen and a junior college transfer.

Joining the Titans will be Angel Cole (Waterford, MI/Waterford Mott), Sara Cupp (Hartland, MI/Milford), Hannah Klenk (Hamilton, MI/Hamilton), Shelby Long (St. Peters, MO/Fort Zumwalt), Alyza Sherman (Urbana, OH/Urbana) and Whitney Stratton (Muskegon, MI/Fruitport).

“Our whole incoming class has a great work ethic and they all really love the game,” said Jones.

Four members of the latest recruiting class are from the State of Michigan, while the coaching staff also grabbed players from Missouri and Ohio.

Cole earned All-District honors in her final two seasons and ended her prep career as an All-Conference performer playing in the Kensington Lakes Athletic Association. She helped her squad to three straight district championships and also earned the school's student-athlete award for softball in all four of her years.

“Angel will work in our middle infield and give us more depth at both shortstop and second base,” said Jones. "She is a great hitter and can hit for both power and average and we are looking forward to all the great things Angel will bring.”

A team MVP in her final two seasons, Cupp collected a plethora of accolades in high school, including All-State Academic in 2009 and 2010 and All-Conference Academic all four of her years. She was tabbed an All-Conference and All-Area first baseman in 2009 before moving to catcher in her junior and senior years, where she was All-Conference, All-Area and All-District after batting .596. She set Milford's single-season home run record with seven long balls as a senior and holds the school record with 12 career homers. Off the field, she served as the fund raising chair of the National Honor Society, helping raise over $11,000 for a young cancer victim.

“Sara will add some depth behind the plate and is likely to see some time at the corners,” Jones said. “She will add power to the lineup from both sides of the plate. She's a hard worker and very focused and that should really help to set a tone with what will be a very young team next spring.”

Klenk leaves Hamilton as the school's all-time winningest pitcher with 70 victories and was named All-Conference in her final three seasons and All-Area, All-County, All-District and All-Region twice. As a senior, she compiled a 21-4 record with a 2.15 ERA and struck out 224 batters in 150 innings.

“Hannah will be able to add some depth in the middle infield, outfield and possibly see some innings in the circle,” commented Jones. “We will definitely utilize her speed on the base paths and I am really looking forward to seeing what she will bring to our program.”

Long was named first-team All-District, All-Conference and All-Region as a junior and second-team All-Conference and All-District in her senior year. She also was an All-Academic all four years and earned three letters in track and field.

“Shelby is going to bring a ton of experience as a catcher. She's a very knowledgeable player in all aspects of the game, and she'll really be able to command the field, while bringing a strong bat to the plate,” added Jones.

Sherman, a two-time team captain who batted .426 as a senior, was a first-team All-Conference nominee as well as All-County and All-Area in her final three seasons. As a senior, she added All-Metro to her honors list. She helped the Sparky Hillclimbers to back-to-back league championships in 2009 and 2010, sectional championships in 2007 and 2010 and a district title and regional runner-up effort as a senior.

“Alyza is another big asset with speed and lefty pressure,” Jones said. “We will be looking for her to come in and push for a couple of different positions. She has a wonderful spirit and attitude for the game of softball and will definitely push herself and her teammates.”

Stratton, the lone JUCO transfer, is coming off a great season at Muskegon Community College where she hit .401 and drove in 74 runs en route to being named National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) second-team All-American and leading the Jayhawks to a NJCAA Division II national championship. She was selected NJCAA All-Region, All-State and first-team MCCAA Western Conference and was also honored by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a first-team All-American, which recognizes student-athletes that show dedication in the areas of strength training and conditioning. In high school, she set a school record with a .550 batting average as a sophomore and was a four-time All-Conference and All-District performer.

“Whitney is coming off of a terrific season and will bring us a winning attitude and someone who has experience in big games at the shortstop position,” said Jones. “Whitney will also bring a solid bat to our line-up with homerun power.”

The six signees join Lindsey Harrison (Warren, OH/Lordstown), Katelyn Steffel (Defiance, OH/Defiance), Anna Runge (Omaha, NE/Millard) and Karyn McCarty (Allen Park, MI/Cabrini), who all signed with the program in the fall. For more information on those student-athletes, click here.