East Carolina Softball Adds Four for the 2016 Season
August 21, 2015 | Softball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - After completing her coaching staff last month, East Carolina head softball coach Courtney Oliver announced the 2016 signing class Friday afternoon. The class is made up of four incoming freshman in Morgan Halo, Tate McClellan, Ashley Weingartz and Mary Williams.
The quartet includes a pair of right-handed pitchers in Halo and Williams as well as an infielder in McClellan and a catcher/outfielder in Weingartz. Halo, Weingartz and Williams are all North Carolina natives, while McClellan comes to ECU from Florida.
Halo is a freshman right-handed pitcher and infielder who played four years at Wheatmore High School. The Sophia, N.C., native led the Warriors to four conference championships, four all-district titles and four all-state championships. Additionally, she was a three-time PAC-6 Conference Pitcher of the Year and was named Randolph County Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014. The 2013 District Pitcher of the Year came back and was named District Player of the Year in 2014 before finishing her prep career with a 61-10 record in the circle, while batting .460 with 149 RBIs, 30 doubles, 19 home runs and seven triples.
"Morgan will make an immediate impact on the team as she is strong both offensively and defensively," Oliver said. "I expect her to come in and hit in the middle of our lineup."
McClellan comes to ECU after playing first and third base at Olympia High School in Florida. She was a four-year letterwinner and a team captain for two years for the Titans where she was a three-time All-Central Florida High School Softball selection. The product out of Windermere, Fla., batted .538 with 27 RBIs and six home runs which culminated in her collecting MVP honors in her senior year. McClellan finished her prep career with a pair of MVP accolades and an Offensive Player of the Year award in 2013.
"Tate will be a huge asset to us, both offensively and defensively," Oliver explained. "She is a strong corner player who is also a power hitter. We expect big things from her."
Weingartz is a Greenville, N.C., native who was a four-time all-conference selection and three-time MVP at J.H. Rose High School where she played catcher and outfield. She posted a .373 batting average during her four-year prep career with a career-best .509 average her sophomore season en route to winning the Silver Slugger award. Weingartz earned All-Pitt County Honors following her junior year in which she hit .323. She played her senior year under former East Carolina Softball standout Kristi Oshiro. Weingartz also played for the Lady Lightning East Club Team under Kraig Westerbeek where she batted .435 with a .580 on-base percentage as she traveled to the ASA Gold Nationals in 2014.
"Ashley is going to be able to give us the depth we need behind the plate this year," Oliver stated. "She is a very hard working kid. She and Alex Mycek will fill out the catcher spot well for us this season."
Rounding out the 2016 signing class is Williams who comes to East Carolina from Cape Fear High School where she lettered in softball and track. The Stedman, N.C., native is a right-handed pitcher and utility player who finished her prep career with a list of accolades including Conference Player of the Year, Conference Tournament MVP, Regional Player of the Year and North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015. In her final season, she led the Colts to a 22-1 record en route to winning the conference title, which Cape Fear High School also won in 2014 after going 26-3. Williams pitched 121.1 innings of work with 235 strikeouts in her senior year and hit .506 with 52 RBIs to go along with seven home runs. She gained club team experience with the Carolina Wildcats where she played under coaches Jeff McPhail and Marty Cooper.
"I am excited to start working with Mary this fall," Oliver said. "She is a power pitcher who I think will have a lot of success at ECU."
The quartet of newcomers will join a competitive squad made up of five sophomores, six juniors and four seniors in Casey Alcorn, Kelsi Briggs, Nicole Cheek and Meredith Mitchell.
