University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Signing Class Ranks 2nd Nationally
November 18, 2014 | Softball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - After leading Tennessee to the NCAA Super Regionals last season for the seventh time in program history, UT softball co-head coaches Ralph Weekly and Karen Weekly have once again assembled one of the nation's top recruiting classes. On Tuesday, Tennessee softball announced that nine outstanding student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Orange and White in the 2015-16 academic year.
"Karen and I are very pleased with this class of exceptional student-athletes," Tennessee softball co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. "We addressed a need for depth at every position on our roster. These young ladies are leaders in the classroom and on the softball field. We expect them to make an immediate impact when they arrive on campus."
Nov. 12 marked the start of the early National Letter of Intent signing period for prospective softball student-athletes enrolling in the 2015-16 academic year.
Tennessee's 2015 signing class features Haley Bearden, Bria Bush, Brittany Edmondson, Aubrey Leach, Abby Lockman, Kelsey Morrison, Matty Moss, Taylor Rowland and Brooke Vines. The 2015 UT signing class is ranked No. 2 in FullCountSoftball.com's (the softball division of StudentSports.com) Top 25 Recruiting Class rankings. Tennessee is the only school with six players ranked in the top 75 of FullCountSoftball.com Hot 100 Players. Full Count Softball ranks Vines at No. 7, Leach at No. 22, Rowland at No. 59, Lockman at No. 60, Edmondson at No. 62 and Bush at No. 72.
Tennessee went 46-12 in 2014, making its seventh NCAA Super Regional in the last 10 seasons. The Big Orange has won at least 40 games in each of its last 12 seasons. Tennessee will celebrate its 20th year of softball in 2015. NFCA All-American and 2014 NFCA Co-Freshman of the Year Annie Aldrete is among UT's nine returning veterans. The Lady Vols also feature eight exciting newcomers for the upcoming 2015 campaign. Tennessee has made six Women's College World Series appearances in the last 10 years with five finishes in the top three.
| Tennessee Softball 2015 Recruiting Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown/Last School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Haley Bearden | C/IF | 5-11 | Clarksville, Tenn./Clarksville HS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bria Bush | P/IF | 5-10 | Buford/Buford HS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brittany Edmondson | OF | 5-7 | Antioch, Tenn./Ezell-Harding Christian School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aubrey Leach | IF/OF | 5-4 | The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abby Lockman | IF/C | 5-8 | Corona, Calif./Norco HS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kelsey Morrison | P/IF/OF | 5-11 | Windermere, Fla./West Orange HS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Matty Moss | P | 5-9 | Greenville, S.C./J.L. Mann Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taylor Rowland | IF | 5-7 | Chino Hills, Calif./Ruben S. Ayala HS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brooke Vines | IF | 5-8 | Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Haley Bearden, C/IF (Clarksville, Tenn.) Bearden is a two-time TSCA and Tennessee Sports Writers' All-State selection and helped lead Clarksville to three straight district titles from 2012-14. She has earned Tennessean All-Area honors in each of the last three seasons as a catcher/first baseman. She is coming off a stellar 2014 junior year in which she hit .464 and set school records with 64 hits, 19 homers and 73 RBIs. The 5-11 Bearden has also starred as a post player on the Clarksville girls basketball team in each of the last three years. She plays club ball for the Tennessee Illusions.
Bria Bush, P/IF (Buford, Ga.) Bush ranks as the No. 72 player in her class by Full Count Softball and has pitched Buford to four-straight GHSA Class AAAA state titles. She went a perfect 19-0 this fall, including 3-0 with a save in the state tournament. She has earned all-county, all-region and all-state honors in each of the previous three seasons. Bush was named the region Pitcher of the Year for her sophomore through senior seasons. She is coming off a 19-0 senior campaign in which she posted a 0.74 ERA and 109 strikeouts. Bush posted a 71-7 record, 32 postseason wins and 497 strikeouts in her high school career. Her good mix of both speed and control has made her one of the most dominant pitchers in the state of Georgia. She has played club ball for the Georgia Impact and the East Cobb Bullets.
Brittany Edmondson, OF (Antioch, Tenn.) Edmondson is rated the as the No. 62 player in Full Count Softball's Hot 100. She helped lead Ezell-Harding Christian to the 2013 state title and has earned all-state honors in each of the last two seasons and all-region accolades in each of the last three. She emerged as an elite talent as a sophomore in 2013 when she hit .610 with four homers, 31 RBIs and 27 stolen bases to spark Ezell-Harding on its championship run. Edmondson dashes out of the box with incredible speed and displays outstanding defensive range in the outfield. She won ASA state championships with her club team, the Tennessee Ballhawks '97, in both 2010 and 2012.
Aubrey Leach, IF/OF (The Woodlands, Texas) Leach was named a 2014 NFCA First-Team All-American following an outstanding junior year when the shortstop hit .586 with six homers, eight triples, 48 RBIs and 51 stolen bases and led The Woodlands to a Texas state runner-up finish. She also received All-America honors from both Max Preps (2013, 2014) and Full Count Softball. Leach ranks as the No. 22 player in the 2015 recruiting class according to Full Count Softball and is considered one of the top leadoff hitters in the nation. This past summer, she hit .400 with 49 runs scored and helped the Sudden Impact Gold take co-champion honors at the So Cal A's Invitational. Athleticism runs deep in her family as her grandmother, Wilma Ann Williams-Leach was a member of the Rockford Peaches in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Abby Lockman, IF/C (Corona, Calif.) Lockman ranks as the No. 60 recruit in her class, according to Full Count Softball. She is a two-time CalHiSports.com all-state selection, earning first-team honors in 2014 and second-team honors in 2013. As a junior in 2014, she helped lead Norco to the Big VIII league title while playing catcher and hitting .462 with six home runs and 30 RBIs. She enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign in 2013, playing first base and hitting .358 with eight homers and 35 RBIs. Lockman was a high school teammate of current Tennessee sophomore Taylor Koenig. She helped lead the Corona Angles to three-straight Triple Crown Nationals crowns (2012-14) and a 2014 Premier Girls Fastpitch 18U Gold runner-up finish.
Kelsey Morrison, P/IF/OF (Windermere, Fla.) Morrison is a dynamic pitcher/hitter who earned Florida all-state honors in 2013 and helped lead West Orange to a 2013 regional title. She has played pitcher, first base, second base and in the outfield. Morrison is coming off a junior season in which she hit .388 with five homers, 28 RBIs and seven stolen bases. In her high school career to date, she has compiled 12 homers and 88 RBIs while posting a 36-10 record and 243 strikeouts in the circle. She plays club ball for the Windermere Wildfire-Strutsman and helped lead her team to a 2012 ASA Southern National championship and a 2013 state title
Matty Moss, P (Greenville, S.C.) Moss is an elite pitcher who has been clocked at 69 mph and thrown no-hitters in her high school and travel ball career. Moss played two seasons of high school ball at J.L. Mann and was a Class AAAA all-state selection and the Region Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2013. She has played travel ball for the Carolina Elite team in each of the past two seasons and pitched in the Premier Girls Fastpitch 18 U Gold nationals as a junior, recording 15 strikeouts in one game. Her Carolina Elite team placed 25th at the ASA 16U Nationals and 17th at the PGF 18U Gold Nationals. Her team was the 2014 Team New Jersey Summer Classic runner-up.
Taylor Rowland, IF (Chino Hills, Calif.) Rowland ranks as the No. 59 player in Full Count Softball's Hot 100. The power-hitting lefty first baseman is coming off a 2014 junior campaign in which she earned all-league honors after hitting .371 with eight homers and 33 RBIs. She earned Rookie of the Year accolades as a sophomore in 2013 when she hit .407 with six homers. She has been a winner in travel ball the last several years, playing for the Orange County Batbusters and the So Cal Athletics. Her signature moment came in 2011 when she hit a three-run double with the bases loaded and two outs to give the Batbusters the PGF national title.
Brooke Vines, IF (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) As one of the best overall athletes in her class, Vines is rated as the No. 7 overall recruit in Full Count Softball's Hot 100. She is a team leader on the So Cal Athletics and helped lead the team to national championships in 2012 and 2013 and a third-place finish in 2014. In the So Cal A's 2014 run, Vines hit .500 (16-for-32) and displayed outstanding defense in the outfield with good instincts, range and fundamentals. Vines played high school ball at Palos Verdes Peninsula hitting .447 with 16 stolen bases as a freshman and .478 with 23 stolen bases as a sophomore. Over the course of her summer ball and high school career, she stole over 70 bases. On the So Cal Athletics, Vines was a four-year teammate of Taylor Koenig and a three-year teammate of Megan Geer.
