Dec. 3, 2007

Grand Valley State head softball coach Doug Woods announced the signing of four student-athletes for the 2009 season. Becky Gill (Whitehouse, Ohio/Anthony Wayne High School), Maggie Kerrigan (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East High School), Andrea Nicholson (Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake High School), and Carli Raisutis (Palos Hills, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg High School) will all attend and play softball for Grand Valley.

Gill, a 5-10 pitcher/first baseman, has tallied a 46-16 pitching record in three seasons on the varsity squad at Anthony Wayne High School. As a sophomore, she tallied a 22-4 record with a 0.84 ERA. In 174 innings pitched, she recorded 225 strikeouts and added a .352 batting average with 24 RBI and three home runs. During her junior senior, she had a 1.37 ERA, 199 strikeouts and a 17-6 record. She also hit three home runs, 16 RBI and a .344 batting average. Gill helped her team to back-to-back Northern Lakes League Championships. Her team was also sectional and district champions and finished as regional runner-ups her sophomore season. She earned Northern Lakes League First Team honors both her sophomore and junior seasons. Becky was named to the Northwest Ohio District First Team as a sophomore and Second Team as a junior. She has also played four seasons of volleyball and is a member of National Honor Society, Spanish Club, Anthony Wayne Youth Challenge Program, and Yearbook. Becky plans on majoring in Early Childhood Education at Grand Valley State.

"Becky Gill is a pitcher with the abilities defensively to play other infield positions and she is also a power hitter," said Woods.

Kerrigan is a 5-1 utility player who plays softball for Lincoln-Way East High School. She was named her team captin and earned team's best defense award as a sophomore. She was also a scholar-athlete her sophomore and junior seasons as she maintained a 3.5 or better during the season. Maggie helped her team to a regional, sectional, and super-sectional championships, while also qualifying for states during her junior year. Kerrigan has also played basketball for three seasons and is a member of Peer Helpers and Pi Sigma Pi. She will major in exercise science at Grand Valley.

"Maggie Kerrigan is an extremely talented defensive player with excellent speed with the ability to steal a base," added Woods.

Nicholson, a 5-4 pitcher, led Avon Lake High School with an 18-3 overall record during her sophomore year. She tallied 275 strikeouts and 14 shutouts. She earned All-Southwestern Conference First Team honors twice and all-state honorable mention plaudits once. She was named her team MVP three times and conference MVP once. As a junior, she earned Lorain Journal Softball Player of the Year honors. Andrea led her team to a conference and district championship title her junior year. She also played volleyball and basketball and was a member of the National Honor Society, Varsity Club, and Key Club. Nicholson plans on majoring in biomedical science at Grand Valley State.

"Nicholson is a solid, talented pitcher who is coming off a great junior season," said Woods.

Raisutis is a 5-8 catcher/third baseman who plays softball for Amos Alonzo Stagg High School. She was named her team's Rookie of the Year as a sophomore and Miss Consistency as a junior. She led her team to a win in sectionals with a two run double to win, 3-0 against a pitcher who held the state records for no-hitters and strikeouts. Raisutis will major in psychology at Grand Valley.

"Raisutis is a good player defensively who has the ability to drive the ball for extra base hits," said Woods.

"We expect all of these players to come in and make contributions to our program during the 2009 season," added Woods.