Youngstown State softball team signs 3 to join BHS’ Meenachan

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown State softball program signed three players to letter of intent during the early signing period, joiningg Boardman’s Brooke Meenachan.

The others are Kayla Haslett of Baden, Pa.; Kaitlyn Kite of Urbana, and Samantha Troxell of Cuyahoga Falls.

“We have brought in four highly-skilled athletes that we hope will fill the void of departing seniors,” said YSU coach Brian Campbell in a statement.

Haslett, a right-handed pitcher and infielder, struck out 144 batters and owned an earned-run average of 0.89 in 2010. The Beaver County Times player of the year, Haslett also batted .464 with seven home runs and 19 stolen bases.

“Kayla brings added depth to our pitching staff and has the ability to play multiple positions in the infield,” Campbell said.

Kite, a catcher and corner infielder, was a three-time All-Ohio Heritage Conference selection and earned second-team Divsion III all-state honors as a junior. In 2010, Kite batted .507 with 16 doubles, eight home runs and 44 RBIs. For her career, Kite carries a .466 batting average with 36 doubles, 21 home runs and 98 RBIs.

“Kaitlyn has tremendous drive and work ethic,” Campbell said. “What she brings to the table is a knack for getting on base and hitting the ball sharply.”

Troxell, a middle infielder, was a Division I second team All-Ohioan after batting .477 with a slugging percentage of .662 and an on-base percentage of .549. She also earned first team all-district and all-Northeast Ohio honors.

“Defensively, Samantha has good range and keeps everything in front of her,” Campbell said. “She is another player that gets on base a lot and pressures defenses when she is on base.”

The Penguins open the 2011 season against Kent State at the Phoenix Lead-Off Classic in Elon, N.C., on Feb. 12.