June 18, 2001
ATLANTA — The Georgia Tech softball team completed its recruiting efforts for the upcoming 2002 season by signing three players to letters of intent, head coach Kate Madden announced on Monday. Felicia Coursey (Conyers, Ga.) and Tara Neff (Conyers, Ga.) will enter Tech as juniors, after the pair attended Young Harris College the past two seasons. The final member of the group is Santa Ana, Calif., product Kirin Kumar.
The trio will be joined by Harrison High School teammates Jessica Sallinger and Katie Donovan, both of whom inked letters of intent in the early signing period.
“I feel very good about the class we have signed for the 2002 season,” said Tech head coach Kate Madden. “I think as a class, all five of them can contribute immediately for us. We filled the needs that we had on the team, especially by signing a group of players that will give us a great deal of speed in our lineup.”
Coursey and Neff both bring with them excellent credentials from their junior college careers, as both were selected to the All-Region team following the 2001 season. Coursey was the captain of Young Harris* 2001 team and was selected as the team*s offensive player of the year, along with making the All-Tournament team of the Region XIV tournament last season. As a freshman Cousey was named MVP of the Louisburg Tournament and earned All-Tourney honors at the Meridian Community College Tournament. She was also a member of Young Harris* Dean*s List both years.
Neff was also an All-Region pick last season, as she recorded a .377 batting average to go along with 72 hits and 51 runs scored. She was the recipient of the Young Harris College Coaches* award and was a member of the Dean*s List both years. Prior to her time at Young Harris, Neff had a stellar career at Salem High School in Conyers, Ga. She was a three-time MVP of her team, and earned Rockdale Citizen Player of the Year honors in 1998. She held 51 school records upon graduation from Salem and had her jersey retired following the fall of 1998.
“Felicia and Tara both have experience playing in the outfield, which is where we were looking for some help,” said Madden. “Both will certainly help us as they bring good experience with them from their junior college careers.”
Rounding out the class is Kirin Kumar, a standout performer for Fountain Valley High School in Santa Ana, Calif. Kumar turned in an outstanding senior season, as she was a first-team All-League selection and was chosen to participate in both the North vs. South All-Star Game and the American vs. National Coaches All-Star Game. She was twice picked as Fountain Valley*s defensive player of the year and was a member of the principal*s honor roll each of her four years.
“Kirin is a utility players and also has outfield experience like Felicia and Tara,” said Madden. “She also is a very fast runner and that is something that we have been looking to add to our team.
“When I first started here at Tech, team speed was something that we lacked,” added Madden. “With this class and the one we brought in last year, we now have the tools to do a lot more things on the base paths and have a much different look from what he have had in the past.”
