ATLANTA (Nov. 26) – Georgia Tech softball has signed five recruits to National Letters of Intent for the 2000-01 academic year, second-year head coach Kate Madden has announced. The Yellow Jackets have signed Tara Knudsen of Thornton, Colo., Soraya Reddick of Tampa, Fla., Erin Voeltz of Westlake Village, Calif., Tasha Waugh of Talala, Okla., and Sara Wissmann of Pleasanton, Calif.
“We are very happy with the class that we were able to sign during the fall period,” said Madden. “We addressed the areas that we will need to replace in the future and feel very confident that this class will help us work toward becoming an Atlantic Coast Conference competitor. We graduate two outfielders, a catcher, an infielder and a pitcher after this coming season, so its great to have been able to find excellent student-athletes who are capable of helping in those roles starting in 2001.”
The top power hitter among the group is Waugh, who helped Oologah High School to a 39-8 record and to win the Oklahoma 4A state championship this fall. She led the team with a .510 batting average, 59 hits and 33 RBI as the squad’s catcher. In her four-year high school career, she had 174 hits in 470 at bats for a .396 average with 116 RBI, 42 doubles, four triples and five home runs. She won 1999 Oklahoma 4A first team all-State honors and was the Tulsa Seven Conference offensive player of the year. In addition, she helped her summer league travel team reach the ASA national tournament in 1994, ’96, ’97 and ’98. Academically, Waugh is a member of the National Honor Society.
Voeltz will help the Yellow Jackets on the mound as a pitcher who has extensive high school and travel team experience. In 482.1 career innings for Westlake High School, she struck out 582 batters. From 1997-99, she was voted first team all-Ventura County honors and was second team all-Marmonte League in ’97 and ’98. She captured first team all-Marmonte League and first team all-California Interscholastic Federation Division 3 first team all-state honors. She was named Westlake MVP three straight years and twice led the Marmonte League in strikeouts. Her summer travel team, the Southern California Stealth, finished third in the 18-and-under ASA national tournament last summer and she compiled a 22-6 record with a 0.80 ERA.
Reddick comes to Tech as an outfielder with national tournament experience from the Tampa Mustangs travel team. She has started in left field and helped the Mustangs finish last summer as the 18-and-under AAU national runner-ups and the 16-and-under national champions in 1998. Reddick was voted to the all-tournament teams both times and MVP of the 16-and-under tournament. She helped Seminole Presbyterian High School win the 1997 1A state championship and finish as state runner-ups in 96. She was voted first team 1A all-State honors both years before transferring to W.L. Sickles High School in 1998. She helped Sickles to finish as the District 8 5A runner-up and to a berth in to the 5A state semifinals. In the spring of 1999, she helped Sickles win the 5A District 8 championship and advance to the North 1 Regional semifinals. She is a member of the National Honor Society.
Wissmann comes to Tech from Foothill High School, which also produced current Tech junior Ellen Styer. She helped Foothill achieve a No. 7 ranking in the national high school rankings this fall and to become EBAL Champions. She was voted a 1999 North Coast Section Scholar-Athlete and in 98 helped the squad become TCAL/North Coast Section Champions. She was voted to the 98 all-TCAL League Team and as a North Coast Section Scholar-Athlete. Wissmann is a member of the California Grapettes summer travel team and will bring extensive club experience to Tech.
Knudsen comes to Tech from Westminster High School and will play shortstop for the Jackets. She earned Colorado 5A all-State honors as a junior and senior and played in the CCGS all-State game this fall. She was voted four-time all-Front Range Conference honors and made the all-Front Range Conference Academic team all four years as well. She helped the Colorado Stars finish second in the 98 USSSA World Tournament and was voted the 1997-98 Player of the Year in the 18-and-under National B Division. Knudsen batted over .550 during her sophomore and junior years at Westminster and helped the team defeat the No. 1-ranked team her sophomore season in the regional playoffs.
Tech is looking to rebound from a 22-38 season in 1998 and returns 14 letter winners and five graduating seniors.
