January 6, 2009 - Hillsdale College softball coach Jamie Meyers is pleased to announce the latest recruiting class for the program, scheduled to arrive on campus in the Fall of 2009.

Meyers has signed five players to national letters of intent, and all five will come to Hillsdale with impressive resumés, both on and off the softball diamond. These five players will join a deep and talented class that will begin the 2009 season as freshmen, and should form the foundation for a very competitive team in the future for Hillsdale.

Joining the Chargers for the 2010 season are: Becca Strother (Sterling Heights Parkway Christian High School), Brittany Hulett (Poway, Cal. High School), Taylor Schulty (Woodstock, Ill. High School), Miriam McKay (New Baltimore Anchor Bay High School), and Teresa Patterson (Birmingham Seaholm High School).

Strother has distinguished herself as one of the finest student-athletes at the Macomb County high school in Sterling Heights. She’s been named First-Team All-County twice, as well as earning First-Team All-Conference and First-Team All-District honors three times as a catcher and first baseman. She has been a team captain for two years and has earned a total of nine varsity letters so far in her career, including time spent on the school’s basketball and volleyball teams. Her softball team has won back-to-back district titles, and she’s been named Academic All-State twice.

Her softball team was conference champions in 2008, and she’s carried her success over into her travel ball teams as well. Her 2006 St. Clair Shores Vipers squad was the NSA World Series Champions, and she most recently played with the 18 and under Michigan Fire Stix travel team.

Strother is just as active and accomplished off the field as she is on it. She carries a 4.0 grade point average, and has been named to the school’s Principal List twice. She was named the student of the year in algebra 1 and biology in 2005-06, and earned the same honors in Biblical Studies and chemistry in 2006-07.

In the community, Strother has spent time in her high school’s tutoring program and volunteered at the MCREST Homeless Shelter. She has also volunteered for the Special Olympics and the Zoe/Parkway Schools basketball camp.

Hulett is the second softball player to come to Hillsdale by way of California in the past two years. In 2010, she will join fellow Californian Jessica Guertin on the Chargers team, and Hulett will add to an ever-expanding pitching staff for Hillsdale.

She’s been a part of two conference championship teams at Poway High School, and was named her team’s defensive most valuable player in 2006. She also had the highest slugging percentage on her travel team, the 3rd Degree 18 and under Gold Team.

She carries a 3.94 grade point average and has been named to her school’s honor roll and honor chain on multiple occasions.

Schulty is a pitcher and outfielder from the Rockford, Illinois-area school of Woodstock. She has led her prep team in batting average as a sophomore and junior, and has earned multiple All-Area and All-Conference honors. She was named team MVP and was tabbed as the best player at the 2008 USA Hawaii Classic Tournament. Her local newspaper, the Northwest Herald, labeled her as one of the top five players to watch in 2008.

Her team has won two straight regional championships, and she’s also led her volleyball team to three regional titles. In 2008, she turned in an earned run average of 0.90 and had 231 strikeouts.

Schulty plays her travel ball with the Illinois Thunder, a team that took first place at the Dupage Ultimate Softball Tournament. She was named the Fall Tournament MVP, and one of her previous travel teams, the ASA Metros, named her as team MVP.

She carries a 3.2 grade point average, and is a member of the German Society. She also volunteers for the Christmas Clearinghouse and worked in a fundraiser for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

McKay plays for one of the top programs in the southeastern part of the state at New Baltimore Anchor Bay. Her team has won three straight conference championships, and made it to the Division I state semifinals in 2008.

McKay led the team from second base and the outfield, and was named Second-Team All-County in 2008, as well as earning All-District, All-Region and Academic All-State honors. As a sophomore in 2007, she was named First-Team All-Macomb County and First-Team All-Conference. She also plays for the school’s volleyball team.

She played for the St. Clair Shores Vipers from 2002-07, and joined the Mid-Michigan Fire Stix travel team in 2008. In 2006, her travel team was the 14-and-under NSA World Series champs.

McKay carries a 4.044 grade point average and has been named to the school’s honor roll four times. She’s also won different academic awards in each of the past three years. In 2006, she won the Physical Science Award, in 2007 she won the Biology Award, and in 2008, she won the Pre-Calculus Student of the Year Award.

McKay’s father Ken, played baseball and football at Hillsdale College.

Patterson plays in one of the most competitive conferences in the state at Birmingham Seaholm High School. She’s been a centerfielder for the Maples throughout her prep career and was named her team’s Best Offensive Player as a junior in 2008.

Seaholm has won districts two years in a row, and Patterson was named her team’s most spirited player in 2006 and 2007.

She plays her travel ball with Team Michigan, the reigning NSA state champions. Her team also won the 2006 Michigan ASA 16-and-under state title, and she hit two home runs in the Greg Bell/Lookouts Scholarship Classic that season.

Patterson has a 3.4 grade point average and is involved with the Art for a Cause program.