Here is the latest information to keep you up to date... The 2008 Falcon Softball Team has 3 players that have committed to a college to play softball. Two are seniors and one is a junior.
They are:Lainey DePompa
Will be attending U.C. Santa Barbara. Here are the particulars:
The recruitment process started about 2 1/2 years ago with her travel team (So Cal Sliderz) attending many exposure tournaments with many college coaches in attendance in different locations across the United States, (CA, CO, WA, OR, AZ & OK.) She began receiving emails & letters of interest and then she researched college majors & locations and narrowed it down to the ones she felt would possibly be a good fit for her. She ultimately ended up with 6 full scholarship offers from Iowa, Kentucky, Chicago/Illinois, Utah, Wagner, Sac State & UCSB. UCSB found her at the start of last summer and offered her a full ride after watching her thru mid July. When Coach Brie offered, Lainey commited almost immediately. She loved the opportunity to play there and live at the beach!! While she was willing to accept an offer from further away, She had actually hoped to stay in CA, especially after experiencing her sister being plane ride(s) away in Hawaii and Washington. She then formally commited on July 16th and took her unofficial visit in August to see the campus and talk with the Coach. She took her official visit with the other 3 recruits in October to meet the other coaches and the team and also met with academic advisors. About a month later, UCSB offered one of the pitchers on Sliderz a scholarship and she accepted as well, and now she and Lainey will be going as a battery to Santa Barbara. She is the pitcher for El Camino Real HS. They both signed their NLI (National Letter of Intent) on November 14th. Which Ashleigh has also signed for Boise State. You can sign the NLI to play for a college the fall of your Senior year. So far, Sliderz has gotten 9 seniors signed and 3 more with potential offers. Soooo exciting to see all these young ladies furthering their education as college athletes!!Ashleigh Viers-Gordillo
Will be attending the Boise State in Idaho.
Boise State website(erin bridges makes history signs first 3)
Ashleigh Viers-Gordillo joins the Broncos as Bridges-Thorpe’s third NLI as well as her first true freshman added to the 2008-09 roster. The LaCrescenta, Calif. native will look to aid the Broncos at first base, a position she earned numerous honors at for Crescenta Valley High School. During the 2007 season, Viers-Gordillo earned the All-Area Softball Player of the Year nod while also being tabbed the Pacific League’s co-most valuable player.
In 2007, Viers-Gordillo turned in a team high batting average (.553), four home runs, 46 RBI’s, and a .854 slugging percentage to help lead her Falcons to a co-Pacific League Championship. Not only did she record outstanding marks at bat, Viers-Gordillo also finished the 2007 season without a single error.
Viers-Gordillo’s decision to attend BSU in 2008-09 came after considering other top Division I schools such as Florida State and Northern Iowa.
“All three athletes should be able to come in and be impact players in the conference immediately,” said Bridges-Thorpe. “With the signing of these three, the Boise State softball program is well on their way to being a strong competitor in the WAC conference.”
news press
The Broncos will field a softball team in 2009. The chance to be a part of the inaugural program was something that steered Viers-Gordillo, who earned a full scholarship, to the Pacific Northwest.“I thought it would be better to go there because I’d be one of the first people that they would have in their program,” said Viers-Gordillo, who didn’t commit an error last season and posted a team-best .854 slugging percentage. “I thought that would be a neat experience.”
“I wanted to go out of state and I wanted to travel, but it’s still close to home,” Viers-Gordillo said. “It’s only a 13-hour drive from home and a 2 hour direct flight.“I’ve been there for the 16-and-under Nationals, and I really liked the surroundings.”
Boise State will be led by Coach Erin Thorpe, who coached at Whittier College from 2002-07.
Thorpe said the ability to recruit players from around California — considered the hotbed for top high school softball players — should help the Broncos rise within a few seasons. Having Viers-Gordillo on board might speed up the process.
“We are very excited about starting up the program,” said Thorpe, who earned All-American accolades while starring at shortstop for UCSD. “Boise State wants a competitive team, and it’s tough to find the best talent with respect to the 2008 graduating class.
“We are very fortunate to find Ashleigh and that she was still available. We had to hit California hard and foremost because there’s not a team that’s won a title without the help of a couple of California kids. Her field presence and her being a left-handed power hitter attracted me to her.”
Baillie Kirker
Will be attending the University of Arizona as a freshman in 2009.
In November, 2007 the University of Arizona asked Baillie to come out and meet the coaches and visit the campus. That was quite an invitation since Baillie has always wanted to play at U of A and has been going out to their games since she was ten. We met with Coach Mike Candrea and Coach Larry Ray. We also met with the Softball Athletics Director and the Academic Advisor. We visited the locker room, the dorms and of course the softball field. We were so excited and proud when they asked Baillie if she would like to be a “Wildcat”. Baillie will sign her letter of intent in November, 2008 when she is a senior.