Ohio softball announced its first four signings for the 2013-2014 academic year, as Madison Claytor, Casie Hutchinson, Taylor Saxton and Kristen Searcy signed with the Bobcats Thursday.
"We're really creating a lot of depth in the infield with these student-athletes," said Ohio coach Jodi Hermanek. "I think they'll be able to fill some leadership roles on the team as well."
Each of the four signees have experience as infielders, with Claytor also expected to share time behind the plate.
Claytor — from Alpharetta, Ga. — has recorded a .370 batting average throughout her first three high school seasons, adding 170 runs batted in and 34 doubles. Aside from offense, she was named team defensive MVP during her junior year, in which her team won a 2012 state championship.
Joining Claytor as an out-of-state signee is Searcy, from Creighton, Mo, who also participates in cross country, basketball and track, while not on the softball field.
Searcy posted a .645 batting average during her junior season, while adding a .662 on base percentage and a 1.194 slugging percentage. She was also solid defensively, recording a fielding percentage of .983.
The Bobcats also signed two in-state athletes, in Saxton and Hutchinson, who are from Circleville and Lebannon, respectively.
Saxton is a three-sport athlete, having competed in softball, basketball and golf. On the softball field, she hit .489, drove in 11 runs and scored 39 during her junior season. She was also named a 2012 Columbus Dispatch scholar athlete.
The fourth athlete to sign with the Bobcats is Hutchinson, who has improved her statistics each of her three seasons. During her junior campaign, she batted .469, hitting 12 doubles and scoring 43 runs.
Each of the four student-athletes excel not only on the field, but also in the classroom.
"All four of these student-athletes are very strong academically," Hermanek said. "They all have high GPAs and have a strong dedication to the classroom, which is one of the biggest reasons they chose Ohio University. We're really excited to have the four of them join our roster."
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