GREAT FALLS, Mont. – UGF softball announced its 2016 Recruiting Class, signing nine new players to replace its nine graduated seniors. Four of the nine recruits will join the team as freshman, while five are transfers from other colleges.
Lady Argo head coach Joey Egan needed a strong incoming class after graduating the most successful class of players in program history, including five regular starters and two situational starters. Her 2016 class specifically targeted recruits with a chance to compete for those vacated positions - bringing in junior college transfers that play four of the five open positions and two freshman to compete for the fifth open spot.
As has been true over the past few seasons, Egan's class combines talented transfers with promising local high school players. Three of the four incoming freshman are Montana products, including two from Great Falls, Mont. – outfielder Brenna Bushard, catcher Karlie Southworth, and first baseman Hanna Tarum. The fourth incoming freshman will be outfielder Desarei Trujillo from Oak Hills High School in California.
The backbone of the class will be a group of four teammates all transferring from Western Nevada College, second baseman Gabrielle Canibeyaz, pitcher Kristina George, catcher Bailey Henderson, and shortstop Makaylee Jaussi. Those four players helped lead the WNC Wildcats to a program record 26 wins in 2015-16, combining for 30 percent of the team's hits and runs. The fifth transfer is third baseman Kylie Gonzales, a regional All-Star for Clackamas Community College.
Brenna Bushard | OF | R/R | C.M. Russell High School | Great Falls, Mont.
One of two local Great Falls players, Bushard joins the Lady Argos after an illustrious athletic career at C.M. Russell High School. The 5-4 outfielder was a four sport athlete for the Rustlers, playing volleyball, basketball, and soccer along with softball.
With the CMR softball team she was named Best Defensive Player in 2015 and Most Inspirational Player in 2016 as well as earning Academic All-State Honors. She helped lead the Rustlers to an AA State Championship in 2016 while hitting for an average of .333 with an on base percentage of .429.
Bushard will join a group of outfielders that returns three players who earned significant playing time but lost its top outfielder in Alex Lowry and team captain Keeley Van Blaricom who played left field when she wasn't on the pitching mound.
Gabrielle Canibeyaz | IF | R/R | Western Nevada College | Henderson. Nev.
Canibeyaz is part of the Western Nevada College transfer collective that will swell the ranks of UGF's junior class. The 5-4 infielder hit for an average of .275 in Division I NJCAA play as a sophomore while only striking out five times in 120 at bats. She also hit a walk off single against the No. 3 College of Southern Idaho to give the Wildcats their biggest win of the season.
Before playing for WNC, Canibeyaz was star player for Foothill High School. She was named 1st Team All-State in Nevada as a junior and senior was 2nd Team All-State as a sophomore. While playing for the Falcons, the team won two district championships and one regional championship. She was also a honor roll student.
Canibeyaz has the chance to start right away as she competes to fill an infield that graduated its starters at second base, shortstop, and third base.
Kristina George | P | R/R | Western Nevada College | Hooper, Utah
George's play could be a crucial factor in the outcome of the 2017 Lady Argo season as she looks to make an immediate impact in the team's starting pitching rotation. As the ace pitcher for Western Nevada College George compiled a 3.47 ERA in 181.1 innings and a record of 28-16.
For her efforts she was named First Team All-Region, All-Region Tournament Team and WNC Team MVP in 2016, and Second Team All-Region and WNC Team MVP in 2015.
In high school, George was a two-year letter winner in softball at Fremont High School, helping the Silverwolves to a 5A Region 1 Championship as a senior. She was also a Sterling Scholar for Foreign Language, a member of National Honors Society, and a Silver Scholar Award winner.
Kylie Gonzales | 3B | R/R | Clackamas Community College | Hubbard, Ore.
The Hubbard, Ore. native was a South Region All-Star for the CCC Cougars during their run to a third place finish in the NWAC Championship Tournament in 2015. Gonzales batted .379 as a freshman, and finished with a team leading eight homeruns and 24 RBIs.
Before attending Clackamas, Gonzales was a four-time 1st All-League infielder in the Tri-Valley Conference at North Marion High School. She was also named Tri-Valley Player of the Year as a sophomore and was named 1st Team All-State in the Oregon as a sophomore, junior, and senior.
Gonzales will also be part of the Egan's plan to rebuild the UGF infield while also adding a power hitting element to the lineup after UGF graduated its 2016 homerun leader, Alex Lowry.
Bailey Henderson | C | R/R | Western Nevada College | Fernley, Nev.
As Western Nevada College's 2016 Offensive Player of the Year, Henderson looks boost the Lady Argo's hitting in 2017. The 5-8 transfer led WNC with 54 hits and a batting average of .348. She was also second on the team with 36 RBI and third on the team with 31 runs and four homeruns. She was named Second Team All-SWAC as a senior.
Her high school career was even more star-studded. She earned the Iron Woman Award after playing all four years for the Vaquero's volleyball, basketball, and softball teams. As a member of the softball team she was named Second Team All-League as a sophomore, First Team All-League and Second Team All-State as a junior, and Second Team All-League as a senior. During her junior season she helped lead the team to a Division 1A State Championship and as a senior the team finished as Division 1A State Runner-ups. She was also a Nevada All-State Academic Team member.
Henderson would have to beat out returning starting catcher Jocelyn Kaufman to crack the defensive starting lineup but will be an asset as a designated hitter since neither George, nor returning UGF pitcher Shelby Abeyta are offensive contributors.
Makaylee Jaussi | SS | R/R | Western Nevada College | Riverton, Utah
Jaussi has the opportunity to directly replace two crucial roles for the Lady Argos. Not only does she play shortstop, a position vacated by Mindy Larson, but she also is a talented leadoff hitter that could step into the void left by Chloe Cross.
Jaussi led Western Nevada College in runs as a sophomore while hitting leadoff for the Wildcats, scoring 42 times with 44 hits and 17 walks. She hit for an average of .278 with an OBP of .350. As a freshman she hit .323 with an OBP of .411, 53 hits and 43 runs. She was named First Team All-SWAC and SWAC All-Tournament Team for that her performance that season.
Before playing for WNC, Jaussi playing second base and shortstop for the Riverton High School where she was as an All-Conference player.
Karlie Southworth | C | R/R | Fergus High School | Lewistown, Mont.
The 2016 Recruiting Class started with the signing of Southworth back on February 1.
Southworth was an All-Conference catcher in the Montana High School Association's Class A Conference for the Fergus Golden Eagles and helped the team finish third in the conference during the 2014-15 season. She follows in the footsteps of fellow Fergus High School grad, All-State pitcher Allie Adams who played for UGF from 2012-14.
The 5-5 catcher was also an All-Conference golfer for the Golden Eagles and earned academic honors from the Class A Conference.
Southworth will provide extra depth at catcher for UGF, which could allow utility player Kyra Dorvall to provide depth elsewhere after primarily backing up Kaufman at catcher in 2016.
Hanna Tarum | 1B | R/R | Great Falls Central Catholic | Great Falls, Mont.
Tarum joins Bushard in hoping to continue a lineage of Great Falls softball players to make an impact with Lady Argo softball.
Tarum started playing softball for the GFCC Mustangs in 2012 and helped lead the team to the Montana state division B-C playoffs in the program's first year of varsity competition. Over the course of her high school career, she was named 1st Team All-Conference, Academic All-State, and Team Defensive MVP. She also will graduate from GFCC as a member of the National Honors Society.
Not only was Tarum a standout for Mustang softball, but she also helped lead the school's women's basketball team to a district 10C Championship during her senior season.
Desarai Trujillo | OF | R/R | Oak Hill High School | Hesperia, Calif.
She may be the only California product in the incoming class of UGF players, but Trujillo will join a handful of other Lady Argo teammates from the Golden State. The 5-0 outfielder and middle infielder's career is on an upward trajectory with each of her years of softball at Oak Hill being significantly better than the last.
Trujillo finished her senior season scoring 12 runs in 21 games including the first homerun of her high school career. She also showed a knack for clutch hitting with runners on base, driving in seven RBIs off of seven hits as a senior. She was also an Honor Roll student and a member of the Dean's List at Oak Hill.
Trujillo will join Bushard in the mix of the UGF outfield.
