Texas Tech University Athletics
Hays Inks Three in First Signing Class
November 19, 2009 | Softball
Nov. 19, 2009
LUBBOCK, Texas - A pair of left-handed pitchers and an infielder sign national letters of intent to play softball at Texas Tech it was announced by first-year head coach Shanon Hays today.
Kelsey Dennis, Taylor Powell and Brittany Talley will enter Tech next fall and will compete for the Red Raiders for the 2011 season.
Dennis is a left-handed pitcher at Wallace State Community College in Alabama who earned NJCAA and NFCA first-team All-American status last season as she set the WSCC record for strikeouts in a season with 340 in 249 innings of work. She finished with an earned run average of 0.84 with a no-hitter, 15 shut-outs and six one-hit outings among her strongest accomplishments. She also hit for a .303 average with six doubles and 11 runs batted in.
The Helena, Ala. native prepped at Pelham High School and graduated as Class Salutatorian with a better than 3.8 gpa. She was 29-6 in her senior season with 395 strikeouts in 209 innings. Dennis was a member of the fifth-place ASA 18U Alabama Pride Travel team in 2007 and 2008 and was listed in the "Who's Who among American High School Students" along with numerous other academic achievements.
"Kelsey is a gifted pitcher and an incredible student who we will be pleased to add to the roster after a great year throwing for Wallace State. She works hard in every phase of the game and I'm just so glad she's going to join us as a Red Raider," Hays said.
Taylor Powell is an infielder from Henrietta, Texas, who earned District 5-2A most valuable players honors after leading her high school squad (Henrietta H.S.) to the regionals during her junior season. An all-around athlete, Powell has also earned all-district volleyball honors, and was her basketball team captain. She has earned several academic honors and is a National Honor Society Member as well.
A member of the ASA Texas Fusion Gold squad, she has competed at several Gold Nationals 18U events, including qualifying for the ASA 18U Gold nationals in Oklahoma City, Okla., and competing at the NFCA Elite College Showcase.
"Taylor is talented athlete with a great glove and arm. She's competed at a high level for many years with both her high school program and on the Amateur Softball Association Gold level. She's the type of hitter who should find herself in the middle of our lineup and will fit in with our team immediately," Hays said.
Brittany Talley is a left-handed pitcher from Little Elm, Texas who is another outstanding student-athlete. Active in student government, she spent two years as class president at Little Elm H.S. and has been ranked No. 1 academically in her class as well. Talley earned Pitcher of the Year honors for District 5-4A and earned second-team all area (Dallas-Fort Worth) honors during her junior year after posting a 21-5 record with a 0.66 ERA with 259 strikeouts in 158 innings pitched. She also batted .455 with 10 doubles and 18 RBI and leading her team to its first playoff appearance in school history.
Playing for the Texas Glory Gold squad on the ASA circuit, she has competed at the Gold level for several years, including as a member of the Texas Rapid Fire Gold 18U squad.
"Brittany is another great left-handed pitcher. I really like those athletes who throw 'wrong-handed' apparently," Hays joked. "Seriously, both Brittany and Kelsey are the real-deal in terms of pitchers. We think they can both have great careers as members of the Red Raiders. They have already competed against the same type of hitting that they will face day in and day out as members of their Gold national teams. That kind of experience can't be over-estimated," Hays continued.
"We have a great group of young players on our squad this year and this group of signees just adds to that type of talent," Hays said. "We've been really focused and excited about getting ready for the 2010 season which begins for us in February, but jumping ahead a little bit when we get these letters of intent in, is pretty exciting when we think about the blend of talent we'll have in 2011 as well," he finished.
