ERIE, Pa. - Gannon head softball coach Tom Jakubowski announced the addition of Kels Fedell (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), Sarah Rinks (Fenton, Mich./Lake Fenton), and Sam Scott (New Baltimore, Mich./Anchor Bay) to the program Wednesday afternoon.
The trio joins Erica Bartholow (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville Area) and Megan Dragon (Ashtabula, Ohio/Edgewood) as part of Gannon’s 2009 recruiting class. Bartholow and Dragon signed during the NCAA’s early signing period and their archived press release can be found at
http://www.gannonsports.com/news/2008/11/25/SB_1125084827.aspx?path=softball.
Fedell was a four-year letterwinner at North Allegheny High School. The outfielder was named to the All-Section team twice. The Tigers advanced to the post-season every year during her career and won the WPIAL during her freshman season.
“Kels is a throw-back type player who plays the outfield as hard as any high school athlete I have seen,” said Jakubowski. “She has a powerful arm and excellent speed with the ability to run down balls in the gap. Kels is a line-drive hitter with good power.”
Rinks was named to the all-district, all-conference, and All-Tri-County first teams three times each during her high school career. She was a two-time all-state selection, being named to the first team as a senior and honorable-mention squad as a sophomore. Rinks also earned all-region accolades as a sophomore. She was a finalist for Miss Softball as a senior. Rinks has played the outfield, third base, and shortstop at North Allegheny. Academically, she graduated as the school’s Valedictorian.
“Sarah has the strongest outfield arm I have seen this year,” noted Jakubowski. “She is a tremendous athlete with great power and was a leader on a team that advanced to the state quarterfinals in Michigan.”
Scott was named to the all-district and all-county teams twice each. The shortstop led Anchor Bay to four straight district championships. The program advanced to back-to-back state semifinals during her junior and senior seasons. She was a three-sport athlete, participating in softball, basketball, and volleyball.
Scott broke the school’s basketball record for assists twice. Among her basketball awards were Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. She earned all-county honorable-mention accolades in both basketball and volleyball. Scott has also received the MAC All-Academic award in all three sports.
“Sam is one of the top rated shortstops in Michigan,” said Jakubowski. “We feel very fortunate she chose Gannon. She led her team to the back-to-back state semifinal games and could have an immediate impact on our program.”
Gannon finished the 2009 season with a 22-21 overall record. The Lady Knights have recorded 20 consecutive winning seasons and 19 straight 20-win campaigns.