ERIE, Pa. – Gannon head softball coach Tom Jakubowski has announced the addition of five student-athletes to the program. All five players have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Gannon during the fall of 2013.

The early signings include Nicole Davis (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood), Olivia Gumbita (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe), Kylie Kulon (Girard, Ohio/Girard), Jen Moran (Cheswick, Pa./Fox Chapel Area) and Amanda Witzlib (Germantown, Wis./Germantown).

“The class of 2017 showcases five excellent student-athletes with a combined grade point average of 3.816 and softball accomplishments that will set a new standard for future recruiting classes at Gannon,” said Jakubowski. “The class features two outstanding pitchers that throw 60-plus miles per hour, two extremely fast top-of-the-batting-order outfielders and an All-WPIAL shortstop with tremendous bat speed. We are excited about the future of Gannon softball.”

Gannon advanced to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament for the second consecutive year in 2012. The Lady Knights finished 30-17 overall and 10-6 in conference action. The program has won 50 games during the last two seasons.

2012 Softball National Letters of Intent Early Signings

Nicole Davis (5-7, Outfielder)

• Plays for head coach Rick Shaheen at Greater Latrobe (Pa.) High School
• Is a three-year letterwinner
• Went 13-5 with seven shutouts as a junior
• Tossed 105 innings with 120 strikeouts and only 20 walks as a junior, producing a 1.23 earned run average
• Helped Greater Latrobe win the WPIAL Quad-A championship and advance to the PIAA Quad-A state semifinals as a sophomore
• Was part of a Greater Latrobe team that advanced to the WPIAL Quad-A Quarterfinals as a junior
• Has a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average
• Is a member of the National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions, the Letterman's Club, the Spanish National Honor Society and the Art National Honor Society
• Has been a member of the Distinguished Honor Roll since her freshman year
• Named March Rotary Student of the Month
• Plans to major in Education
• Daughter of Pam and Kevin; has one sister

• Plays for head coach Renny Paolone at Girard (Ohio) High School
• Is a four-year letterwinner
• Named to the all-conference first team as a freshman, sophomore and junior
• Owns a career .475 batting average with over 100 runs scored
• Helped Girard advance to three consecutive league championship games
• Was part of a 2012 Girard team that went 22-7, recording the best record in school history
• Been part of back-to-back section championships in 2010 and 2011, as well as the District runner-up spot in 2012
• Is a two-sport athlete, also lettering in cross country
• Named 2012 Cross Country Rookie of the Year
• Ran in the regional championships after helping Girard win the conference title
• Is a member of the National Honor Society
• Ranked second in her senior class with a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average
• Plans to major in Mechanical Engineering
• Daughter of Heather; has one sister