GREENVILLE, Ill. -- Head coach Buddy Foster will add a total of eight newcomers to Greenville University's defending NCAA Division III national tournament qualifying softball team. Of the eight, six are from Illinois, one from Tennessee, and one from Missouri. Six will enter as freshmen, and two are transfers.
Kankakee College first baseman Beth Mersinger (St. Jacob, Ill./Triad) comes to Greenville after a stellar career at KC where she helped lead her team to the junior college national tournament both seasons. This season Mersinger had a monster year at the plate hitting .480 with 101 RBI, 20 doubles, and 15 home runs while being named a second team JUCO All-American.
Morthland College transfer Lauren Wilson will join Greenville roster this year after spending the previous two seasons playing for the Patriots. Lauren is a Mt. Vernon, Ill., native and graduated from Mt. Vernon High School.
Pitcher/IF Maegan Stone comes to Greenville from El Paso, Ill. Maegan led her Titan team this spring, hitting for a .437 average and striking out 159 batters in 141 innings pitched. An All-Conference performer, she was also named to the Pantagraph All-Area team this year.
Chattanooga, Tenn., native Kendall Farr comes to Greenville from Red Bank High School. The Pitcher/1B comes in after a stellar high school career. She was selected to represent Tennessee in the Tennessee-Georgia All Star game during her senior season.
Megan Barrett comes to Greenville from Carterville High School in Carterville, Ill. She was a four-year varsity starter at shortstop for the Lions. She helped lead them to a 2A State Softball Championship her junior year while hitting .363 and driving in 26 runs. She received All-Conference and All-South honors in each of her last three seasons for the Lions. She was also chosen to participate in the Southern Illinois All-Star game her senior year. An accomplished two-sport athlete in high school, Megan will also play basketball at Greenville.
Mackenzie Jackson heads to Greenville from Du Quoin high school in Du Quoin, Ill. Mackenzie had a great career for the Indians playing both centerfield and pitching. She was selected as team MVP in 2016 and 2017, in addition to All-Conference and All-Area. Mackenzie was a participant in the Southern Illinois All-Star game in 2017.
Emily Knoppe is a utility player from Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Twin Rivers High School. Emily had a banner senior season hitting for a .426 average with 19 RBI and scoring 15 runs. In her senior season she was named All-Conference, All-District, and All-Region.
Olivia Shipman is a second baseman from Robinson, Ill., and Newton High School. She was a three- sport athlete who excelled in softball. She was named All-Conference in her junior and senior years.
"This recruiting class has everything we need to continue to be competitive on the diamond," said Foster.
"In addition, all eight of the newcomers perform at a high level in the classroom and more importantly are good people. Most of them have dedicated a lot of time volunteering in the community and those are the kind of student-athletes that will excel in our program and at Greenville University."