MARSHALL – Southwest Minnesota State University head softball coach Bailey Bouman announced Friday that five high school standouts have signed letters of intent to continue their academic and softball careers at SMSU.

Joining the SMSU program for the 2019-20 season include Molly Bull from Omaha, Neb., Magenta Hammond from Harrisburg, S.D., Alisha Leber from Vermillion, S.D., Jillian Noel from Northfield, and Patia Wolfe from Lincoln, Neb.

“We are excited to have Magenta, Molly, Alisha, Jillian and Patia join our team,” said Bouman, who was hired as the new SMSU head coach in August. “All five are exceptional student-athletes that come from good programs and will be a great fit with our team and the SMSU community.”

Bull, a catcher from Omaha Millard South High School, batted .340 with a fielding percentage of .967 during her senior season this past fall, helping lead her squad to a third place finish. An academic all-state honoree, she has been selected to play in the Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star game in 2019. Bull has been a member of two state tournament softball teams and has also been a state qualifier in tennis.

Hammond, an infielder at Harrisburg High School, served as a team captain during her senior season in 2018, earning first team all-conference honors and picking up second team all-state accolades. She closed her career with a .471 batting average with 129 hits, including 25 doubles, seven triples and four home runs. Hammond holds the school record for career batting average along with RBIs (69), runs scored (85) and games played (98). An all-state honoree following both her sophomore and junior seasons, Hammond batted .482 with 22 RBIs during her junior season.

Leber, an infielder at Vermillion High School, finished with a .435 batting average with one home run and 15 RBIs during her senior season this past fall, while earning Class B All-State first team honors. She also earned all-state accolades in both 2015 and 2016. During the 2018 summer season, Leber batted .414 with 33 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

Noel, an infielder at Northfield High School, begins her senior season in 2019 as a four-year letter winner and is a two-time team captain. She twice has been named all-conference and twice was named honorable mention all-conference. She is a two-time all-section honoree and last season was named honorable mention all-state after batting .446 with five home runs and 22 RBIs. Noel hit .500 with five home runs and 25 RBIs during her junior season.

Wolfe, a first baseman, was a three-year captain and four-year letter winner at Lincoln North Star High School. An academic all-state honoree, she batted .354 with 35 base hits as a senior and held lead North Star to the 2018 state tournament this fall. Wolfe has been selected to play in the Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star game in 2019.

SMSU opens the 2019 season on Feb. 12 with the first of 42 regular season games.

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