Chippewa Softball Signs 6
11/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan softball coach Margo Jonker has announced the signing of six players to National Letters of Intent.
"We believe the 2017 class is a top-notch class that will fill the needs of our upcoming rosters," Jonker said. "It has good pitching, good hitting and good defense. We are very excited about the future this group brings to our program.
"These young women are excellent softball players and also great people. All have varying personalities that will be fun to work with. We welcome them as they begin their careers as Chippewas."
The class comprises Tala Dean, a Canadian who played summer ball for Michigan-based Finesse Fastpitch; infielder Abby Niehuis of Grass Lake; catcher Aliena Magiera of Pleasant Ridge; pitcher Sammi Howell of Allen Park; pitcher Cloe Mallory of Alanson; and infielder/outfielder Shaidan Knapp of Vicksburg.
Howell led Allen Park to its third consecutive Division I regional championship in 2016, going 26-2 with a 1.48 earned run average and striking out 168. She hit .569 with three home runs and 53 RBI and was named First Team All-State by the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association.
"Sammi is a power pitcher who is learning to utilize her body, which will allow her to gain even more speed," Jonker said. "She is a hard worker who impressed us at a summer camp here at Central Michigan with a fluid motion. We are excited to watch her mature in the circle and become a top Division I pitcher."
Magiera, like Dean, came through the Finesse program and prepped at Lutheran High School Northwest, where she was named the No. 7 player in Oakland County by the Oakland Press prior to the 2016 season.
"Ali is a solid defensive catcher who we feel will just get better with more experience," Jonker said.
Dean, who can also play on the corners in the infield as well as the outfield, helped her team to the bronze medal in the 2016 Ontario Provincial Championships.
"Tala played against excellent competition throughout her travel ball career," Jonker said.
The versatile Niehaus has played on the infield and in the outfield as a standout at Grass Lake High School, where she was named the female athlete of the year in 2015-16 after hitting .607 with a .672 on-base percentage. She was also named the Jackson Area Softball Player of the Year by MLive.
Niehaus also brings a solid background from her summer program, Turnin2.
"Abby is a solid infielder who strokes the ball well," Jonker said. "She has gap-to-gap power and we expect her to be consistent both on defense and offense."
Knapp, who Jonker called a "complete player," is in the midst of her senior year at Vicksburg High School. In her first three years on the softball team, she has hit .510 with 17 home runs, 53 stolen bases, a .609 on-base percentage and an .868 slugging percentage. She was named to the Division II All-State team after leading Vicksburg to a state runner-up finish.
Mallory helped lead Indian River Inland Lakes to the Division IV state title game in 2016, and, in three years at the school, has hit .495 with 20 home runs, has recorded a 0.60 career earned run average and struck out nearly 50 percent of the batters she has faced.
Mallory is on track to earn 14 varsity letters - four each in softball and track and field, three each in volleyball and basketball -- by the time she graduates from Inland Lakes next spring.
"Cloe is a pitcher with moxie," Jonker said. "She owns the circle when she has the ball in her hand. Her mental and physical skills make her a pitcher that one can be excited about. She is also a power threat at the plate."
 | Tala Dean • OF • Harrow, Ontario/Ecole Secondaire l'Essor Represented Ontario at nationals where she received two individual-game MVP awards during the 2016 Canadian Championship ... won two gold medals at the Provincial Championships and was also named MVP for both games ... won the bronze medal in the 2016 Provincial Championship ... posted a .625 batting avg. during the Junior Cup Nationals. | |
 | Samantha Howell • RHP • Allen Park, Mich./Allen Park HS Four-year letterwinner ... named First Team All-State as a pitcher in MHSAA ... named to Newsherald Dream Team and Ann Arbor All-Tournament Team in 2016 ... selected all-district and all-region in 2014, 2015 and 2016 ... honored on Newsherald All-Area First Team in 2014 and 2015 ... named to all-academic and all-league team in 2014, 2015 and 2016 ... had a 26-2 record with a 1.48 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 2016 ... also recorded a .569 batting average with 53 RBI, 23 doubles and three home runs in 2016. . | |
 | Shaidan Knapp • INF • Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg HS Four-year letterwinner ... named first team all-conference, first team all-district and first team all-region in freshman, sophomore and junior year of high school ... was named first team all-state in 2016 ... was conference and district champion in 2014, 2015 and 2016 ... won regional championship and was state runner-up in 2016 ... received all-state honorable mention in 2015 ... named to MLive Kalamazoo Gazette Dream Team in 2015 ... selected as team MVP in 2014 ... named to academic all-state team in 2014, 2015 and 2016 ... held a .510 batting average throughout high school ... tallied 182 hits, 188 runs scored, 49 doubles, 14 triples, 17 homeruns and 53 stolen bases in high school career ... also lettered three years in volleyball ... was a National Honor Society member sophomore, junior and senior year. | |
 | Aliena Magiera • C • Pleasant Ridge, Mich./Lutheran Northwest HS Four-year letterwinner ... named first team all-district and all-conference in 2014, 2015 and 2016 ... selected all-state honorable mention in 2015 and 2016 ... named a Top 50 Oakland County Player in 2015 and 2016 ... named first team all-county in 2016 ... named first team all-region in 2014 and 2015 ... selected as league MVP in 2015 ... named second team all-county in 2014 and 2015 ... team captain in 2015, 2016 and 2017 ... as a sophomore, recorded a .534 batting average with seven home runs ... as a junior, had a .441 batting average with four home runs ... set school record for home runs in a career (11) and in a season (7) ... also holds school record in hits in a season with 61. | |
 | Cloe Mallory • RHP • Alanson, Mich./Inland Lakes HS Four-year letterwinner ... named first team All-State in 2016 ... named first team all-conference and all-region in 2015 and 2016 ... was first team all-district in 2014, 2015 and 2016 ... named Weekly Choice Sports Player of the Year and was also named to Weekly Choice Sports All-Area Dream Team in 2016 ... selected as Inland Lakes Athlete of the Year in 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 seasons ... named second team all-conference in 2014 ... two-time team captain ... recorded 416 strikeouts with an ERA of .60 as well as a batting average of .495 with 20 homeruns during high school career ... also was a four-year letterwinner in track and a three-year letterwinner in volleyball and basketball. | |
 | Abigail Niehaus • SS • Grass Lake, Mich./Grass Lake HS Four-year letterwinner ... named first team all-state and Jackson County Softball Player of the Year for 2015-2016 season ... selected as high school's Female Athlete of the Year in 2015-2016 season ... received all-state honorable mention recognition for 2014-2015 season ... team captain for both softball and basketball ... had a .607 batting average with an OBP of .672 in the 2015-2016 season ... also a four-year letterwinner in basketball. |
