SALEM, Ore. – Corban University Head Softball Coach Nathan Ohta announced his first wave of recruits for the 2015 class on Thursday morning, naming six players who would be joining the Warrior softball program next year.
“This is a very exciting group of incoming players,” stated Ohta. “They are talented softball players, but also one of the most athletic groups we have ever had. Even though we are projecting what will happen two years from now and haven’t even played a game in 2015, I am confident these players are going to help our returners make 2016 a very special season for Corban Softball. When we began this recruiting class, we identified the players that we wanted to be a part of Corban Softball, and this is them. These players are the ones that we had at the top of our recruiting list to come and complement our returners as we try to build a national championship caliber team, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them join the Warrior Softball family.”
Iris Rodriguez – MI/1B – 5’ 8” – Wenatchee Valley CC – Warden HS – Wash.
Rodriguez comes to Corban following an unprecedented high school career and phenomenal two-year stint at the community college level. For her high school team, she broke all of the school records in runs, RBI, home runs, and reset the school mark for career home runs. During that span, she was a First-Team All-League honoree four times, and also landed on the All-State Second Team. While at Wenatchee Valley Community College, she continued to play well, collecting First-Team All-League plaudits.
A versatile athlete in high school, Rodriguez garnered First-Team All-League honors three times for the basketball team and twice on the Volleyball team. In addition, she took sixth place at the State Tournament in wrestling.
Rodriguez plans to major in Physiology.
“We started recruiting Iris four years ago, and couldn’t be more excited to have her joining our team after a very successful time at Wenatchee Valley Community College,” said Ohta. “I knew I wanted Iris to be a part of our program from the first time I talked to her at one of her tournaments her junior year of high school, and had the date when the NAIA rules would allow us to start recruiting her again marked on my calendar. She is a very talented and versatile player that can play any position in the infield extremely well. She has tremendous power from the left side of the plate, will hit for a high average, and has very good speed. Even more than that though, she is a fierce competitor with a love for the game that will encourage her teammates and challenge them to be better every time they take the field.”
Abby Howard – C – 5’ 6” – Coeur d’Alene HS – Idaho
Howard joins the Warriors following four successful years of high school softball. During that time, she garnered All-League plaudits and Second-Team All-State honors. On top of high school ball, she also played for the North Idaho Xtreme and led the squad to four-straight Idaho ASA State titles and four top-10 national finishes. During that span, she registered a .455 batting average, 12 home runs, 57 RBI, 50 runs, and an .850 slugging percentage.
On top of softball, Howard also won four-consecutive state titles in Skiing and received the Hard Charger Award at the Buddy Warner Northwest Ski Championships. She went on to make the Northwest Region Junior Olympic Ski Team and competed at the Junior Olympics.
Howard plans to major in pre-physical therapy.
“Abby is a talented softball player with great athleticism,” commented Ohta. “She has a very good arm behind the plate and is very technically sound, will hit for power and average, and has very good speed. We are confident that she will have a very good four years at Corban, and will be a large part of a very talented group of young athletes that will continue the success this program has had in recent years.”
McKenzie Giancola – SS – 5’ 8” – Clackamas HS – Ore.
Hailing from Clackamas, Ore., Giancola brings a diverse skillset to the Warriors. With numerous accolades to speak of, she was a four-year softball and basketball player, and also a two-year soccer player in high school. On the softball squad, she led the team to two League Championships in 2012 and 2013, while also helping the team take third in the State in 2012. During that time, Giancola was a First-Team All-League performer. On the soccer team, she also helped the squad achieve a league title in 2012 while finishing second overall in the state tournament.
She plans to major in Health Science.
“McKenzie is an exceptional athlete that has very good range and hands defensively, and can hurt you a lot of different ways offensively,” said Ohta. She has very good speed, and can play some short game, but also has the ability to hit for power as well. We are confident that she will have a big impact on our program over the next four years, and we are very happy that she made Corban her choice.”
Grace Utto-Galarneau – UTL – 5’ 7” – Timberline HS – Wash.
Utto-Galarneau joins the Warrior softball program after an accomplished high school career. During her freshman season, she was a starter on the team that reached the State Tournament, and then an All-League First-Team performer during her sophomore year in which she also led the team to the State Tournament. During her junior campaign, she garnered All-Area First-Team accolades as an infielder for The Olympian, All-Region honors for The Tacoma News Tribune, and All-League plaudits as well. Moreover, she was named the Timberline High School Player of the Year and won the Timberline Golden Bat Award with 11 homeruns and 61 RBI during that junior season.
A multi-sport athlete, Utto-Galarneau was also on the bowling team and basketball team during her high school career. Additionally, on the Washington Explosion 18Gold Softball Team, she helped the team qualify for ASA Nationals in 2014, led the team to a Regional Championship in 2013, and led the squad to an appearance at the 2012 ASA Nationals and Regional Championships.
She plans to major in Physical Education.
“Grace has really impressed us each time we have watched her play,” stated Ohta. She is already very strong defensively, can play in the infield or outfield, and hits the ball very well with a lot of power, but she is continuing to get better and better every time we watch her.”
Baylee Day – P – 5’ 5” – Kamiakin HS – Wash.
Day joins the Navy and Gold after a solid four-year career with the softball team. While leading the squad to the High School State Championship for three-straight years, she received the Sportsmanship Award in the Championship game. In addition, she was a Scholar-Athlete.
Moreover, her club team – the Washington Angels, won the 2014 ASA Washington State Championship, and Day pitched the deciding championship contest, leading her team to the victory.
Day plans to major in Education.
“Baylee does a really nice job of locating pitches, changing speeds, and moving the ball around to keep hitters off-balance,” commented Ohta. “We are excited for the energy and love for the game that she will bring to our team.”
Jaquelyn Goodman – OF – 5’ 3” – Quartz Hill HS – Calif.
Goodman comes to Corban after a solid high school career in which she collected 2014 Honorable-Mention accolades at Quartz Hill High School. In addition, she garnered the Heart and Hustle Award for the team. On top of high school ball, she played for the Toxic Fastpitch club team.
Goodman is undecided in her major at Corban.
“We are very excited to find a player of Jaquelyn’s caliber and her skill set,” said Ohta. “She has great speed, and is probably as fast as anyone in our conference right now.”