MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball head coach announced Friday that Breanna Barlow (Excel, Ala.), Jenna Hardy (Whitehouse, Ohio), Lexi Hutchins (Stonewall, La.), Emma Kropp (Fairhope, Ala.), Cam McLemore (Saraland, Ala.), Shelby Sloan (Baker, Fla.) and Kassidy Wilcox (Brantley, Ala.) have joined the fall signee class and will join the program for the 2020 season.
 


Breanna Barlow
5-7 | Infielder | Excel, Ala. | Excel High School (Panthers)

Barlow has been a member of the varsity program at Excel High School in Excel, Ala., since seventh grade. Last season, Barlow helped guide Excel to a 31-13 overall record. The Panthers won the area championship – the program's fourth straight – and finished second at the area tournament, while making a regional appearance for the four consecutive year. Barlow hit .469 and had 36 extra base hits – 16 home runs, 16 doubles and four triples – while driving in 72 runs. Her home run and RBI tallies set new program marks at Excel.

"Breanna gives us added depth in our infield and has the potential to hit in the middle of our lineup as she gains experience at this level," Clark said. "She is a gap to gap right-handed hitter who also hits for power. Her competitive mindset and overall offensive tools are going to give her the opportunity to compete for playing time right away. Defensively, I foresee her competing early on for time at shortstop, third base and second base as well. Overall, she has a hard-nosed mentality and incredibly high ceiling. I am excited to see her develop once in our system."

The infielder is a two-time all-state selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) and was named the county player of the year four times. Barlow was also selected to compete for at the North-South All-Star Game played over the summer. Barlow earned Class 3A second-team all-state honors by the ASWA as a junior and second-team all-state honors by the organization as a freshman, both at the designated player position. She has played club ball for the West Mobile Express for 10 years.



Jenna Hardy
6-1 | Pitcher | Whitehouse, Ohio | Anthony Wayne High School (Generals)

Hardy has been a three-year letterwinner at Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse, Ohio. As a junior, Hardy posted a 1.44 earned run average in 126 innings of work, while striking out 182, issuing just 26 walks. Led the Generals (22-5) to a second-place finish in the Northern Lakes League district, along with a runner up finish at the regional tournament. For her play, she was named first-team all-league and second-team all-district.

"Jenna is a right-handed power pitcher with a tremendously high ceiling," Clark said. "She is already having success but I believe she will take off once she is in our bullpen and weight room every day. Jenna adds another competitive, quality arm to our staff and should come in and make an immediate impact. I believe she has all of the physical and mental tools to become a great pitcher and we look forward to her development over the next four years."

During the 2017 season, Hardy helped Anthony Wayne win the district title, the program's third in the last five season. As a sophomore, Hardy posted a 0.77 ERA and struck out 157 batters in her 108 innings of work in the circle. She was selected first-team all-league and all-district. Hardy also tossed a perfect game for AWHS during her sophomore season.

She played six years at the club level, competing four seasons with the Great Lakes Sharks and two years with Turin2. Hardy received interest during the recruiting process from Boston College, Michigan State, Lipscomb, Bowling Green and Western Michigan, before deciding to sign with South Alabama.



Lexi Hutchins
5-10 | Pitcher | Stonewall, La. | North DeSoto High School (Lady Griffins)

Hutchins lettered the 2018 season at North DeSoto High School in Stonewall, La., after a standout career at Joaquin High School in Joaquin, Texas.

As a junior at North DeSoto, Hutchins helped the Lady Griffins advance to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class 4A semifinals and finish with a 20-10 overall record. In the semifinal win over Lutcher, Hutchins had a single and a two-run double. She was also named First-Team All-District 1-4A as a junior.

"Lexi is a two-way player who will contribute to the program in multiple areas," Clark said. "She can pitch, hit and also play a corner infield position. She spins the ball well and will work mostly down and side-to-side in the zone. Her movement and ability to changes speeds will make her effective at this level. Offensively, she has pop at the plate and the strength to drive the ball.  Overall, she loves to compete and loves a challenge; two qualities which will help her fit in well with our program."

During her sophomore campaign at Joaquin, Hutchins earned a pair of national awards as she was named Second-Team MaxPrep Small Schools All-American, as well to the Sophomore All-American team by the organization. She was also an honorable mention all-state selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association.

As a sophomore, Hutchins starred both in the circle and at the plate as she won 32 of her 39 decisions and tossed six no-hitters, while batting .521 with 14 home runs, 21 doubles, 65 runs batted in and 50 runs scored. Hutchins also struck out 237 batters in 223 innings of work, while holding the opposition to a .125 batting average. She also earned Class 2A second-team all-state honors from the TSWA as a freshman, while being selected as the district's most valuable player.

Hutchins played three years of club ball for the Louisiana Bombers.



Emma Kropp
5-10 |Utility | Fairhope, Ala.| Fairhope High School (Pirates)

Kropp has lettered the last four seasons at Fairhope High School in Fairhope, Ala., where she was a four-time all-county selection and selected to the state finals all-tournament team in 2018. As a junior, Kropp, along with current South Alabama freshman Samantha Yarbrough helped lead the Pirates to the Alabama High School Athletic Association (ASHAA) 7A state title as the club has to battle back through the loser's bracket and in six straight games. In the final, Kropp struck out eight Spain Park batters to earn the win in the circle.

"Emma is an extremely versatile player who gives us a lot of flexibility from a defensive standpoint," Clark said. "She will provide depth behind the plate, but has the ability to play multiple infield positions and corner outfield as well. She is a gap-to-gap right-handed hitter who can also hit for power. She is going to consistently put the ball in play and will drive in her share of runs. Her overall mental toughness and coachability really stood out to me, which combined with her work ethic, will help make her an asset to our program."

Despite missing a third of her junior season due to injury, Kropp still ended up batting .385 with six home runs, 15 doubles and 54 RBI.

She was an all-state selection as a sophomore where she batted .309 with six home runs, 11 doubles and 52 RBI, while also finishing with an 18-3 record in the circle and a 1.81 ERA.

Kropp also played club ball for the Tennessee Fury.



Cam McLemore
5-6 | Infielder |Saraland, Ala. | Saraland HS (Spartans)

McLemore, a 5-foot-6 shortstop, has been a four-year starter for Saraland High School in Saraland, Ala., and over that time has helped lead the Spartans to 110 wins and three area championships.

This past season, McLemore was a member of a Saraland (45-10-1) team, which finished runner up in the AHSAA 6A state playoffs. For her play in the postseason, McLemore was named to the finals all-tournament team, while also earning honorable mention all-state honors from the ASWA, as well as all-county and all-region accolades.

"Camryn is a grinder who gives us additional depth at the middle infield positions and will provide additional power in our lineup." Clark said. "Offensively, she will hit for average and also hit her share of home runs. Defensively, she is going to play a very steady MIF [middle infielder] and make all of the routine plays. I am excited about her addition to our program because she is the type of player who shows up every day ready to work and will only get better as she is in our system on a regular basis."

As a junior, McLemore batted .434 with 66 hits for the Spartans. Of her 66 hits, 32 went for extra bases – 14 doubles, five triples and 13 home runs. McLemore also drove in 61 runs for Saraland and really blossomed offensively during the 2018 season. She raised her average .130 points from her sophomore season and saw her power numbers improve with the 13 home runs during the year after not registering one the season prior.

McLemore also received interest from fellow Sun Belt member Troy and Western Kentucky during the recruiting process. She played three years of club ball for the Birmingham Thunderbolts.



Shelby Sloan
5-7 | Outfielder | Baker, Fla. | Baker High School (Gators)

Sloan, a 5-foot-7 outfielder from Baker, Fla., has been a member of the varsity club at Baker High School since her ninth grade season. During that time, Sloan has batted .570 with 114 hits, which included 22 doubles and 11 triples. She was also successful in 23 of her 24 stolen base attempts, while striking out just 11 times in 236 plate appearances for the Gators.

She is ranked 165th nationally on the Extra Inning c/o 2019 Elite Hot 200 list by FloSoftball. As a junior, Sloan earned Class 1A first-team all-state honors as a utility player from Miracle Sports and all-area accolades after batting .506 with a .607 on-base percentage.    

"Shelby is another hard-nosed addition to our roster. She is going to add another element of speed and power to our lineup and will give us another extremely competitive option at the top of our order," Clark said. "She is a left-handed hitter who does not strike out much and will consistently put the ball in play.  She adds depth to the outfield and can play any of the three outfield positions at a high level. With her tools and overall compete mentality, I anticipate her coming in and making an impact from day one."

Her best prep season to date came during her sophomore season as she batted a blistering .640 at the plate and had and obp of .659. Sloan's average not only set a new single-season mark for Baker, but also ranked as the top batting average in Florida at the 1A level, top 10 across all classification in the state and 85th nationally according to MaxPreps. She was named first-team all-state by Miracle Sports and was an all-area selection. Sloan had 48 hits, 24 runs scored and 19 RBI, and struck out just two times in 82 plate appearances.

During the 2015 season, Sloan batted .507 with a .611 on-base percentage and was named second-team all-state and all-area. She had 38 hits, 28 runs scored, 11 RBI, seven doubles, two triples and one home run that same season.

This past summer, Sloan was an integral member of the 16-U Triple Crown National Championship Team with the Jacksonville Storm as she posted a .513 average, led the team in hits with 20 and went 3-for-4 in the championship game. She led her club team in hits each of the last four summer tournament games  In 2017, with the Birmingham Bolts, Sloan was a member of the Colorado Sparklers All-American Select Tournament Team where she batted .478 with 11 hits and nine RBI and helped guide the Bolts to a 16-U PGF National Championship runner-up finish.

Sloan has also excelled in the class room as she currently holds a 4.24 grade point average, and she played one season of club ball for the Jacksonville Storm. Sloan also received interest from Ole Miss, Auburn, Clemson, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, UAB and Southern Mississippi, among others during the recruiting process. Sloan also lettered in volleyball at Baker during her prep career.



Kassidy Wilcox
5-7 | Catcher/Utility | Brantley, Ala. | Brantley High School (Bulldogs)

Wilcox has been a starter behind the plate for Brantley High School in Brantley, Ala., since seventh grade, while helping lead the Bulldogs to four ASHAA 1A state titles over the past five seasons. During her prep career, Wilcox has amassed 301 hits for a .451 batting average, while also posting 86 doubles, 12 triples and 27 home runs. She has also driven in 240 runs, while scoring 213 times during her Bulldog career. She has also been a first-team all-state selection by the ASWA three of the last four years, earning honorable mention honors during her 10th-grade season.  This past summer, Wilcox was selected to compete for the South team at the North-South All-Star game held in Montgomery, Ala., where she hit a home run in the South's 3-0 victory.

"Kassidy gives us a solid right-handed bat and more offensive power in our lineup," Clark said. "She is a gap-to-gap hitter who will also hit her share of homeruns. I project she will work her way into the three, four or five hole in our lineup and be an RBI producer as she develops. Defensively, she will give us depth behind the plate and at third base. Kass also has a tremendous work ethic and understands the commitment needed to compete at the highest level. I love her mentality and overall mental toughness. Because of her competitive mindset and work ethic, I feel like she has the potential to make an immediate impact on our program."

As a junior, Brantley won 53 of its 57 games en route to picking up the state championship where the Bulldogs outscored their opponents 25-0, Wilcox also had three hits in the championship game over Sumiton Christian. Wilcox has been selected to the finals all-tournament squad each of the last four seasons.

During the 2016 tournament, Wilcox had a tournament-high 14 hits, including six doubles and two home runs, scored 11 runs and collected six RBI. As an eighth-grader, Wilcox homered, drove in a pair of runs and scored twice in the championship game and was named the tournament's MVP, a year after her sister Alexis received the honor.

Wilcox also played club ball for six years for the Birmingham Thunderbolts.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSout_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear.  All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub.

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