MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama softball head coach Becky Clark announced Rachel Everett (Hartland High School - Hartland, Mich.), Stephanie Gonzalez (Pembroke Pines Charter High School – Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Gabby Stagner (Faith Academy – Mobile, Ala.) and Shelby Garrett (Frostproof Middle Senior High School – Frostproof, Fla.) have joined the fall signee class and will join the program for the 2022 season.
"Coach [Kristina] McCain and Coach [Hannah] Campbell were an integral part of putting together another strong class that will have an immediate impact on our program," South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said. "All four of our student-athletes signing early have tremendous character, are great students, and love to work and compete. They are all accomplished athletes who are only going to continue to grow and develop once in our program. Our fans are going to love watching and supporting these young ladies."
Rachel Everett
5-10 | Pitcher
Hartland, Mich.
Hartland High School | Turnin2
Everett joins the Jaguar signee class after lettering the previous four seasons in softball at Hartland High School located in Hartland, Mich. While a member of the program, the Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals of the state tournament during her sophomore season and finished as runner-up as a freshman in 2018.
The left-handed pitcher posted a 29-3 record as a sophomore and 213 strikeouts, after going 20-5 as a freshman with 167 strikeouts. Everett also issued just five walks in 167 innings of work that season. She was a two-time first-team all-state selection, as well as earning all-region and all-district honors both of those seasons.
"Rachel is a left-handed pitcher with a huge ceiling," Clark noted. "Her work ethic, mentality, and physical build all add up to great things especially when she gets in our weight room and bullpen. She has tremendous spin on the ball and is a true competitor on the mound. I think she will only continue to take steps forward once she gets in our system on a daily basis. I am excited for her because she has already experienced a tremendous amount of success but there is still so much more possible for her. She will prove to be a big addition to our pitching staff and will make an immediate impact."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Everett's junior season was cancelled. However, she was named to the All-Decade team for Livingston County spring sports for the 2010's in 2019. She was also recently ranked No. 172 by Extra Innings Softball among pitchers nationally.
The 5-foot-10 signee has also played travel ball for 10 years for Turnin2 based out of Brighton, Mich., where she was a member of the 14U ASA State Championship team in 2014.
Stephanie Gonzalez
5-5 | Utility
Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Pembroke Pines Charter High School | South Florida Diamond Dusters
Gonzalez signs with South after lettering the past seven years in softball for Pembroke Pines Charter High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
As a junior, Gonzalez batted .655 with a .966 slugging percentage and a 1.621 on-base plus slugging percentage in her eight-game season, which was shortened by the pandemic. Of her 19 hits, five went for doubles while she also had a pair of triples. The freshman-to-be also drove in 15 runs while striking out just once during the season.
"Stephanie is a true utility player with an incredibly high softball IQ," Clark said. "She has all the tools to be a top defender with an above average arm and a great first step. She understands the game and has ballplayer instincts that are getting harder and harder to find. Offensively, she can hit to all fields and will be an RBI producer for us. Her grit, mentality and compete mindset are going to make her a very special player at South Alabama."
In 26 games during her sophomore season, Gonzalez had 27 hits and batted .391 for the Jaguars. She also accounted for 11 extra-base hits – seven doubles, three triples and a home run – while driving in 18 and scoring 21 runs. In her 82 plate appearances, Gonzalez struck out just once and posted an OPS of 1.078 and a .623 slugging percentage.
She has also played club ball for 13 years for South Florida Diamond Dusters base out of her hometown.
Gabby Stagner
5-9 | Shortstop/Third base
Mobile, Ala.
Faith Academy | Impact Gold Premier
Stagner signs with South after lettering at Faith Academy in Mobile, Ala., where she has compiled a .405 career batting average and a .747 slugging percentage, in addition to 31 home runs and 132 RBI. She has also scored 116 runs and recorded 17 doubles.
"Gabby is one of the best overall hitters coming out of our state in the 2021 class," Clark state. "She can hit for both average and power and will be a big RBI producer for us. She is currently playing shortstop and third base, and has the tools and athleticism to compete for playing time at both of those positions once she gets on campus. Her work ethic, character, and toughness make her a great fit for our program. I anticipate her making an immediate impact and having a great career at South Alabama."
She was named to the 2020 Al.com Coastal High School Terrific 20 and the publication's Class 5A All-State Terrific 20 teams at both shortstop and catcher after hitting .522 with 13 RBI, four home runs and a 1.654 OPS in a COVID-19-shortened season. Earlier the fall, Stagner was ranked No. 98 on Extra Innings Softball's 2021 Extra Elite 100 list.
Over the course of her career, she also earned all-state honorable mention honors from the Alabama Sports Writers Association as well as all-region honors in 2018 and 2019. She was also named the region's offensive player of the year as a sophomore.
The 5-foot-9 infielder led the Rams to a pair of regional appearances (2018 and 2019) where Faith finished as runner up during her freshman season, while posting 12 home runs for FA. Stagner was also selected to play in the North/South All-Star team.
Stagner has also played club ball for Impact Gold Premier where they finished as runner up at the TCS Fireworks where they were ranked 62nd nationally by Extra Innings.
Shelby Garrett
5-8 | Infielder
Frostproof, Fla.
Frostproof Middle Senior High School
Garrett has lettered the past seven seasons in softball at Frostproof Middle Senior High School in Frostproof, Fla. She currently holds the single-season marks in RBI (36), fielding percentage (.997), doubles (12) and batting average (.477) for the Bulldogs.
"Shelby is a middle infielder with great instincts and tremendous athletic ability," Clark said. "She is currently playing shortstop, but I see her competing for playing time at both middle infield positions. Offensively, she is a gap-to-gap hitter who can also drive the ball out. She loves the game and shows up to compete every day. Her blue-collar mentality, work ethic, and overall toughness are intangibles that will have an immediate impact on our program. I am excited to see her growth and production once she gets in our system on a daily basis."
Over the course of her prep career at Frostproof, Garrett has helped guide the program to four straight district championships (2016-19), while also being selected as the FCA Student Leader of the Year for the state of Florida in 2019.
During her sophomore season with the Bulldogs, Garrett accumulated a .477 batting average, a .535 on-base percentage and a .671 slugging percentage, while also earning first-team all-state honors at shortstop. She recorded 42 hits in her 88 at-bats, scored 34 runs and drove in 36. Garrett also had 11 extra-base hits over the course of the season with five doubles, four triples and a pair of home runs.
Defensively, the middle infielder was stellar committing just two errors in her 29 games plate for a .997 fielding percentage that same season.
As a freshman at FMSHS, Garrett batted .387 with 29 hits, two doubles and a triple, while also adding 23 RBI and 13 runs scored. She also led the county in doubles as an eighth-grader with 12.
The 5-foot-8 infielder also lettered in soccer for seven seasons and volleyball for five seasons where she set the program record for serving 17 points consecutively. She was also a member of a Dixie Youth Little League Softball State Championship in 2015.
2020 FALL SIGNEE CLASS
- Rachel Everett (Hartland High School - Hartland, Mich.) – LHP
- Stephanie Gonzalez (Pembroke Pines Charter High School – Pembroke Pines, Fla.) – UTL
- Gabby Stringer (Faith Academy – Mobile, Ala.) – SS/3B
- Shelby Garrett (Frostproof Middle Senior High School – Frostproof, Fla.) – MIF
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_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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