MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama head coach Becky Clark announced the addition of six additions to this fall's recruiting class – Kaydn Bush (Alabaster, Ala.), Emily Maddox (Graceville, Fla.), Emily Needham (Pike Road, Ala.), Charlie Neumann (Plaquemine, La.), Irene Rabasco (Valencia, Venezuela) and Abby Williams (Rainsville, Ala.) – on Wednesday. The group will join the program next fall.  

"In this class, we really focused on pitching and power," Clark said. "I feel like we are signing the two best pitchers coming out of our state. (Kaydn) Bush pitched Thompson to a 7A state title and (Emily) Needham was the 3A Player of the Year. Both are winners and will come in and make an immediate impact on our pitching staff. All four position players bring extra-base hit and RBI production to the roster, and all four will move our offensive needle forward and have a realistic chance at competing right away. All six signees are incredibly focused and driven with tremendous work ethics and compete mentalities. Our program got better today with all six additions. Our fans are going to enjoy watching and supporting these six young ladies."

Kaydn Bush | Alabaster, Ala. | Thompson High School 
Right-handed Pitcher | 5-7 | R-R

"Kadyn is old-school grit and toughness. She isn't afraid of the moment and doesn't back down from a challenge. I love the fact she steps on the mound with intent and compete mindset. She's got great stuff that will continue to get better as she gets in our bullpen on a daily basis. She has already had tremendous success but the ceiling is still high for her and I'm excited to see what she is able to accomplish over her four-year career. She will come in primarily for her pitching, but she swings a competitive bat and may have the opportunity to help us in that area as well."

-    Lettered five seasons in softball at Thompson High School in Alabaster, Ala.
-    Helped Thompson claim a pair of 7A Alabama High School Athletic Association state titles (2025 and 2022)
-    Named to the 2025 Birmingham Terrific 22 squad
-    Earned honorable mention all-state honors as a sophomore
-    Selected to compete for the North team in the 2025 North-South All-Star Game
-    Struck out 268 batters for the Warriors in 259 innings, while holding a 2.38 earned run average
-    Was also solid at the plate where she hit .371 with a .951 OPS and six home runs
-    Played five years travel ball for the Birmingham Thunderbolts where she struck out 376 batters in 368.2 innings in the circle
-    Named to the PGF Top 150 National Watch List for the Class of 2026
-    Ranked in the Top 21 for Pitcher/Hitter Duo by Extra Innings

Emily Maddox | Graceville, Fla. | Houston Academy
First Base/Outfielder | 5-7 | L-L

"Emily is a left-handed hitter who brings great speed and power to our lineup. She works gap-to-gap, but also has power to leave the yard. Her ability to square up the ball and hit for average will make an immediate impact on our lineup. Defensively, she will work at first base and all three outfield positions. One of the things that stands out to me is her compete mindset and overall work ethic. I look forward to her leadership as well. She is one of those players who respects the game and plays it the right way."

-    Member of varsity squad at Houston Academy where she has been a member since seventh grade
-    Has ed the Raiders to five-straight area championships entering her final prep season, while also helping the club to a pair of regional championships (2023-2025) and three regional runner up finishes
-    Also helped Houston Academy capture the 2022 state title – the program's first and finish with a 48-13-1 record, and runner up finishes at the state tournament in 2023 and 2025
-    Already holds the program career records in career doubles (73), ranks second in career singles (200), and is third in runs scored with 257 entering her senior season
-    As a junior, batted .444 with a .604 on-base percentage and a .707 slugging percentage
-    In her 44 hits, 16 went for extra bases as she had nine doubles, four triples and three home runs
-    Also scored 57 runs, drove in 21 and stole 10 bases
-    Posted a .628 batting average and recorded 54 hits as a sophomore, and scored 56 runs and drove in 40 for the Raiders
-    Also registered 25 extra-base hits with 18 doubles, three triples and four home runs, during the 2024 season
-    In her first full season with the varsity club as an eighth-grader, she batted .407 with 61 hits, 48 runs scored and 45 RBI, and earned honorable mention all-state honors
-    Of her 61 hits that season, 26 went for extra bases, highlighted by 20 doubles
-    Also recorded two triples and four home runs during the 2023 season
-    In 2023 advanced to the AHSAA 4A State Championship series where the Raiders finished 47-9
-    Joined the varsity squad as a seventh-grader where she hit .371 with 43 hits, including six doubles, two triples and seven home runs, and scored 36 runs and drove in 38
-    Played five years of travel ball for So Cal Athletics seeing time at both first base and in the outfield
-    Posted a .485 batting average and a .968 slugging percentage as 23 of her 46 hits went for extra bases – 10 doubles, five triples and eight home runs – while scoring 37 runs and driving in 32
-    Led club team in batting average during fall (2024) and summer (2025)

Emily Needham | Pike Road, Ala. | St. James High School 
Right-handed Pitcher | 5-6 | R-R

"Emily is all heart. She is going to give you 100% every time she steps on the mound and I love the fact that you always know what you are going to get from her. She has great tools and one of her best assets is her ability to effectively change speeds in any count. In my opinion, her change up is one of the best in the country and allows her to get a lot of swing and misses. She will continue to grow in our system but will also come in and make an immediate impact. Her mature, humble approach will contribute to our overall staff leadership and quickly make her a fan favorite."

-    Lettered six seasons at Saint James School in Montgomery, Ala.
-    Led Saint James to a runner up finish at the state tournament in 2025, a third-place finish at the 2024 state tournament, and a five-place finish at the 2023 tournament
-    Helped the Trojans win three area championships and a pair of regional championships
-    Selected to compete for the South Team at the 2025 North-South All-Star Game
-    Entering her senior season, holds a career earned run average of 1.89, and her ERA has been sub-1 for both her sophomore and junior season
-    As a junior, she was one of 20 players in the nation to be nominated for the Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year
-    Also named to the ASWA Super All-State team, and was a first team selection to the 3A all-state squad
-    Was selected as the 3A Player of the Year, the CCC Player the Year and earned the Extra Inning Golden Arm Award
-    Set single-season records in strikeouts (430), wins (35) and career strikeouts (1,132) during her junior season
-    Named the Montgomery Advertiser Player of the Year as a sophomore
-    Also named the 3A Pitcher of the Year and first-team all-state by the ASWA, in addition to the CCC Player of the Year
-    Also lettered three seasons in basketball and seven seasons in volleyball
-    Played travel ball for the Birmingham Thunderbolts where she helped the club team to three championships and a runner up finish

Charlie Neumann | Plaquemine, La. | St. John's High School
Corner Infielder | 5-6 | R-R

"Charlie is another middle of the order hitter who just consistently barrels up good pitching. She probably has the most overall power out of this class and can consistently drive the ball out of the park. I anticipate her being an RBI producer and she will provide protection for some of our other power hitters. She has a good overall understanding of her swing, how to use the ground, and how to get consistent barrel control. She will primarily play a corner infield position for us, but can be used in numerous utility positions. I think her physical tools and mature approach to the game will help her make an immediate impact on our lineup."

-    Lettered five seasons in softball at St. John High School in Plaquemine, La.
-    A four-time all-state selection, earning the honors each of the last four seasons
-    Set single-season records in hits (46), RBI (68) and home runs (19) during the 2025 season
-    Also holds the program's career marks for hits (160), RBI (203) and home runs (49), all set during her junior season
-    Batted .500 with 46 hits, 19 home runs, 68 RBI while earning all-state and all-metro honors, as well as being named the District 8-1A MVP during her junior season
-    As a sophomore, posted a .606 batting average with 43 hits, 11 home runs and 50 RBI, to go along with all-state, all-metro and all-district honors
-    Batted .408 as a freshman and .469 as an eighth grader while compiling 71 hits, 85 RBI and 19 home runs over those two seasons, in addition to earning all-state, all-metro and all-district honors
-    Also lettered three seasons in powerlifting where she placed seventh as a sophomore at the state tournament and third as a junior
-    Played three years of travel ball for United Fastpitch based in Abbeville, La. 
-    Played both corner infield positions for United, and helped the team win a pair of championships at the Death Valley Invite, and a runner up finish at the TFL Fall Championship in 2023
-    Named the Offensive MVP at the 2025 TCS Texas State Championships, and was named to the 18U all-tournament team at the 2025 Scenic City Top 25

Irene Rabasco | Valencia, Venezuela | Chipola College | Colegio Santa Rosa
Infielder | 5-3 | L-R

"Irene is a great addition to this signing class having already played high-level JUCO and international ball. She has an elite glove and her range allows her to play both middle infield and third base. She makes the tough play seem routine and has an incredibly high softball IQ. Offensively, she swings in from the left side and can beat you with a bunt, a ball in the gap, or the long ball. Her passion for the game and overall energy on the field are two intangibles that make her a great player and will quickly endear her to our fans."

AT CHIPOLA COLLEGE
-    Lettered at Chipola College in Chipola, Fla., where she batted .396 with a .486 on-base percentage and a .678 slugging percentage
-    Named Second-Team All-American, as well as first team all-conference and all-region
-    Earned the Rawlings Gold Glove Award
-    Helped Lady Indians advance and finish sixth at the NJCAA D1 Softball World Series in Yuma, Ariz., after ending the season with 35 wins
-    Ranked second on the team in hits with 59 – 25 of which went for extra bases
-    Tied for the team lead in doubles (14) and also recorded five triples and six home runs
-    Walked 24 time, scored 46 runs and drove in 38 runs
-    Recorded 17 multi-hit games during the season
-    Batted .407 and drove in 19 runs in conference play, while also recorded nine extra-base hits against league foes
-    Best outing of her freshman season came in game one of a doubleheader at Gulf Coast State College where she was 4-for-5 with a double and drove in five runs
-    Also had a pair of hits and drove in four runs in game two of a doubleheader versus Tallahassee State College

AT COLEGIO SANTA ROSA
-    Joined the Venezuelan National Team in 2019 where she was a second baseman
-    Was named to the U18 All-Pan Am Team at an event in Monteria, Columbia in 2024

Abby Williams | Rainsville, Ala. | Plainview High School
Outfielder | 5-7 | L-R

"Abby is a ballplayer. She has a 'compete every pitch' mentality and plays the game with a no-nonsense attitude. She gives us another quality left-handed bat who can hit anywhere in the order from 1-5. She can be both a table setter and an RBI producer, depending on the situation. Defensively, she can realistically play any of the three outfield positions and will contribute immediately both offensively and defensively. Her work ethic and winning mentality will add another layer of leadership and toughness to our team."

-    Lettered five seasons in softball at Plainview High School in Rainsville, Ala. 
-    Led the Bears to a pair of 3A state titles (2023 and 2021), while also guiding the team to runner up finish at the 2024 state tournament and a fourth-place finish at the 2022 tournament
-    Also helped Plainview to five regional titles and four area championships
-    Set the career marks at Rainsville in batting average (.499), hits (395), doubles (77), RBI (257) and runs scored (318)
-    Has led Rainsville to a combined record of 211-37-2 during her prep career
-    Batted .585 as a junior where she recorded 86 hits and scored 73 runs en route to earning first-team all-state honors from the Alabama Sports Writers Association
-    Batted .534 with 86 hits and 64 runs scored as a sophomore where she was named the DeKalb County MVP and selected to the 3A ASWA All-State first team
-    As a freshman, she was named the DeKalb County Offensive Player of the Year and earned first-team all-state honors where she batted .551 with 86 hits, 73 runs scored and drove in 88 runs 
-    Was named to the 3A State all-tournament team in 2023 after helping the Bears finish with a 47-1 record en route to the state title
-    Set the single-season record for RBI in 2023
-    Also lettered three seasons in cross country and two seasons in volleyball
-    Helped the Bears capture a 3A state title in volleyball as a sophomore
-    Played 11 years of club ball for Alabama Spark Elite located in Huntsville, Ala.

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