Toledo, Ohio - University of Toledo head softball coach Joe Abraham announced the signing of seven recruits today on the first day of the national signing period. Macey Moore, Jaiden Batyik, Rebecca Cottrell, Hannah Tackett, Lily Beyer, McKenna Schmidt and Leah Munson will begin their athletic and academic careers at UT starting in the fall of 2019.
 
"We are happy with the talent we have coming in next year," Abraham, who is in his first year as head coach at UT, said. "A priority for us with our recruiting is bringing in the right type of student and athlete.  We want someone who is interested in academics, softball and anything else that should be important in their lives. We think we've achieved that with this group."

The skinny:

• Six signees are from Michigan, one is from Ohio
• Represent six clubs: Ohio Outlaws, Finesse (2), Freeland Elite, Beverly Bandits, Mid-Michigan Firestix, Turnin2
• Positions: Catcher, 1B/OF, OF, SS, Pitcher, Utility, 2B/OF
• All seven combined for: Seven All-District recognitions, 10 All-Conference recognitions, eight All-Region recognitions and two All-State recognitions (with three additional All-State honorable mentions).

 
Macey Moore

• Club: Ohio Outlaws
• High school: Teays Valley
• Hometown: Ashville, Ohio
• Position: Catcher
• Anticipated major: Sports medicine
• Mid-State League First Team (2015,  '16, '17)
• All Central District First team (2017)
• All-Ohio honorable mention (2017)
• High school team reached the state final four in 2018
• High school records: Tied for single season home runs, highest batting average in a single season, and most RBIs in a single season.

 
Why Macey chose to attend Toledo: "As soon as I stepped on campus, I knew that it was home. Everything just felt like it was the right fit, plus I love the fact that there is so much academic support for the athletes. I also think that the campus is beautiful and is just the right size that I need in order to make my college experience the best."
 
Coach Abraham on Moore: "Macey is from the Columbus area has played for several good travel teams. I remember watching her in the summer of 2017 and thinking 'oh wow, that's a really good catcher.' I've seen Macey play quite a bit. She's an excellent catcher, a really good hitter, plays for an excellent high school program and has played for a lot of good travel teams. She should come in and hopefully have an immediate impact for us."
 
Rebecca Cottrell

• Club: Finesse
• High school: Portage Central
• Hometown: Portage, Mich.
• Position: 1B/OF
• Anticipated major: Exercise science
• All-Region-First Base (2018)
• Junior year stats: .494 batting average, 85 AB with 42 hits and 24 BB, .609 OBP
• Girl Scouts Bronze and Silver award

 
Why Rebecca chose to attend Toledo: "I had been looking into the University of Toledo for a few years, and now that Coach Joe is here my decision is very easy. The school has a great exercise science program and a great softball program as well. The campus is beautiful and very easy to get around. I am very excited to be a Rocket!"
 
Coach Abraham on Cottrell: "Rebecca is just an excellent lefty hitter. She came to one of our camps at Hillsdale and showed herself to be a fantastic hitter, and her game has come a long way in the last year or so. She's turned into a pure D-1-level hitter from the left side. I wanted her at Hillsdale but it wasn't the right academic match with what she wanted to study, but as soon as I got to Toledo she got in contact with me within like a day and we got her on board pretty quickly."

 
Jaiden Batyik

• Club: Finesse
• High school: Tecumseh
• Hometown: Tecumseh, Mich.
• Position: OF
• Anticipated major: Pre-dental/Biology
• All-District (2017), All-District honorable mention (2018)
• All-Conference (2017, '18)
• All-Region (2017)
• 2017-18 Southeastern Conference Sportsmanship Award/ Defensive Player of the Year
• Junior year stats: .349 batting average, .476 OBP, 46 RBIs

 
Why Jaiden chose to attend Toledo: "I chose to attend the University of Toledo because it offers a great pre-dental curriculum, it has a beautiful campus that is close to home, and it also gave me a great opportunity to further my softball career."
 
Coach Abraham on Batyik: "Jaiden plays for Finesse, an excellent travel ball program in Michigan, and has played for an excellent team within Finesse. Jaiden is a great outfielder, and is really going to help our defense. She is from Tecumseh so we're excited to add some local kids to the roster."


Lily Beyer

• Club: Freeland Elite
• High school: Freeland
• Hometown: Freeland, Mich.
• Position: SS
• Anticipated major: Undecided
• First team All-Conference (2016, '17, '18)
• First team All-Region (2016, '17, '18)
• First team All-State in 2017, honorable mention in 2018
• Nov. 17 ESPN Radio Athlete of the Month

 
Why Lily chose to attend Toledo: "I chose to attend the University of Toledo because of the competitive softball program, and because the location is close to home. When I visited Toledo I felt comfortable with the coaches and with the facilities on campus, academically and athletically."
 
Coach Abraham on Beyer: "We knew nothing about Lily and she happened to email us in mid-September. We watched her video and we felt, wow this is she good. We invited her to our camp in late September and she came and we were just extremely impressed by her defense. Upon further investigation, it was clear that Lily is a really good all-around athlete. So we went from not knowing Lily at all to having her committed here within about the span of two weeks."
 
McKenna Schmidt

• Club: Beverly Bandits
• High school: Dundee
• Hometown: Maybee, Mich.
• Position: Pitcher
• Anticipated major: Nursing
• LCAA First Team (2017, '18)
• All-District (2017, '18)
• All-Region (2017, '18)
• All-State (2018)
• 2017 U16 IDT Boulder Champions with Beverly Bandits
• Junior year stats: 22-2 W/L, 198 Ks, 1.11 ERA

 
Why McKenna chose to attend Toledo: "I loved the environment and campus of UT. It's a place where I'm excited to continue my education and softball career."
 
Coach Abraham on Schmidt: "McKenna is another Dundee naive and our third local addition. McKenna is another girl I followed for the last few years. She's pitched for some of the best teams in the Midwest like Lasers Green and Beverly Bandits-Dorsey, so she's consistently pitched at a very high level throughout her travel career. She has solid speed, good movement, and good control. We were really excited to add a good pitcher who committed to us late in the game."
 
Hannah Tackett

• Club: Mid-Michigan Firestix
• High school: Dundee
• Hometown: Maybee, Mich.
• Position: Utility
• Anticipated major: Business
• All-District (2017, '18)
• All-League (2017, '18)
• All-Region (2018)
• All-Region, Monroe County (2018)
• Junior year stats: .532 batting average, five home runs, 51 RBIs

 
Why Hannah chose to attend Toledo: "I chose to attend the University of Toledo because of the amount of different academic options I have to choose from. Being unsure about what I want to study, UT is the perfect choice for me. I also enjoy the atmosphere. The softball coaches and players are very welcoming and make me excited for the next four years."
 
Coach Abraham on Tackett: "Hannah is from Dundee which is just 30 minutes up the road into Michigan so she's another local girl. I absolutely love Hannah. She's a really good athlete, can play infield or outfield, and is somebody who I immediately wanted to add once I got here because like any coach, I'm trying to create a culture and Hannah is a perfect fit for that. Great student, great girl, and has a great family. Exactly what we want."



Leah Munson

• Club: Turnin2
• High school: Regina
• Hometown: Harrison Township, Mich.
• Position: 2B/OF
• Anticipated major: Biology
• All-Catholic (twice)
• All-District (three times)
• All-County
• Junior year stats: .490 batting average, seven home runs, 42 RBIs

 
Why Leah chose to attend Toledo: "I chose the University of Toledo because of its strong medical academic programs, and to have the opportunity to play softball in the Mid-American Conference."
 
Coach Abraham on Munson: "Leah is a second baseman, outfielder, and lefty hitter from Regina, Michigan. Leah is another player I've watched for a couple of years. I've known her family for a few years now and I'm really excited that  Leah's a Division-I level hitter. She's a top-of-the-order type hitter who's versatile on the field and is a great young woman with a great family. Leah's a late commit for us but we're just thrilled to add her."