St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Inks Six To National Letters Of Intent
11/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nov. 20, 2012
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's softball head coach Amy Kvilhaug announced the signing of six players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period for the 2013 signing class. Mackenzie Cleary, Kaitlyn Wilkens, Kaitlin Fitzgerald, Lexi Robles, Monique Landini and Grace Kramer all signed on to be part of the 2017 graduating class of the Red Storm.
"We are really excited about the strength, depth and character of our 2013 recruiting class," Kvilhaug said. "This class adds so many ingredients to the mix - speed, power, versatility and pitching. Many of these incoming athletes have the ability to play several different positions allowing us versatility in so many different ways."
Cleary comes to St. John's from Fairport High School in Fairport, N.Y. During her junior season at Fairport, the corner infielder was an offensive machine, batting .639 with five home runs and 41 RBI in 72 at-bats. For her travel squad, the Battery Lightning, Cleary hit .431 with a .554 on-base percentage in 102 at bats, belting six home runs with 11 doubles.
"It's one of our goals as a program to secure the top talent in the state of New York, and that's what Mackenzie offers," Kvilhaug said. "She plays for one of the top organizations in upstate New York, so she has quite a bit of experience playing some of the top teams nationally which will help with her transition to BIG EAST softball. She will provide our offense with power and has the ability to play either corner."
Wilkens is one of several players in the class that continues the influx of recruits from the talent-rich California softball scene to the Red Storm program. The catcher features a strong defensive presence behind the plate while also doing damage with the bat in her hands, batting .328 for the Moorpark Musketeers with 12 RBI during the 2011-12 season. In the field, she boasted a perfect fielding percentage with 41 total putouts and no runners attempting to steal a base against her.
"Kaitlyn will come in and provide us with much-needed depth behind the plate," Kvilhaug said. "She has a very strong arm so we anticipate her throwing out quite a few runners in her time at St. John's. She also has a great knack for running the field as she is a positive, vocal leader. Kaitlyn has a great demeanor about her that I am confident will be a big contributor to how she will successfully handle our pitching staff. Like many of our incoming athletes, she has proven herself amongst some of the top talent in the country as she has played on competitive teams out of southern California for many years."
Fitzgerald is another big bat joining the Red Storm, as the corner infielder batted .373 as a member of the Rosary Royals in Fullerton, Calif., knocking in 17 RBI in 51 at-bats. She was named to All-Trinity League in 2010, 2011 and 2012 as well as being the league's co-rookie of the year in 2010. In addition to her accomplishments on the field, Fitzgerald has been named a Trinity League scholar athlete multiple times. Fitzgerald comes from a strong bloodline of successful Division I athletes as her father, John, played football at Mississippi State.
"Kaitlin is sure to make an immediate impact in our lineup," Kvilhaug said. "She provides strength and big power offensively and has successfully competed against the highest level of athletes in the country for a very long time. Kaitlin is an outstanding third baseman who will compete heavily for that spot upon arrival."
Robles comes to Queens from South Hills High School in West Covina, Calif. The middle infielder is a threat at the plate, boasting a .353 batting average, but has also shown speed on the base paths, swiping three bases for the Huskies. On the defensive side of the ball, Robles has a .966 fielding percentage and has shown the ability to utilize her quick feet to turn the double play.
"Lexi is a gamer; she may be small in stature but she can play with the best the BIG EAST has to offer. Lexi will add speed and a great deal of versatility to our lineup both offensively and defensively," Kvilhaug said. "She's a slapper who has the ability to play so many different positions and can be utilized at short, second, and in the outfield depending what our team needs. Defensively she has quick hands and is quick to the ball. Lexi has played on what is considered one of the premier teams in the country which will also aid in her transition to big-time college softball."
Landini is another talented middle infield addition to the Red Storm who offers great defense combined with great power at the plate. The native of Burbank, Calif. is a .458 hitter for the Bellarmine-Jefferson Guards, slugging .759 with just three strikeouts and 16 walks drawn. Landini also was a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts during the spring 2012 season. In the field, she posted a .963 fielding percentage and helped turn seven double plays.
"Monique is a hard-working, talented athlete who, like many of our incoming class, has the ability to play multiple positions," Kvilhaug said. "Mo will likely play on the left side of our infield, but brings versatility that can be an asset to our team. She has a strong arm and an as equally strong bat that will add some power to the lineup. Mo has a high level of experience competing against top level athletes and seeing success which will help her transition to the BIG EAST."
Kramer is the lone hurler of the 2013 signing class, but the Spring Valley, Calif. native brings a strong arm to Queens from Steele Canyon High School, where she posted a 1.98 ERA in 120.1 innings pitched. In 22 appearances, Kramer totaled 158 strikeouts while allowing opponents to hit just .226 off her. For her travel ball squad, the Firecrackers Pasco, Kramer posted a 0.95 ERA in 103 innings pitched during the fall 2011 season.
"Grace continues to improve with every tournament, making us realize that she can grow into something really special at St. John's," Kvilhaug said. " She will join what will be a veteran pitching staff and her competitiveness will not only put her in a position to vie for a spot in the rotation, but will also make our staff stronger by pushing them to be better as well. She has the ability to mix speeds and has command of several different pitches. Grace is a coachable, hard-working athlete who we see really contributing to the program over the course of her career."
The Red Storm will begin the 2013 season on February 8. Stay tuned to RedStormSports.com for the entire 2013 schedule, to be released in the coming weeks.
For all of the latest news on the Red Storm, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@STJ_Softball) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with the hashtag, #stjsb. If you would like to be added to the mailing list for softball releases, please send an email to Alexander.bryant11@stjohns.edu with the subject "Softball Mailing List".
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