St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Softball Adds Duo To 2012 Recruiting Class
5/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 14, 2012
QUEENS, N.Y. -- St. John's softball head coach Amy Kvilhaug announced on Monday the signing of Courtney Budynas and Tori Free to National Letters of Intent as members of the 2012 recruiting class.
Budynas, a versatile middle infielder and outfielder, comes to St. John's from Honeoye Falls Lima HS in Honeoye Falls, N.Y. Free, a pitcher who also has versatility as a catcher and infielder, joins the Red Storm from Luverne High School in Luverne, Ala.
"We are really excited to add to our 2012 class with two great talents and two great people," Kvilhaug said.
Together, the two players add to a stellar recruiting class that already includes outfielder Yvonne Rericha, who signed with the Red Storm in the fall.
Budynas, who comes in with a .422 lifetime batting average in high school play, is expected to make an immediate impact at the plate and on the field when she arrives in Queens. She has been a team captain ever since her sophomore season, and the 2011 first team All-Greater Rochester and All-Monroe County selection comes to St. John's as the New York State Section V all-time assists leader, a record she captured in her junior season.
"Courtney has been on our radar for quite some time, and after watching her consistently develop over the last year, we knew she would be a great fit for the program," Kvilhaug said. "We love that she comes from New York to represent St. John's and believe her versatility as an infielder is going to make her a major contributor to our lineup next year."
Free has been a lights-out pitcher for the Luverne Tigers this year, posting a 0.57 ERA and allowing batters to hit a meager .111 against her in 74 innings of work. She has racked up several accolades for her work, including being named team MVP every year since 2008, and holds school records in wins, ERA, strikeouts, shutouts and no-hitters thrown.
"Tori was a hidden gem discovered last summer by an elite team out of Georgia. When we learned about her still being uncommitted we immediately took a trip to see her play and were not disappointed," Kvilhaug said. "She is every bit as good and as much of a competitor as people commented on. She has three pitches that she is able to throw effectively, and I really believe she will make an immediate impact on the future success of the program."
The other factor for Kvilhaug in the recruitment of Budynas and Free was the character and mentality they bring to a Red Storm program on the rise.
"[Budynas] is going to surprise a lot of people with her offensive development at the college level purely based on her eagerness and excitement to learn and continue to develop," Kvilhaug said. "Courtney is a hard-working, fantastic individual who comes from a great family and we consider ourselves lucky to have landed her."
"Tori is a top notch person and her family and coaches have been absolutely wonderful in aiding the process of her coming to St. John's," Kvilhaug said.
Both Budynas and Free hope to make their marks in the classroom as well during their time at St. John's as Budynas comes to St. John's with an Advanced Regents Diploma while Free is currently the president of the National Honor Society at Luverne High School.
For all the latest news on the St. John's softball team, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@STJ_Softball) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with the hashtag, #stjsb.
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