University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI Softball Inks Five in Early Signing Period
11/14/2013 1:00:00 AM | Softball
University of Northern Iowa head softball coach Ryan Jacobs has announced the addition of five student-athletes who signed with the Panthers to continue their athletic and academic careers at UNI.
The Panthers have added Sam Nicholson (Winterset, Iowa), Samantha Belz (Davenport, Iowa/Kirkwood CC), Hope Koerperich (Dubuque, Iowa), Kennedy Bailey (North Delta, BC, Canada) and Aubrey Bland (Durant, Iowa) to their squad for the 2014-2015 academic year.
“We are very excited about this group of young ladies for the class of 2014,” Jacobs said. “There is a great mix of personalities, abilities, and experience. The one thing they all have in common is the desire to compete and win at the highest level. I would call this a work ethic group. On and off the field, all of them have a tremendous dive to achieve their goals and willing to work extra to achieve them. It's a perfect fit for UNI Softball.”
“I also want to recognize yet another tremendous job our entire staff has done recruiting this year,” Jacobs said. “When student-athletes see the level of passion, loyalty, and desire our staff has it is something they want to be a part of. Especially the efforts of assistant coach Julie Gerdes, it couldn't happen this way without her dedication and passion for UNI Softball.”
Sam Nicholson – Utility Infielder (Winterset, Iowa/Winterset HS)
Nicholson earned all-state as well as all-conference honors in each of her past three seasons at Winterset High School in Winterset, Iowa. She also tallied first-team all-district honors her junior season. Nicholson has earned varsity letters in her past four seasons at Winterset while participating in three state tournament appearances. Nicholson has been an academic all-conference member in each of her past three seasons as well as remained active in FFA, Y- teen and the MOC program.
“Sam has been one of the top players in the state since her sophomore season at Winterset HS,” Jacobs said. “She has the ability to play any position in the infield and is a fierce competitor. Sam will instantly impact our defense in the infield. Offensively, Sam is a very well rounded player. She is very consistent at the plate and has power potential that I think we will see more of in college.”
Samantha Belz - Pitcher (Davenport, Iowa/Davenport West HS/Kirkwood CC)
Belz played her 2013 season at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she earned second-team All-America honors for the Eagles. Belz was a five-year varsity letter winner at Davenport West High School where she was team captain her senior season. In 2012, Belz was tabbed third-team all-state, first-team all-Mississippi Atlantic Conference as a pitcher. Belz also lettered in volleyball and basketball.
“Sam has done a great job developing as a pitcher under coach Joe Yeggy at Kirkwood,” Jacobs said. “She has a great feel for pitching, developed her pitches, and understands what it takes to get good hitters out. Sam will add a lot to our pitching staff next year. It has been fun to see Sam grow since high school at Davenport West, and we are excited to see what she will do for UNI Softball in the next two years.”
Hope Koerperich – Catcher/1B (Dubuque, Iowa/Dubuque Hempstead HS)
Koerperich is a four-year letter recipient in softball. As a junior, Koerperich was named to the second-team MVC squad as utility. As a sophomore, she was nominated to the MVC Honorable mention team. Her sophomore and junior seasons she was nominated to the TH All-Area softball teams. Koerperich also competes in volleyball, basketball, and track. She has made state tournament appearances in volleyball and track as well as the Drake Relays. She is involved in National Honor Society, Special Olympics peer helping, student ambassador, yearbook editor for two years, honor roll and intramurals.
“Hope is a tremendous all-around athlete,” Jacobs said. “She could compete at a high level in track or volleyball as well. We are very happy and excited she decided to play softball in college. Hope does a lot of things very well on the field, but what stands out the most is her arm strength and power. We are excited to see what happens to Hope when she dedicates her time to focus on just softball. Not only does Hope excel in athletics, she is a tremendous student.”
Kennedy Bailey – 1B / 2B / 3B (North Delta, BC, Canada)
Bailey played for Delta Heat 96 Gold travel team who won 2 Provincial Championships and one National Championship. The Heat were the first and only Canadian fastpitch team to qualify and play in ASA US Nationals in 2013 where they finished 17th out 138 teams. Bailey played on BC Summer games team – who earned a gold medal. She was named top second baseman at the 2012 National Championships after leading the tournament in runs batted in. Bailey also played volleyball and soccer throughout high school. An honor roll member, she is also active in volunteering with Special Olympics and teaching softball.
“Kennedy will bring some pop to our line up from the left side,” Jacobs said. “She has a great approach at the plate and a very polished swing. Not only does Kennedy swing the bat well, she has very soft hands and great with the glove which allows her some versatility on defense. Along with some of our other players she is able to play defense wherever we need her to.”
Aubrey Bland – Catcher / 3B (Durant, Iowa/Durant HS)
Bland is a three-year varsity starter and helped lead her team to a third-place state finish in 2012 in addition to a state title in 2013. She was named second-team all-conference in 2012 and 2013. Bland tallied 2A all-district and all-state recognitions in 2013. She was named 2A first-team all-state by Sports Spotlight in 2013 and was named first-team all-area by the Quad City Times in 2012 and 2013. Bland was a member of the all-area team by the Muscatine Journal in 2013 and is a four-year recipient of academic all-conference honors.
“The first thing you notice about Aubrey when she plays is how hard she works and competes,” Jacobs said. “Seeing her play for the first time in the Iowa High School State Tournament in Fort Dodge is what caught my eye right away. Not only does Aubrey play tough, she swings a powerful bat as well. She has the potential to be a very, very good Division I hitter. She also has the versatility to play behind the plate or in the infield, which will help give us great depth on defense.”