Upstate Softball Announces Final Signees For 2010 Recruiting Class
7/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Spartanburg, S.C. – USC Upstate head softball coach Chris Hawkins signed two players to national letters of intent during the spring signing period to put a cap on the 2010 recruiting class as Jacksonville's Lindsay Kelly and Asheville's Laurin Buckner signed to become Spartans in the fall.
"We are excited to have Lindsay and Laurin join our program and complete what we believe is going to be a strong recruiting class for us," said Chris Hawkins, who just finished his 16th year as head coach at Upstate and led the Spartans to the championship game of the A-Sun Tournament in the program's first year of postseason eligibility. "Both players bring with them a reputation for winning, great attitudes and a desire to be a part of our program. I look forward to seeing them contribute on and off the field."
Kelly was a four-year starter in the outfield for head coach Natalia Gonzalez at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Fla. She was the only freshman to earn a spot on the varsity squad in 2007 and remained in the lineup for four years. She helped lead the Mustangs to a 17-9 record and the Gateway Conference championship as a senior in 2010. Mandarin advanced to the District Championships before being eliminated. She was an All-First Coast and All-Conference selection as a junior and senior, while earning all-conference honors as a sophomore. She helped lead Mandarin to three conference championships, two district championships and two appearances in the 6A Region Tournament as part of the 6A state tournament.
Kelly hit .340 for her career at Mandarin. She hit 27 doubles, scored 77 runs, collected 52 RBI and was 34-for-35 in stolen base attempts. She struck out just 24 times in four seasons, 12 times over the last three years. She hit .329 with a career-high 10 doubles as a senior. She drove in 17 runs and scored 21 times to lead the Mustangs. She had a tremendous season as a junior, hitting .407 with 23 runs, 13 RBI and 12 stolen bases. She struck out just once in 81 at bats. As a sophomore, she hit .330 with nine doubles, 19 runs and 16 RBI. As a freshman in 2007, she hit .284 with 14 runs and six RBI. In addition to her career at Mandarin, Kelly has been a starter in travel ball for five years with Team JAX.
Buckner ended a stellar career as a catcher for head coach Jennifer Kruk at Enka High School. She hit .442 as a senior en route to earning 3A All-State honors. She was also an all-district selection and the District 8 Player of the Year. She helped lead Enka to a No. 7 final ranking and into the semifinals of the West Region of the 3A state tournament, one step shy of advancing to the state finals in Raleigh.
A starter for four years at Enka, Buckner was a four-time All-Conference selection in the Mountain Athletic Conference and was the conference's Player of the Year as a senior. She earned all-district honors three times and was named the Athlete of the Year at Enka.
Kelly and Buckner are the final two signees in the 2010 recruiting class that brought in North Carolina 4A-West co-Pitcher of the Year Hannah Alexander (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson HS) and South Carolina 4A All-State selections Ashley Butler (Laurens, S.C./Laurens HS) and Erin Schattle (Goose Creek, S.C./Stratford HS).
