Yvette Healy signs six in first recruiting class
December 06, 2011 | Softball
Dec. 6, 2011
MADISON, Wis.- Wisconsin head coach Yvette Healy has announced her first recruiting class of her career at UW, signing six players for the 2013 season. Stefanni LaJeunesse, Macy Oswald, Katie Christner, Alexis Ramirez, Taylor-Paige Stewart and Caitlyn Warren have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Wisconsin in the fall of 2013.
“The Wisconsin softball staff is excited to welcome our first recruiting class to the University of Wisconsin,” said head coach Yvette Healy. “This is a special group of student-athletes with speed and power that love to compete. Above all, they are great kids from outstanding families. The class of 2012 has the ability to rewrite the record books at Wisconsin, making history while building a winning legacy.”
LaJeunesse, a senior from Los Angeles, joins the Badgers with a lot of offensive force. LaJeunesse holds the record at Mira Costa Manhattan Beach High School for home runs and had a batting average of .525 with 41 RBI her junior year. LaJeunesse is also involved in the community, as she volunteered with Making The Right Connections (MTRC) for three years, which is a summer program served to help educate students to steer away from gangs and drugs.
“Stefanni LaJeunesse is an amazing left-handed hitter with the rare gift of speed and power,” said Healy. “She has extraordinary bat speed, deceptive foot-speed, and jaw-dropping power. Stefanni was a highly-recruiting athlete out of Los Angeles, playing for Mark Shuster’s Velocity program.”
Oswald, a senior shortstop from Caseyville, Ill., comes in with numerous awards and honors. Oswald has won Best Defense for her varsity team at O’Fallon Township High School three years in a row. She was named first team all-area shortstop, first team all-conference and third team all-state her junior year. Oswald also played libero for four years on her high school’s volleyball team.
“Macy Oswald is a competitive and powerful short-stop with the ability to hit home runs and steal bases,” said Healy. “We love that Macy plays with a tremendous amount of passion and intensity. She was a highly recruited athlete from the Southern Force organization and we’re thrilled to have her build a legacy at Wisconsin.”
Christner, a senior from Tinley Park, Ill., joins the team with several awards. Christner has been a varsity starter all three years at Victor J. Andrew High School. Her junior year she was recognized on the Illinois Coaches’ Association third team All-State team as well as being named Chicago Sun-Times All-Area honorable mention. Christner is currently top-ranked in her senior class academically out of 560 students and is a National Merit commended student. She also has over 100 hours of community service logged.
“We are thrilled to have Katie Christner, join the Wisconsin softball family,” said Healy. “Katie exemplifies the type of highly-motivated, driven, over-achievers that we are building the Wisconsin softball program around. She’s a leader on and off the field both for Andrew High School and Jim Abbott’s New Lenox Lightning organization. Her defensive skills at short-stop, speed and athleticism will help us right away.”
Ramirez, a senior from San Marcos, Calif., joins the Badgers next fall in hopes to continue reaching her goals as a softball player. In 2010 she was the Offensive Player of the Year for San Marcos High School with a batting average of .400. Ramirez was first team All-Avocado East League her junior year, helping her team to a second place finish in the league. Ramirez has been the team’s starting first basemen since her freshman year.
“Alexis Ramirez is strong left-handed hitter from Brant Beddow’s So-Cal Breakers,” said Healy. “Alexis has the ability to hit all fields with power, and for average. Her outgoing personality and passion for the game is contagious.”
Stewart, from Calabasas, Calif., joins the team coming from Chaminade College Prep High School in West Hills, Calif.
“We a
re thrilled to welcome Taylor-Paige Stewart to the Wisconsin softball family,” said Healy. “Taylor is a highly recruited pitcher and hitter from Terry Schweikert’s teamSmith. She was selected to compete for New Zealand’s Junior National team this winter. In addition to being a gifted softball player, she is an amazing student-athlete with outstanding grades and intelligence. Her commitment to community outreach and service make her an ideal fit for the Wisconsin softball family.”
Warren, from Naperville, Ill., is the last player who signed the NLI in November to join the Badgers. She comes from Naperville North High School.
“Caitlyn Warren is one of the most exciting offensive players in the western-suburbs of Chicago,” said Healy. “She is aggressive on the base paths and swings with power. She has been a great lead-off hitter for Dave Betcher’s Gold Hawks team for years, setting the aggressive tone for a talented offense.”
