WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermakers have completed their signing class for the 2016 spring season with the addition of Lauren Stewart (Alpharetta, Ga.).
Stewart is a two-time Region 7AAAAA Player of the Year and a four-time all-region honoree. She garnered Player of the Year honors and first team all-region accolades her junior and senior seasons, while also earning first-team all-state honors as a junior, becoming the first athlete from Cambridge High School ever to receive all-state accolades. The outfielder led the Lady Bears to a 21-9 record and the Sweet 16 of the state playoffs as a junior, while also supplying the first home run in the school's history. As a senior, Stewart led Cambridge to a 28-5 mark, the regional title and a runner-up finish at the GHSA Class AAAAA state tournament. As a sophomore, she was named Cambridge's Defensive Player of the Year and as a first team all-region honoree in the school's first ever softball season. Stewart was the offensive player of the year and a first team all-region honoree at Alpharetta High School, helping the team qualify for the state playoffs for the first time in school history.
"We are so excited to add Lauren to our team this fall," head coach Kim Schuette said. "Lauren is pure speed and we look forward to her making an immediate impact on the bases, and using her strong arm and athleticism in the outfield. We like her feisty style of play and competitive drive to succeed. Lauren was that final piece of speed and another quality person we needed to complete a very good 2015 class." Stewart also competed on the track team her sophomore and junior seasons at Cambridge, finishing third in the long jump and triple jump at the Region 7AAAAA meet and fifth in the 100 meter dash at the Fulton County meet her sophomore year. She also was varsity captain as a junior. Stewart also was a letter winner in basketball as a sophomore.
Lauren played travel ball for the Georgia Force and East Cobb Bullets. Her Force '97 team finished first in the state of Georgia and fifth in the nation, while her East Cobb team placed fifth at Premier Nationals and second at TCS Nationals. The three-year National Honor Society member and 12-year honor student is the daughter of Reggie T. and Beverly Stewart.
Stewart joins Mallory Baker (Greenwood, Ind.), Maddie Damon (West Concord, Minn.), Lexi Huffman (Waller, Texas), Emily Kenny (Ashburn, Va.) and Heather Knight (Tucson, Ariz.) in the 2015-16 freshman class.