WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermakers will add four players to their ranks in 2017. Amanda Jacobson (Riverside, California), Giana Lopez (Lakewood, California), Ryleigh Scott (Terre Haute, Indiana), and Siena Wagner (Goleta, California) signed national letters of intent to play for Purdue beginning in the fall of 2017, head coach Boo DeOliveira announced today.
"We are beyond excited to welcome the newest members of the Boilermakers Softball family," DeOliveira said. "These student-athletes are not only talented, but they have strong character and will fit nicely into our roster and our team culture. They compete hard on the field and in the classroom. They believe in our championship vision and we cannot wait for them to make an immediate impact. The future is bright for Purdue softball."
Jacobson, an outfielder from Martin Luther King High School, earned Big VII all-athletics/academic team, Riverside County Academic Team and All-CIF Academic team honors as a junior. She also garnered highest academic honors each of her first three years. Jacobson also has invested in extracurricular activities, spending the last three years working with special needs individuals through the PAWS program and two years as part student government. The daughter of Brian and Amber Jacobson plays travel ball for the Explosion, which competed at PGF Premier Nationals each of the last three years.
"Amanda plays extremely hard in the outfield, " DeOliviera said. "She tracks the ball well and has a strong arm. She can not only hit for average, but also for power. She is a leader and a selfless teammate."
Lopez, a right handed pitcher from St. Joseph High School, is a two-time first team all-Del Rey league selection. She garnered Press-Telegram Dream Team Honorable Mention honors after helping her team qualify for the CIF first round, while posting the third lowest ERA (1.75) and fourth highest strikeout tally in the league as a junior after missing her sophomore season. As a rookie, Lopez was named offensive player of the year and to the Arroyo Grande Invitational all-tournament team, while posting the second lowest ERA (1.62) and second most strikeouts in the league. In two seasons, she has posted a combined 1.68 ERA and thrown 168 strikeouts in 191 innings. The daughter of John and Karen Lopez plays travel ball for the 18 Gold Corona Angels, which finished among the Top 25 at PGF nationals in 2016. The team also finished third in the ASA Champions Cup in 2014 and won the title at TCS So-Cal Finest in 2014 and 2015. A three-year member of the California Scholarship Federation, Lopez also is in the math honor society and has earned outstanding student awards for English, geometry and sport and fitness. She plans to major in engineering at Purdue.
"Giana commands the zone well and changes speeds effectively," DeOliveira said. "Her presence is great and she wants to be in the circle when the pressure is on. She will complement our pitching staff very well. "
Scott, an infielder/outfielder from Terre Haute North Vigo, is an honorable mention all-state selection. She batted .485 with 33 run, 19 RBI and 26 stolen bases as a junior en route to the all-state accolades. As a sophomore, she garnered first team all-Conference Indiana and all-district plaudits after batting .489 with 29 runs, eight RBI and 30 steals. As a rookie, Scott batting .389 with 25 runs, seven RBI and 15 stolen bases. The daughter of Brady and Stacey Scott, Ryleigh plays summer ball for the LIDS Indiana Dreams, which was the NSA World Series runner up in 2012, NSA state champion at 14U in 2013, ASA 16U state champion in 2015 and finished 13th at ASA Gold Nationals in the 18U division in 2016. The three-year honor roll member plans to become an anesthesiologist.
"Ryleigh is a born Boilermaker," DeOliveira said. "She will bring speed to our roster. She will put a lot of pressure on the defense as a triple threat and will steal bases for us. Defensively, she will compete in the outfield and infield. She is scrappy and knows how to battle all seven innings."
Wagner, an infielder at Dos Pueblos High School, is a two-time all-Channel League selection, garnering first team honors as a junior and second team accolades her sophomore season while leading her team to back-to-back league titles. As a junior, she batted .403 with 23 RBI, 21 runs, four triples and a .487 on-base percentage, while earning a pair of Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table honorable mention accolades and helping her team to a CIF Southern Section Division 4 quarterfinal appearance. As a sophomore, Wagner batted .327 with a .390 on-base percentage en route to second team all-league as Dos Pueblos finished third in the CIF Southern Section. She also garnered CIF-Southern Section All-Academic Team honors. Wagner plays travel ball for the Firecrackers-Redmond, which qualified for PGF Premier Nationals each of the last three years. Most recently, she batted .445 with a .513 on-base percentage, 47 RBI, 56 runs and 23 doubles en route to Scout Softball All-America honors. The daughter of Bill and Gina Wagner is a four-year member of the National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation and National Art Honor Society.
"Siena is very versatile," DeOliveira said. "She will compete for several positions on the infield including shortstop, second base and third base. She has a very strong glove. Offensively, she has gap power and runs well. She is very game savvy."
The Boilermakers begin their 2017 campaign Feb. 10-12 at the Kajikawa Invitational in Tempe, Arizona. The team will graduate two players after the season.