University of Maine head softball coach Mike Coutts has covered all four corners of North America for his incoming recruiting class.
Five players have signed National Letters of Intent to join the program next fall. All will be scholarship athletes.
The group is comprised of pitcher Alexandra Gruitch of Greenwood Village, Colorado, infielder-outfielder Gabby Papushka of White Rock, British Columbia, multiple-position player Katie Jo Moery of Alexandria, Virginia, outfielder Kyrah Dailey of Lincoln, Nebraska, and infielder-catcher Rylee Kent of Lake Worth, Florida.
Coutts said his four position players “bring an aspect of athleticism to the team and they are all versatile, which allows us to use them in different positions.”
Right-handed pitcher Gruitch will boost the staff because of her ability to throw different pitches.
“They are all real good kids and good students who fit into our culture. And they all wanted to be at UMaine. I didn’t have to talk them into it,” he said.
Coutts said all play for well-respected and highly competitive club teams.
Gruitch can throw in the 62-63 mph range and Coutts said she competes, keeps the ball in the strike zone and has good spins.
Papushka hit .490 for her club team and played for British Columbia in the Canadian national championships. She also runs well and has a strong arm, Coutts said.
Moery is an all-conference performer for West Potomac High School, where she hit .500. She can run and hit for power. Coutts said her Virginia Glory club team is one of the best in the country.
Dailey batted .485 with a .787 on-base percentage en route to all-conference and all-region honors at North Star High School. Coutts said she is a good outfielder who can hit for power.
Kent hit .565 with a .667 on-base percentage at Park Vista Community High. She is a left-handed slap hitter who can put the ball in the gaps.