Softball Inks Four Players to National Letters of Intent

BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham softball team will welcome four new members to its program starting next season, it was announced Monday by Head Coach Bridget Orchard. Joining the Rams in 2015-16 are infielder Jessica Hughes (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township), catcher Kylie Michael (Chino, Calif./Chino Hills), infielder/utility Chelsea Skrepenak (Dallas, Pa./Holy Cross) and infielder Jordana Storm (Walla Walla, Wash./Walla Walla).
 
"We are very excited about the incoming signees Kylie, Jordy, Chelsea and Jess," Orchard said. "We will have some immediate needs after our senior class graduates this year, so we are expecting them to come in and compete right away. We are very happy with the versatility of this class, as they possess a great mix of power and speed."
 

Hughes, a 5-5 infielder from Sewell, N.J., is a four-year member of the varsity softball team at Washington Township High School, the same program that former Ram and All-Atlantic 10 performer Jamie Dautel attended. After her sophomore and junior seasons, she was named First Team All-Group 4 and First Team All-Olympic Conference en route to leading her squad to the 2013 Group 4 state championship and the 2014 South Jersey Group 4 southern state championship. A three-time First Team All-South Jersey Times selection, Hughes was named the newspaper's 2014 Player of the Year along with being tabbed as the Courier Post Player of the Year, First Team All-Courier Post, First Team All-State by the Star-Ledger, First Team All-South Jersey Coaches Association, First Team All-Philadelphia Inquirer, and Team MVP.
 
Hughes also is a two-time letterwinner in field hockey and is a member of the National Honor Society, DECA and the Renaissance Club. She played club softball for the Jersey Gators Gold and led them to the DWI Tournament championship in 2013 and 2014 and the Nightmare Octoberfest title in 2014.
 

Michael is a 5-2 catcher from Chino, Calif., and has played varsity softball all four years at Chino Hills High School. As a junior, she was named First Team All-Sierra League and won the Silver Slugger award when she hit .395, after earning Second Team All-Sierra League honors as a sophomore. The right-hander helped her team to the 2012 California Interscholastic League championship as a freshman.
 
A four-year Scholar-Athlete Award recipient, Michael played club softball for the California Cruisers.
 

Skrepenak hails from Dallas, Pa., where she attends Holy Cross in Dunmore, Pa. The 5-2 middle infielder/utility player attended Holy Redeemer in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. her first three years, earning three letters. As a junior, the right-hander was named First Team All-State and Team MVP. As a sophomore and a junior, Skrepenak was named First Team All-Scholastic Citizens Voice All Star, First Team All-Scholastic Times Leader All-Star, Lackawanna Interscholastic Athletic Association Coaches First Team All-Star and the Lackawanna Interscholastic Athletic Association MVP. She has also earned varsity letters in volleyball, where she was the Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, and basketball as a sophomore. Skrepenak also played club softball for the TC Tremors.
 

Storm, who hails from Walla Walla, Wash., rounds out the class as a 5-3 infielder. She is four-year varsity player at Walla Walla High School, where she helped the squad to a second-place finish at the 4A State Championships in 2012 and 2014. Storm is a three-time First Team All-Mid-Columbia Conference selection and two-time First Team All-Area honoree. As a sophomore, her team was named the Blue Mountain Sports Award Team of the Year and she was a Blue Mountain Female Athlete of the Year nominee while earning Softball West Magazine – Best of the West – top-100 accolades. During her freshman campaign, Storm was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA West Region Second Team and selected as the Columbia Basin Big Nine Offensive Player of the Year.
 
Storm also helped her summer team, Washington LadyHawks to a ninth-place finish at the 2014 PGF Gold Nationals.  This is the same summer team that produced former Ram and All-Atlantic 10 performers, Erin Fisher and Lindsey Kay Bright, as well as current Ram, Morgan Figueora.
 
Storm is a member of the National Honor Society, a five-time Honor Scholar-Athlete, a five-time WIAA Outstanding Scholastic Award winner and a long-time member of the Principal's Honor Roll.
 
"All four signees have tremendous athleticism, versatility and softball intelligence," Orchard said. "They have all played at the highest level winning championships at the high school level and compete on nationally-known travel teams. They know how to win and love to compete. They have played for some of the best travel ball coaches in the country and are well prepared for the college level. They each have a great love for the game and we are looking forward to welcoming them to our Fordham softball family."
 
The Rams begin their 2015 season at Arizona State's Kajikawa Classic, Feb. 6-8, in Tempe, Ariz., where they will play five games against top-level competition.