April 27, 2005

BEMIDJI, Minn. -- Bemidji State University head softball coach Paul Brunsdon today announced the commitment of six players to BSU for the 2006 season. The Beavers add a junior college transfer and five high school seniors to fill a need for pitchers and overall athleticism on the field.

This year's signing class of Kasey Callison, Kelly Carlson, Lindsey Imhof, Amy Potter, Katie Prettyman and Bridget Smith bring to BSU a wealth of talent and athletic ability while each brings a knowledge of how to win coming from programs that have experience a tremendous amount of success.

The class includes a pair of pitchers, two middle infielders, a catcher and one player that plays first base.

"Our No. 1 priority going into this recruiting season was pitching. We have addressed this with the addition of two pitchers that could easily be aces on just about any staff in the conference," commented Brunsdon. "With both, we'll have the luxury of putting them together to have a great rotation."

The second priority for the 2006 signing class was overall athleticism. Brunsdon and his staff have met this need by signing some extremely athletic individuals. Each of the signees competed in more than one sport in high school while three of the student-athletes being three-sports standouts in high school.

That athleticism correlates directly to the defensive side of the game. Inking a pair of middle infielders, a catcher and a first baseman, BSU immediately upgrades its defense starting up the middle.

"These players only add to a young program that is just scratching the surface of its potential success."

The BSU softball team is currently 4-27 and 2-10 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. The Beavers will compete in their final home contests of 2005 today ass they host the University of Minnesota-Crookston in league double-header action. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

All signings are contingent upon admission to BSU and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

• Kasey Callison (1B, Fr-HS); Eagle River, Alaska (Chugiak HS)
A First Team All-Region selection in 2003 and 2004, Callison has been a member of the Chugiak High School softball team for each of the last four years...In 2003 she helped lead CHS to a second place finish at the Alaska State Tournament...Her teams have also captured state championships at the 2002 and 2003 ASA state tournaments where she was selected as the 2003 ASA State Tournament Most Valuable Player...In addition to her involvement in athletics, she has been a class officer in each year of high school and is currently the president of the Bear Mountain Leo's.

Brunsdon on Callison: "Kasey may be the steal of this recruiting class. She comes from a very successful high school program and brings with her the physical skills to be a four-year starter."

• Kelly Carlson (C, Fr-HS); Hines, Minn. (Blackduck HS)
A three-sport standout at Blackduck High School, Carlson earned a total of 12 varsity letters including five as a member of the BHS softball team...The three-time captain has helped her team to four consecutive Section 8A tournaments while being named All-Conference during each of the last three seasons...As a junior, Carlson batted .448 with a .612 slugging percentage...She scored 25 runs and posted a .969 fielding percentage...Carlson also participated in volleyball and basketball at BHS...Off the diamond she has been a regular member of Blackduck High School's Honor Roll.

Brunsdon on Carlson: "Kelly will give us much needed depth behind the plate. Her sister plays for the University of Minnesota-Crookston so she comes in with a good knowledge of the conference and what it takes to be successful in at the division II level."

• Lindsey Imhof (P, Jr-Tr); Little Fork, Minn. (Rainy River CC)
A transfer from Rainy River Community College, Imhof leaves RRCC after virtually rewriting the pitching record book...She owns records for most wins in a season and a career, career winning percentage, ERA and game, season and career records for strikeouts...While at RRCC she earned First Team Northern Division, First Team MCCC All-State and First Team NJCAA Region 13 honors...Leading RRCC to the regional tournament she garnered Region 13 B District C All-Tournament team and NJCAA All-Tournament Team accolades while being named as the tournament's Co-Most Valuable Player...As a prep at Littlefork-Big Falls High School, Imhof was a four year All-Far North and All-Northern Lakes Conference selection...She led her team to a 23-4 overall record, a section 7A championship and Consolation Championship at the Minnesota State Tournament in 2003...As a senior she totaled 123 strikeouts while recording a 1.23 ERA and posting a 20-4 overall record.

Brunsdon on Imhof: "Lindsey has been the No. 1 pitcher on her team at every level, an there is no reason to think next season will be any different. She has a great chance to be the ace of our staff in 2006. We knew we needed someone to come in and pitch right away and she brings in the experience and maturity of a pitcher that already has two years of collegiate competition under her belt."

• Amy Potter (P, Fr-HS); Bovey, Minn. (Greenway HS)
An accomplished athlete at Greenway High School, Potter has dominated opposing batters from inside the pitching circle...In her first three years at GHS, she amassed 451 strikeouts including racking up 224 in just 147 innings during the 2003 season...A career 1.96 earned run average, Potter posted a 0.84 ERA in 2004 on her way to All-Iron Range Conference, All-Section and Class AA First Team All-State status...She also garnered All-Area honors from the Duluth News Tribune and the Hibbing New Tribune...At the plate, she is a .300 career batter in high school...Playing for the Minnesota Range Panthers during the summer of 2004, Potter posted an ERA of 0.52 while striking out 209 and allowing just 13 earned runs in 174 innings of work...She also batted .312 collecting 49 hits an 30 RBIs in 174 at bats including 10 doubles, a triple and a home run...A two-sport athlete at Greenway High School Potter was also a three-year letter winner on the GHS basketball team...Potter was named as a 2003 and 2004 Who's Who Among American High School Students and a 2004 Who's Who in Athletics.

Brunsdon on Potter: "Amy has been the No. 1 pitcher at Greenway High School for the past couple years. She has the skills and ability to be our No. 1 right away but due to the addition of Imhof, she will not have that pressure."

• Katie Prettyman (SS, Fr-HS); International Falls, Minn. (Falls HS)
A three-sport athlete at Falls High School, Katie is a four-year letter winner in softball...A captain in 2005 she has helped led FHS to a perfect 6-0 record this spring...She previously earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Roseau Invitational and was named Iron Range All-Conference...She twice participated on a 14-U little league team that captured a state title and was named to the 18-U State Tournament All-Tournament Team...Prettyman was also an All-Conference selection in both volleyball and basketball and helped direct Falls High to the 2003 State Volleyball Tournament...Also accomplished in the classroom, Prettyman is a member of the national Honor Society and the Falls High School Honor Roll...Earlier this year she was selected by the Minnesota State High School League as a Triple A Award winner for her accomplishments in the Arts, Academics and Athletics and was recently published in Who's Who Among High School Scholars.

Brunsdon on Prettyman: "Katie is a solid infielder that will give us immediate depth up the middle. She may challenge for one of our starting spots next spring."

• Bridget Smith (SS, Fr-HS); Burnsville, Minn. (Burnsville HS)
A rare four-year starter at short stop for Burnsville High School, Smith is a two-time All-Region selection and was named All-Lake Conference in 2004...She was a key to Burnsville's 2004 State Championship team...This season Smith boasts a batting average of .375 after six games...Earlier this season she recorded three hits and five RBIs in a 9-0 win over Eagan...She is a career .300 batter and has posted a fielding percentage of better than .960 in in four seasons as a shortstop...She also plans to play basketball at BSU.

Brunsdon on Smith: "Bridget is one one of the top shortstops in Minnesota. She is good at the plate and in the field. She is definitely someone that can greatly improve our middle infield right away."