Michigan Softball Adds Five During Early Signing Period

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team received National Letters of Intent from five student-athletes during the early signing period, head coach Carol Hutchins announced Thursday (Nov. 9). The quintet -- outfielder Lexie Blair, infielder Gianna Carosone, catcher Hannah Carson, infielder Morgan Overaitis and RHP Alex Storako -- will join the Wolverines next fall and make their collegiate debut during the 2019 softball season. FloSoftball has already given the group a preliminary No. 7 recruiting class ranking.

"We think this is a really great class," said Hutchins. "It covers a lot of our needs. Some kids we've recruited for a number of years, and really, they're already part of this program. I've loved watching them grow into Michigan Women, and now it's official. We have another who we've just recruited this fall, and we're equally excited about her. It's an athletic class and a highly driven class. We've got kids who have won national championships. They come from a winning background, and we want winners in this program. We are very excited about this group."

Blair, a native of Windermere, Florida, is MaxPreps All-America second team and three-time all-state first team selection (2015, '16, '17) as an outfielder for two-time state champion West Orange High School. She also earned a spot on MaxPreps Sophomore (2016) and Junior (2017) All-America teams and in 2017 was named the Miracle Sports Class 9A Player of the Year, Orlando Sentinel Softball Player of the Year and Spectrum Sports Orange County Softball Athlete of the Year. She boasts a .543 career batting average with 110 runs, 110 runs batted in and 50 stolen bases. In travel ball, she contributed to runner-up finishes at the Junior Olympic Cup and ASA Nationals. Blair is the No. 28 nationally ranked prospect in FloSoftball's 2018 Hot 100 listing.

"Lexie comes from a family of Wolverines," said Hutchins. "She was one of those kids that everyone kept telling me that we needed to watch her, and once we did, we just fell in love with her. She is so athletic and fast, and she's just scratched the surface of her potential. She's going to get better and better in this program."

Carosone, a native of North Las Vegas, Nevada, is a three-time Nevada Preps all-state selection (2015, '16, '17) as a shortstop for state runner-up Rancho High School. She was named to FloSoftball's All-America second team as a freshman (2015). She boasts a .422 career batting average, including a .522 average as a sophomore (2016), with 18 home runs and 78 RBI. She plays travel ball with the Lil' Rebels club. Carosone is the nation's No. 60-ranked 2018 prospect according to FloSoftball.

"Gianna is a fantastic athlete," said Hutchins. "We were just so impressed with her. We've watched her for a while, had her in for some camps, and we were most impressed with her explosiveness and her softball IQ. She's a gamer and brings a lot to the table. She loved Michigan. We had to recruit her against a lot of schools, but we were the school that fit her the best. She's going to be a great Wolverine."

Carson, a native of Weidman, Michigan, is a three-time all-state first team selection at catcher (2015, '16, '17) for Mount Pleasant High School. She has batted .550 or better in each of her prep seasons and owns 24 career home runs and 133 RBI -- without a strikeout in three seasons. She plays travel ball with the Beverly Bandits club and contributed to back-to-back PGF national championships in 2016 and 2017. She is ranked by FloSoftball as the nation's No. 21 prospect in the 2018 class.

"Hannah is a great Michigan kid from Mount Pleasant," said Hutchins. "She plays in a winning program. She's a highly driven kid who works extremely hard at everything she does. She comes in as a bona fide catcher and will really add to that part of our program. I think all around she's just a great, high-character young lady who will represent us very well."

Overaitis, a native of Canton, Michigan, is a three-time all-state first team selection (2015, '16, '17) at shortstop for Salem High School. She has batted above .600 -- and boasted a .700 on-base percentage or better -- in each of her prep seasons and owns 24 home runs and 165 RBI in her career. A member of the Beverly Bandits travel club, she contributed to a 2017 PGF national championship, hitting over .400 for the tournament, and a 2017 16U Triple Crown national championship. Off the field, she is a National Society of High School Scholars student. Overaitis is the nation's No. 18-ranked 2018 prospect according to FloSoftball.

"I'm as excited about Morgan as I've ever been about anybody," said Hutchins. "She has great softball skills. She works really hard at it. She works out with some of the great coaches out there and has been on some winning teams. But her intangibles make her really special. She's just on the ball, and she is a high achiever. I really like those qualities. She's a great teammate who is going to take great care of this program and has great love for the block M."

Storako, a native of Frankfort, Illinois, is a three-time all-state selection (2015, '16, '17), garnering first team honors last season as a pitcher for the state runner-up Lincoln-Way East High School team. As a junior, she also earned 2017 Daily Southtown Player of the Year and Daily Herald co-Player of the Year honors and was named to the MaxPreps Underclass All-America Softball Team after posting a 22-3 record with a 0.82 earned run average and 289 strikeouts as well as a .418 batting average and 35 RBI. She owns a career record of 50-17 with 663 strikeouts. Storako plays travel ball with the Sparks Premier 18U club. Off the field, she is a member of National Honor Society and Pi Sigma Pi National Honor Society.

"Alex was a late commit for us in this day and age," said Hutchins, "but she's going to come in ready to go. Not only do I think that she's going to be a great pitcher, I think she's going to be a great teammate. She has really impressed me the more I've gotten to know her. She's all about the team, and she has really thoughtful qualities. She's mature, hard-working, and she's just got a ton of upside."

Michigan will add at least one more member to its incoming class in the spring.