Wolverines Sign Five Nationally Rated Prospects to Letters of Intent
11/14/2018 3:25:00 PM | Softball
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 Wednesday (Nov. 14). The quintet -- pitcher Chandler Dennis, pitcher/utility player Lauren Esman, infielder Julia Jimenez, infielder/outfielder Audrey LeClair and outfielder Lexi Voss -- will join the Wolverines next fall and make their collegiate debut during the 2020 softball season. The group was tabbed the nation's No. 5 recruiting class by Extra Inning Softball.
"I think we have a really good combination of talent, athletes, high softball IQ and, of course, the quality I love the most, kids who are in love with the University of Michigan," said Hutchins.
Dennis, a native of Suwanee, Georgia, wrapped up an outstanding career as a pitcher at North Gwinnett High School this fall. She garnered FloSoftball High School All-America honors as a utility player in 2017, earned at least a two all-state accolades (2016, '17) and, most recently, was named the 2018 Gwinnett Diamond Club Pitcher of the Year. She boasted a 62-15 career record with a 1.04 earned-run average and 603 strikeouts. As a sophomore in 2016, when North Gwinnett captured a Georgia state championship, Dennis went 19-6 from the circle and batted .510 en route to multiple Player of the Year honors. She plays travel ball for the East Cobb Bullets and is the nation's No. 29-rated prospect according to FloSoftball and No. 16 according to Extra Inning Softball.
"Chandler is our third Georgia recruit," said Hutchins. "She won a state championship her sophomore year, plays in a highly competitive travel ball team and has just really impressed me from her commitment with her tenacity. She is a kid who has had to overcome adversity. She not only has passed that test, she's just been amazing and she's better than ever. She's got a tremendous work ethic. So, she is really a pitcher we believe can come in and help us right away and contribute to our success."
Esman, a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is a MaxPreps and NFCA All-American and a three-time all-state first team selection as a pitcher and first baseman for Gull Lake High School. She owns a .596 career average with 171 runs batted in, and as a junior, she batted .675 with 21 home runs -- one shy of the state single-season record -- and 91 RBI. Last season, she also posted a 22-6 record with a 1.13 ERA and 235 strikeouts. Esman plays travel ball for Finesse Fastpitch. She is ranked as the No. 65 prospect according to FloSoftball and No. 51 according Extra Inning Softball. Off the field, she is all-region selection as a volleyball player and a member of National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
"I'm really excited about Lauren," said Hutchins. "She's probably what we would consider a late bloomer in this day and age of recruiting. She's just really athletic, has a great bat and is really untapped as a pitcher. I told her that I expect that she will be able to pitch here at Michigan for us. She keeps getting better and better. She's a Michigan kid. She's played in the best organizations in Michigan, and she can add a lot to our program."
Jimenez, a native of Fontana, California, was named to the Cal-Hi Sports California All-State team last season as a shortstop and third baseman for Etiwanda High School. She also earned All-CIF Southern Section and All-Inland Empire honors and is a three-time first team All-Baseline Conference selection. She boasts a .465 career batting average with a .515 on-base percentage, .847 slugging percentage, 24 home runs and 114 RBI and has only struck out four times in 343 career plate appearances. Last season, she batted .535 with a 1.473 OPS. As an underclassman, she earned selection to the 2016 Underclass All-America team and the Freshman 2015 All-America team. She plays travel ball with Firecrackers-Rico and is the No. 20-rated prospect by FloSoftball and No. 21 by Extra Inning Softball.
"Juju comes from one of the best travel ball organizations in the country," said Hutchins. "She's done nothing but climb the ladder in that program. She's an infielder that's a true infielder. She has a great mind for the game and, again, a great addition to the class with both her softball savvy and her athleticism."
LeClair, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, is a MaxPreps Small Schools All-American and three-time all-state honoree as a third baseman and outfielder for Phoenix Country Day School. She has twice been named the Metro East Region Player of the Year. LeClair owns a career batting average of .719 with 18 home runs and 109 stolen bases. Last season, she hit .723 with a .793 on-base percentage, 1.507 slugging mark and a 2.301 OPS. She plays travel ball with the Firecrackers AZ club and, in 2016, captured a PGF National Championship with Athletics-Mercado. She is the No. 25 prospect according to FloSoftball and No. 58 according Extra Innings Softball. As a basketball player, LeClair is a two-time all-region selection and won her region's Defensive Player of the Year award last season after averaging 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 steals per game.
"Audrey was one of the first commits in this class," said Hutchins. "She is very athletic, can play a number of different positions quite well and provide us with a lot of spunk offensively and defensively. She is a kid who's loved Michigan since the day she was born, and I love that."
Voss, a native of Palos Park, Illinois, earned 2018 first team All-America honors from FloSoftball, Extra Inning Softball and MaxPreps after hitting .644 with 19 home runs and 70 RBI last season as an outfielder for Marist High School. She was chosen as the Extra Inning Sports National High School Co-Player of the Week last season after she went 21-for-27 in four games with eight home runs and 30 RBI. Voss, who was the 2018 East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year, is a first team all-state selection (2018) and a two-time all-area honoree (2017-18). Voss plays travel ball with the Beverly Bandits, contributing to a 16U PGF national title and 16U Triple Crown national title in 2017. She is the nation's No. 49-ranked prospect according to FloSoftball and No. 32 according to Extra Inning Softball.
"She's a big hitter from Chicagoland," said Hutchins. "Again, she's from another one of the most highly competitive programs in the country, and she's had a lot of success at that level. She has just continued to improve. She's very athletic, she's very competitive, and I expect she can come in and make her mark immediately.
"I think all of them have the ability to come in and make their mark."
Michigan will add at least one more member to its incoming class in the spring.
