Wolverines Sign Six to National Letters of Intent
11/8/2023 1:57:00 PM | Softball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan softball team head coach Bonnie Tholl announced the signing of six players to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday (Nov. 8).
Signing their letters today were outfielder Megan Beemer, infielder Andee Dircks, pitcher/utility Haley Ferguson, pitcher Katelyn Meyers, utility Lauren Putz and outfielder Cece Thorington. All six will join the Wolverines next fall and make their collegiate debut during the 2025 softball season.
"We are very excited about this Class of 2024," said Tholl. "We have a good blend of power, speed and athleticism in the circle. When you're putting a class together, you hope to cover all aspects of skill, and all six of them have a little bit of that in their skill set -- power, speed, high softball IQ and competitiveness. They're all excited about Michigan, and we can't wait to get them to Ann Arbor."
Beemer, a native of Hudsonville, Mich., was named first team all-state in both her sophomore and junior years and was named the 2023 Grand Rapids Area Player of the Year and a two-time Grand Rapids Dream Team honoree. She broke Hudsonville High School's season batting average record as a sophomore, hitting an impressive .570, and surpassed the feat as a junior, batting .620 during the 2023 season. Beemer also set a new school standard for single-season stolen bases (53). She plays travel ball with the Finesse 18U organization based in Grand Rapids.
"Megan is a true lefty, an athletic kid, and we think she's a real diamond in the rough," said Tholl. "She wasn't playing in all of the biggest, highest-profile tournaments, but we found her in the corner of the state. She's just an incredible athlete and plays both volleyball and softball at the highest level. She may be small in stature, but she brings up a ton of excitement to the game. She's a true outfielder, and I think it is going to be fun to watch her grow and our young outfield blend."
Dircks, a native of Chapin, S.C., was the nation's No.18 overall recruit in 2022 according to Extra Innings Softball. She was named Max Preps 2023 South Carolina Player of the Year for and the runner-up for the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina after hitting .538 with a .625 on-base percentage while representing Chapin High School. She finished with 42 hits, including 13 home runs, with 38 RBI and 40 runs scored in 2022. She plays travel ball with the Virginia Unity organization under Michigan alum Megan Betsa.
"Andee comes from the mentoring of (Michigan alum) Megan Betsa," said Tholl. "She is an awesome, powerful kid. She hasn't played a bunch of ball over the last 6-7 months because of injury, but she has the ability to hit double-digit home runs every single year because of her power and ability to knock it over the fence on a consistent basis. We look for her to add that high slugging percentage in our batting order."
Ferguson, a native of Beavercreek, Ohio, is the nation's No. 3 ranked recruit according to Extra Inning Softball. A three-time All-State first team honoree, she was a nominee for the 2022-23 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year. Ferguson owns a 0.92 earned-run average with 696 strikeouts and 57 wins during her career at Beavercreek High School. At the plate, she has batted .536 with 14 homers and 62 RBI. She plays travel ball with the Tennessee Mojo organization and in 2021, was a runner-up at the PGF 16U National Championship.
"Haley is a highly-ranked pitcher/utility player," said Tholl. "She also swings the bat well. Haley isn't going to power the ball past anyone, but she really knows how to pitch a game. She knows how to set up a hitter, she knows how to get swings and misses, and she knows how to record outs. She is impressive, and her ability to compete in the circle for us right away will be key."
Meyers, a native of Waterville, Ohio, earned first team all-state honors selection during the 2023 season while representing Anthony Wayne High School. She helped lead AWHS to the 2023 state championship game and the 2021 state semifinals. In her sophomore year, she posted a 0.86 ERA with 186 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched and a 1.20 ERA in her junior season with 113 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched. She plays travel ball with the Finesse 18U organization.
"Kat is an athletic pitcher similar to Haley," said Tholl. "She has tremendous ability and natural movement on her ball and could be a great power pitcher, which is what we're expecting to build her into -- under the tutelage of Jen Brundage. She's got a frame that's built for that power. She's a strong kid, who has the ability for us to utilize her stick as well."
Putz, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., is the nation's No. 13-ranked recruit according to Extra Innings Softball Top 100 Class of 2024. She helped lead her Xavier College Preparatory team to two state championships, where she batted .537 with twenty-four home runs, 77 RBI and 43 stolen bases in her career. Her dad, J.J., attended Michigan and was a former MLB pitcher and All-Star, while her mother, Kelsey (Kollen), was an All-America second baseman for the Wolverine softball team. She plays travel ball with the Arizona Storm organization and was named a PGF All-American in 2023.
"Lauren has Michigan softball bloodlines and just comes from really good athletic DNA," said Tholl. "She is incredibly powerful and keeps showing her power month after month after month. I really think the best is yet to come for Lauren; her ceiling is so high. She's powerful, and she's fast. I'm so impressed with her ability to understand the game, manage her at-bats and provide incredible power to a hitting lineup. That's what we expect her to do here."
Thorington, a native of Pinckney, Mich., is the nation's No. 29-ranked recruit and No. 22-ranked outfielder according to Extra Innings Softball. She boasted a .589 batting average with a .895 slugging percentage with 60 stolen bases and five home runs on the 2023 season. She was the first ever all-state softball player at Pinckney High School and holds the school records for stolen bases (60), hits (73) and on-base percentage (.630). Thorington plays travel ball with the Tennessee Mojo 16U organization.
"Cece is a local Pinckney High School product, whose skills defensively I think will match some of our most athletic outfielders that we've ever had here," said Tholl. "She's a true lefty, and she's a slapper who is now starting to swing away more, so she'll become a triple threat with her bunts, her slaps and her eventual swing away for power. She's just going to provide some great softball IQ defensively, and we're so excited to watch her continue to grow because she's going to make an impact in our lineup."
