Mastodon Softball Announces Signing Class
11/20/2023 11:40:00 AM | Softball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne softball head coach Amber Bowman has announced her program's six-member signing class for 2024: Alexa Carter, Skylar Smith, Mackenzie Arroyo, Morgan Cantrell, Addison Zimpleman and Aubrey Zachary.
"We are so excited to add these six to our Mastodon family!" Bowman said. "Our 2024 class brings us a lot of versatility. This is a great group of girls who are great people, teammates and competitors."
Carter is a 5-foot-9 catcher and corner infielder from Spring Lake, Michigan. Through three seasons with the Lakers, Carter has a .440 batting average with 19 home runs in her career. She had 10 homers in 2023. She was an All-Conference First Team selection twice and an honorable mention once. She was All-District and Muskegon Dream Team twice and All-Region once. In addition to her softball prowess, she was an All-Conference honorable mention for Spring Lake's basketball team.
Smith is a 5-foot-3 catcher and utility player from Lancaster, Ohio. She has a career batting average of .423 with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs. In 2021, she was a First Team All-Conference and All-District selection. A year later, she repeated as a First Team All-Conference selection and was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year. As a freshman, she beat the Ohio home run record, and led her team to a regional final for the first time as a sophomore. She has played club ball with the Ohio Lasers (2016-22) and Ohio Hawks (2022-present). She led her U-14 team to a runner-up finish at nationals.
Arroyo is a 5-foot-10 pitcher for Leo High School, she has 217 strikeouts in 127 innings pitched. She was an All-Conference honorable mention in 2022 and 2023, earning an Indiana Max Preps Athlete of the Week nod in 2022. She led her squad to the NE-8 conference title in 2021 and 2022, along with sectional and regional titles in 2022 and 2023. In addition to softball, she is a cross country, marching band, book club, Students Sharing Hearts, student council and Fellowship of Christian Athletes participant.
Cantrell stands 5-foot-9 and plays in the outfield at Teays Valley High School. The Ashville, Ohio native holds the single-season doubles (22) and hits (57) record for Teays Valley. She was a three-time all-league selection with two second team and one first team nod, and earned First Team All-District in 2023. She led her squad to two Mid-State League titles. Cantrell plays club ball for Ohio Lasers (2012-17), Ohio Outlaws Shepard (2018-23) and Ohio Outlaws A Collins (2023-24). Her teams won at nationals twice.
Zimpleman is a Fulton, Indiana native, where she plays middle infield for Caston. The 5-foot-7 Comet is a three-time All-Loganland, three-time RTC, three-time All-HNAC and two-time All-State player. She was selected as the MaxPreps Athlete of the Week in 2022 and led her team to the 1A State championship game in 2023. On the way to the state final, Zimpleman led her squad to conference, sectional, regional and semi-state championships. She also played basketball and volleyball. In hoops, she was named the team's Defensive MVP three times. She also earned the Grit and Sportsmanship awards for her volleyball team. Zimpleman spent four years playing for the Indiana Magic Gold Loudermilk and one year for each of the Indiana Shockwaves Rayman, Indiana Bombers Widmar and Indiana Gators Widmar/Lloyd.
Zachary is from Mishawaka, Indiana. The 5-foot-5 pitcher is the daughter of a pair of Mastodons, Dave and Beth, who played baseball and softball for the 'Dons. She plays for her mother at Penn High School, where she has a career record of 33-13 with a 1.93 earned run average. She has 414 strikeouts so far in her career with four no-hitters. The two-time All-State selection led her team to three sectional and regional championships, a semi-state title and a state title. Zachary was an All-Conference Honorable Mention as a freshman, then First Team All-Conference in 2022 and 2023, the same years she was All-State. She also earned two Academic All-State honors while with the Kingsmen.
The six-member signing class will join the Mastodons in the fall of 2024, with their first season of competition in 2025.
"We are so excited to add these six to our Mastodon family!" Bowman said. "Our 2024 class brings us a lot of versatility. This is a great group of girls who are great people, teammates and competitors."
Carter is a 5-foot-9 catcher and corner infielder from Spring Lake, Michigan. Through three seasons with the Lakers, Carter has a .440 batting average with 19 home runs in her career. She had 10 homers in 2023. She was an All-Conference First Team selection twice and an honorable mention once. She was All-District and Muskegon Dream Team twice and All-Region once. In addition to her softball prowess, she was an All-Conference honorable mention for Spring Lake's basketball team.
Smith is a 5-foot-3 catcher and utility player from Lancaster, Ohio. She has a career batting average of .423 with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs. In 2021, she was a First Team All-Conference and All-District selection. A year later, she repeated as a First Team All-Conference selection and was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year. As a freshman, she beat the Ohio home run record, and led her team to a regional final for the first time as a sophomore. She has played club ball with the Ohio Lasers (2016-22) and Ohio Hawks (2022-present). She led her U-14 team to a runner-up finish at nationals.
Arroyo is a 5-foot-10 pitcher for Leo High School, she has 217 strikeouts in 127 innings pitched. She was an All-Conference honorable mention in 2022 and 2023, earning an Indiana Max Preps Athlete of the Week nod in 2022. She led her squad to the NE-8 conference title in 2021 and 2022, along with sectional and regional titles in 2022 and 2023. In addition to softball, she is a cross country, marching band, book club, Students Sharing Hearts, student council and Fellowship of Christian Athletes participant.
Cantrell stands 5-foot-9 and plays in the outfield at Teays Valley High School. The Ashville, Ohio native holds the single-season doubles (22) and hits (57) record for Teays Valley. She was a three-time all-league selection with two second team and one first team nod, and earned First Team All-District in 2023. She led her squad to two Mid-State League titles. Cantrell plays club ball for Ohio Lasers (2012-17), Ohio Outlaws Shepard (2018-23) and Ohio Outlaws A Collins (2023-24). Her teams won at nationals twice.
Zimpleman is a Fulton, Indiana native, where she plays middle infield for Caston. The 5-foot-7 Comet is a three-time All-Loganland, three-time RTC, three-time All-HNAC and two-time All-State player. She was selected as the MaxPreps Athlete of the Week in 2022 and led her team to the 1A State championship game in 2023. On the way to the state final, Zimpleman led her squad to conference, sectional, regional and semi-state championships. She also played basketball and volleyball. In hoops, she was named the team's Defensive MVP three times. She also earned the Grit and Sportsmanship awards for her volleyball team. Zimpleman spent four years playing for the Indiana Magic Gold Loudermilk and one year for each of the Indiana Shockwaves Rayman, Indiana Bombers Widmar and Indiana Gators Widmar/Lloyd.
Zachary is from Mishawaka, Indiana. The 5-foot-5 pitcher is the daughter of a pair of Mastodons, Dave and Beth, who played baseball and softball for the 'Dons. She plays for her mother at Penn High School, where she has a career record of 33-13 with a 1.93 earned run average. She has 414 strikeouts so far in her career with four no-hitters. The two-time All-State selection led her team to three sectional and regional championships, a semi-state title and a state title. Zachary was an All-Conference Honorable Mention as a freshman, then First Team All-Conference in 2022 and 2023, the same years she was All-State. She also earned two Academic All-State honors while with the Kingsmen.
The six-member signing class will join the Mastodons in the fall of 2024, with their first season of competition in 2025.
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