SENATOBIA – With the 2016 season right around the corner, Northwest head softball coach Mike Rowan has already started preparing for the 2017 season starting with his class of 11 high school products that he and assistant coach Carie Dever Boaz signed during the early signing period this offseason.

Included in the class are four Alabama-natives and seven players from the state of Mississippi.

Click HERE to view photos from each players' respective signing day. 
 
 

NAME	POS	B/T	HOMETOWN	HIGH SCHOOL
Mari Alex Sandridge	LHP/OF	L/L	Hernando, MS	Magnolia Heights School
Taylor Ellison	LHP/UTIL	L/L	Oxford, AL	Oxford (Ala.)
Abby McKee	INF	L/R	Pell City, AL	Pell City High School (Ala.)
Allison Craft	C/INF	R/R	Chelsea, AL	Coosa Valley Aca. (Ala.)
Ally Judkins	OF	L/R	Hernando, MS	Magnolia Heights School
Morgan Gresham	OF/INF	R/R	Southaven, MS	Southaven High School
Sarah Craig	C	R/R	Marks, MS	Delta Academy
Harley Smith	RHP/INF	R/R	Lake Cormorant, MS	Lake Cormorant
Savannah Smith	C/UT	R/R	Gadsden, AL	Southside (Ala.)
Amber Helmes	OF	L/R	Batesville, MS	South Panola
Sarah Taylor	C	R/R	New Site, MS	New Site

Mari Alex Sandridge, LHP/OF
Hernando, Miss. (Magnolia Heights)
Went 25-5 in the circle and hit .487 as a senior...hit .457 and was 18-3 in the circle her junior year...a four-time all-conference selection...a three-time MHS MVP...a five-time All-MAIS selection...posted a 78-18 record in the circle her freshman-senior seasons...never hit under .440 in a season. 

"We think Mari is one of the top left-handed pitchers in the state of Mississippi and she was a big recruit for us. She is extremely competitive and will be a force right away for us. The best thing about Mari Alex is she will be one of our top hitters and will be somewhere on the field when she is not pitching. She plays wide open and is willing to run through a wall to win a ball game."

Taylor Ellison, LHP/UTIL
Oxford, Ala. (Oxford High School)
Led the Yellow Jackets in batting average (.515), hits (78), runs (56), triples (11), on-base percentage (.675) and stolen bases (56) and was third on the team in RBIs (45) and doubles (seven)...first team all-county shortstop...2015 Calhoun County All-Tournament Team and most outstanding offensive player...chose Northwest over 25 other schools, including numerous Division I. | Signing Video

"Taylor is a spark plug on both sides of the ball. She has incredible speed on the base path and will cause teams a lot of problems. She will be pushing to break the stolen base record her first year. Taylor has competed at the top level of summer ball her entire career and thrives off it. We've seen her play every position other than catcher and think she would love the opportunity. Paired with Mari Alex and Tori Luke, we feel we will have one of the best left-handed pitching staffs in the entire state."

Abby McKee, INF
Pell City, Ala. (Pell City High School)
Helped her team to a 34-11 overall record last season as a junior...hit .653 (5th in AHSAA history) with six doubles, a home run, 12 RBIs, 55 stolen bases (led state) and .721 on-base percentage (2nd in state)...as a sophomore, hit .532 with seven doubles and 12 RBIs with 47 stolen bases.

"Abby is a quiet leader and plays way beyond her years. She is very smooth defensively and can make hard plays look easy. There is a quiet confidence about her that turns coaches heads and there is no doubt that everyone will know about her soon in the state of Mississippi. She can slap and hit for power during the same at-bat so it makes her a very tough out."

Allison Craft, C/INF
Chelsea, Ala. (Coosa Valley Academy)
Has a .563 career high school batting average with 26 home runs and .492 travel ball average...has won numerous championships in travel ball and is highly involved in clubs/extracurricular activities off the field.

"Allison has the ability to play just about anywhere on the field and is extremely versatile. She has a tremendous amount of power and we think she will be a big RBI machine for us. She has a great personality and we believe she will be able to lead in whatever role she's put in."

Ally Judkins, OF
Hernando, Miss. (Magnolia Heights)
A three-time all-conference selection...hit .408 as a senior and .364 her junior year.

"Ally is a great outfielder who can literally cover two fields at once. She has incredible speed and has really opened up to become a triple threat at the plate. She has a tremendous work ethic and passion for the game. We can see her chasing our stolen base record. Don't let her size fool you as she plays with a lot of strength."

Morgan Gresham, OF/INF
Southaven, Miss. (Southaven High School)
Helped the Lady Chargers to a 17-6 finish...hit .347 with five doubles, 14 RBIs and 14 runs scored...a three-time Lady Charger Award winner...a 2014 All-DeSoto County honorable mention...three-time scholar-athlete.

"Morgan is a great pick up for us as she loves the game and has a hunger to get better and learn every day. We've seen her play multiple positions in one game. Nothing affects her and she always has a huge smile on her face when she is competing. We believe that she's just starting to hit her prime and will do big things for us."

Sarah Craig, C
Marks, Miss. (Delta Academy)
A three-time all-conference selection and all-star nod...garnered team awards for best defensive player, most improved and most athletic during her career...highly involved in clubs and organizations off the field. 

"Sarah loves Northwest and is a solid catcher. She knows how to command her pitchers and demands what the team needs out of them. We believe she will improve tremendously over the next year and will find a way to make a difference. She's very mature and has the ability to push herself and her teammates."

Harley Smith, RHP/INF
Lake Cormorant, Miss. (Lake Cormorant High School)
A First Team All-DeSoto County selection and team MVP at first base...hit .429 (led team) with three doubles, two triples and 20 RBIs with a .508 on-base percentage and was 6-4 with a 1.52 ERA and 111 strikeouts...was 10-2 with a 0.30 ERA and 95 strikeouts as a sophomore while hitting .329 with five doubles and 17 RBIs.

"Harley can hit her locations very well and mixes it up a lot. She'll be a great look for us and is the only right-hander we are signing in this class. She has a great mix of pitches and knows how to keep hitters off balance. She hits and plays first base just as well as she pitches. Her eagerness to learn and be a student of the game will allow her to reach heights she has yet to see."

Savannah Smith, C/UTIL
Gadsden, Ala. (Southside High School)
Hit .525 with a .750 slugging percentage...fielded .975 behind the plate...MVP of 2010 16U Memorial Day Classic...most outstanding player at Tennessee Tech Softball Camp...MVP 2013 Oklahoma City softball camp.

"Savannah has a heart bigger than most and plays with passion, desire and pure love of the game. She has had tremendous obstacles to overcome and never turned away. We expect her maturity and willingness to go above and beyond will help lead her class. She has the ability to control the game with a great arm from behind the plate and is a line drive hitter."

Amber Helmes, OF
Batesville, Miss. (South Panola High School)
Hit .500 with a .600 on-base percentage for the Lady Tigers with 10 stolen bases...named the team's most improved player in 2014 and 2015...a three-time scholar-athlete (2013-15).

"Amber is a great pickup for us. She's extremely fast and is a threat offensively every at-bat. She comes from a solid, fundamentally sound program and coach, so she knows the game."

Sarah Taylor, C
New Site, Miss. (New Site High School)
Hit .492 last season and threw out 50 percent of runners trying to steal.

"Sarah is more of a utility player and could see some time in the outfield too. She's a winner and is a good fit for our program."