Softball Strengthens Key Areas with 2020 Recruiting Class

MUNCIE, Ind. - - Ball State softball head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett and her staff have strengthened the program's depth in the circle, in the outfield and behind the plate with the signing of five student-athletes for the 2020 season.

In the circle, the Cardinals will welcome Deborah Jones (Unionville, Ind./Bloomington North), Hannah Robinson (Piketon, Ohio/Waverly) and Shelby Westbrook (Land O'Lakes, Fla./Land O' Lakes) for the 2020 season.

Westbrook will also help bolster the outfield along with utility player Haley Wynn (Greenfield, Wis./Whitnall), while Madison Arent (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) will join the battery behind the plate.

Below is more information on each of Ball State's five signees for the 2020 season.

?? SIGNING ALERT ??

Excited to welcome @MadisonArent to the @BallStateSB family!!!#ChirpChirp | #WeFly pic.twitter.com/NMRdjahqJ1
— Ball State Softball (@BallStateSB) November 20, 2018

Name Position Hometown (High School)
Madison Arent Catcher Lancaster, Ohio (Lancaster High School)

BARTLETT ON ARENT: Madison is a highly driven and mature ball player. She will give us some much needed depth behind the dish.

HIGH SCHOOL: Arent enters her senior season at Lancaster High School as a team captain for the Golden Gales … as a junior, she was named the Fairfield Country Player of the Year after helping guide the team to a sectional championship and a district runner-up finish … she finished her junior year with a .464 batting average, 45 hits, 45 runs scored, eight double and four home runs, while powering Lancaster to a 24-4 overall record … she also helped lead the program to sectional championships as a freshman and sophomore, while the team claimed a district championship her freshman year and finished as runner-up her sophomore season.

WHY BALL STATE: I chose Ball State for the people and community. Ball State felt right and gave me a sense of family away from my own. Ball State also has my intended major and can provide me with a great many opportunities to be successful not only while I am there, but also after I graduate.

Welcome to the @BallStateSB family @deborahhljones!!!#ChirpChirp | #WeFly pic.twitter.com/Flg4Xfo9sI
— Ball State Softball (@BallStateSB) November 14, 2018

Name Position Hometown (High School)
Deborah Jones Pitcher Unionville, Ind. (Bloomington North High School)

BARTLETT ON JONES: Deborah has a dynamic rise ball and she's just coming into her own as a pitcher. She's going to be a tremendous complement to our existing pitching staff.

HIGH SCHOOL: Jones enters her senior season at Bloomington North High School as a returning team captain for the Cougars … A first team all-conference selection and team Most Valuable Player as a junior, Jones hit .431 last year with a 28 hits, 19 runs scored and 13 RBI … in the circle, she tallied a 4-1 record and a 2.76 ERA over 33 innings of work, striking out 59 batters in the process … as a sophomore, she earned second team all-conference honors after helping guide the Cougars to a 14-6 overall record and a sectional championship … she batted .413 has a sophomore, with 19 hits, 11 runs scored and 10 RBI … in the circle, she tallied a 1-1 record with a 3.82 ERA over 11 innings, while adding 15 strikeouts.

CLUB: Has played for the Indiana Dreams for the past seven seasons.

WHY BALL STATE: I chose Ball State because it felt like home away from home. The coaches and people were very welcoming and I can see myself doing big things while I am there.

?? SIGNING ALERT ??

Excited to welcome @_hannahmarie24_ to the @BallStateSB family!!!#ChirpChirp | #WeFly pic.twitter.com/xVkfrLzlST
— Ball State Softball (@BallStateSB) November 19, 2018

Name Position Hometown (High School)
Hannah Robinson Pitcher Piketon, Ohio (Waverly High School)

BARTLETT ON ROBINSON: Hannah is explosive on the mound. She's a seasoned pitcher and a tough kid.

HIGH SCHOOL: Robinson enters her senior season at Waverly High School as a two-time all-district honoree … she helped guide Waverly to a 17-11 record her junior season, earning first team all-conference and first team all-district honors … she was also named first team all-conference and first team all-district as a freshman … in addition, she played four years of volleyball, earning second team all-conference as a senior, and three years of basketball at Waverly.

WHY BALL STATE: I chose Ball State because I felt it was the best fit for me. I really liked the campus, coaches and location of everything. The campus was the right size for what I was looking for.

?? SIGNING ALERT ??

We would like to welcome Shelby Westbrook to the @BallStateSB family!!!#ChirpChirp | #WeFly pic.twitter.com/SOCb05bMpf
— Ball State Softball (@BallStateSB) November 15, 2018

Name Position Hometown (High School)
Shelby Westbrook Outfield/Pitcher Land O' Lakes, Fla. (Land O' Lakes High School)

BARTLETT ON WESTBROOK: Shelby is an athlete and a competitor. She is a lefty triple threat at the plate that will provide a left handed option in the pitching circle. She can help us win in many different ways.

HIGH SCHOOL: Westbrook enters her senior season at Land O' Lakes High School as the program's all-time leader in both runs scored (91) and stolen bases (56) … she is a two-time all-conference selection, earning first team honors as a sophomore and second team accolades as a junior … as a junior, she helped guide the Gators to a 25-7 record and a state runner-up finish by producing a 4-1 record, a 3.05 ERA and 23 strikeouts in the circle, while adding a .330 batting average, 31 hits, 25 runs scored and 13 RBI from the plate … during a highly-impressive sophomore campaign, Westbrook was named all-state by both the Florida Athletics Coaches Association and Miracle Sports after helping lead Land O' Lakes to a state championship and a 29-3 overall record … she made 10 appearances in the circle during the team's championship run, earning a 6-1 record, two saves, a 2.10 ERA and 58 strikeouts … she also tallied a .400 average with 38 hits, 36 runs scored, 26 stolen bases and 15 RBI … as a freshman, she helped lead the team to the semi state finals and a 27-3-1 record, earning one save and a 1.37 ERA over five pitching appearances.

CLUB: Has played for the Clearwater Lady Bombers for the past four seasons.

WHY BALL STATE: I chose Ball State because all my life I wanted to go far from home and be able to meet new people and experience a different culture. When I first visited Ball State for a camp, I drove around campus and immediately felt like it was a home away from home. The campus made me feel very welcome and I felt the class sizes were not too big or too small. I want to be able to actually know my professors, and I felt I would get that opportunity at Ball State. In my first interaction with the team, I fell in love with the culture of the program.

Nothing like starting a Thursday afternoon with another signee confirmed!!!

Welcome to the @BallStateSB family @wynnhaley16 #ChirpChirp | #WeFly pic.twitter.com/P8d9pk8zwz
— Ball State Softball (@BallStateSB) November 15, 2018

Name Position Hometown (High School)
Haley Wynn Outfield/Infield Greenfield, Wis. (Whitnall High School)

BARTLETT ON WYNN: Haley is a fiery competitor. She's a strong and explosive athlete who can play any position on the field. She never takes a rep off.

HIGH SCHOOL: Wynn enters her senior season at Whitnall High School as the program's career record holder in runs scored (141), hits (155), stolen bases (97), walks (50) and triples (10) … she was named the Division 2 Softball Player of the Year as a junior after recording single season program records for batting average (.614), hits (62), stolen bases (51), runs scored (54) and triples (6) … she also drove in 29 RBIs and blasted a pair of home runs to garner Milwaukee Journal Sentinel All-Suburban Player of the Year, Woodland Conference Softball Player of the Year and Journal Sentinel Southwest NOW Multisport Athlete of the Year accolades as a junior … helped guide the Falcons to a 26-5 record and a Wisconsin Division 2 State Championship her junior campaign … two-time first team all-state (junior and sophomore) and three-time first team all-conference honoree … also selected first team all-district and first team all-suburban as a junior and sophomore … earned high honorable mention all-suburban honors as a freshman, while also earning status as a USSSA Elite Futures 14U All-American … helped guide her USSSA Futures All-American team to a national champion as a freshman … also played four years of volleyball, earning Woodland Conference Player of the Year as a junior and senior and first team all-conference as a sophomore, junior and senior.

CLUB: Played one season for the BATS Academy and five with the Whitnall Rage … Earned Offensive Player of the Year honors for the BATS in 2018 with a .456 batting average … Helped guide the BATS to the second-best winning percentage in program history (.857) and a spot in the Premier Division in PGF Nationals in California in 2018 … Helped guide the Whitnall Rage to the USSSA 16U Great Lakes National Championship.

WHY BALL STATE: I chose Ball State because I loved the campus and family atmosphere. After meeting with the team and the coaches I recognized they had the same energy and competitive drive that I have.

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.

Ball State University Athletics

Softball Strengthens Key Areas with 2020 Recruiting Class

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Players Mentioned

Madison Arent

Deborah Jones

Hannah Robinson

Shelby Westbrook

Haley Wynn

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