COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Five high school seniors signed national letters of intent to play softball at Texas A&M, head coach Jo Evans announced on Wednesday.

Emily Albus (Brenham, Texas), Amber Garza (Missouri City, Texas), Nicole Morgan (The Woodlands, Texas), Taran Tyler (Katy, Texas), and Cassie Tysarczyk (San Antonio, Texas) join the Aggies for the 2010-11 season.

“This recruiting class is one of the best recruiting classes I have had in my 25 years of being a head coach,” exclaimed head coach Jo Evans. “This class has the ability to compete at the level of our 2008 class that featured three NCAA All-Americans and competed in two Women’s College World Series. They have a love for the game, work extremely hard and are great teammates.

“Each of them exemplifies the characteristics we are looking for in a student-athlete: they excel in the classroom, have great attitudes on the field, are fierce competitors, and they want to be great. I am very excited to have them join our program and I look forward to working with them over the next several years. Combined with the current talent we have in our program, I believe this group will give us a great chance to battle for conference and national championships.”

Albus is a three-time NFCA All-American and garnered the NFCA/adidas Golden Shoe Award in 2009 for 70 stolen bases in 73 attempts. At Brenham High School, she was also a two-time all-state award winner and a three-time All-Brazos Valley first team member. Albus was a first-team all-district selection as a freshman and the following two years she was the District 18-4A MVP. Albus competed in track as a freshman and is a three-year member of the volleyball team. She was honored two years by the district before being named its most valuable blocker as a junior. Albus plays travel ball for the Impact Gold. Albus is a member of the National Honor Society and was on the distinguished honor roll for all four years of high school.

“Emily is a versatile athlete,” commented Evans. “She has tremendous speed and quickness and is capable of playing the infield or the outfield. She is a triple threat at the plate as she can drive the ball in the gap, bunt for a base hit, or beat out an infield ground ball. She is a lefty slapper who is a very difficult out at the plate. Emily will add much-needed speed to our line-up and has the ability to steal bases against the best catchers in the country. Emily is capable of having a tremendous collegiate career.”

Garza will come to A&M from Elkins High School and is an NFCA All-American and two-time all-state student-athlete. In three years as a varsity letterwinner at Elkins High School, she earned all-district first team honors three times, was named the UIL 23-5A Newcomer of the Year in 2007 and was a member of the all-region first team in 2008. Her team won a district championship and advanced to the regional quarterfinals in 2007 and was the district co-champion the following year. Garza plays travel ball for the Missouri City Magic.

“Amber is a terrific hitter and athlete,” said Evans. “She is capable of playing 3B/1B/C. She hits from the left side of the plate, has home run power, and drives the ball in the gap. Amber has one of the purest swings I have seen in a long time and she has the potential to hit in the middle of our lineup and to be an RBI leader. She has the ability to come into our program and make an immediate impact.

Morgan is a three-year varsity letterwinner in both softball and basketball at College Park High School. She earned first-team all-district honors twice for softball and boasted the highest batting average in the district for three years straight. An Under-Armour All-American, Morgan was voted her team’s MVP and best offensive player. She plays travel ball for the Impact Gold and finished in the top 10 in numerous premier tournaments nationwide. To highlight some of her basketball achievements, Morgan is a three-time all-district honoree and the 2008-09 District 15-5A Offensive Player of the Year. She was named an all-state player, first-team all-region and was recognized in ESPN RISE Magazine. Morgan is a three-time academic all-district selection in both softball and basketball and also lettered two years in track where she broke the school record in shot put.

“Nicole is a tremendous athlete and has excelled in basketball as well as softball,” Evans said. “She has great size and strength and is a presence behind the plate. She is a power hitter and is always a threat to hit the long ball. Nicole has a very strong throwing arm and has one of the quickest releases I have seen in a catcher. She has the ability to come into our program and make an immediate impact.

From Smithson Valley High School in Spring Branch, Texas, Tysarczyk was a member of the 2009 Texas 5A State Softball Championship team and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. She is a two-time all-district and two-time All-Comal County softball player who was named the newcomer of the year as a freshman. With the Impact Gold select team, Tysarcyzk finished in the top 10 in numerous premier tournaments nationwide. She was also an all-district selection in volleyball and basketball. Tysarcyzk is a member of the National Honor Society, is on the all A’s honor roll, and garnered academic all-district awards for three years.

“Cassie has the ability to play first base and outfield,” said Evans. “She is a very smart player and really knows the game. She has great instincts on defense and is a very aggressive and heads-up base runner. Cassie is a very consistent hitter and has a great eye for the strike zone. She is a contact hitter, who doesn’t strike out much and is a tough out. Cassie’s consistency and reliability on offense and defense will be a real asset to our team.”

Tyler is a four-year varsity letterwinner from Katy High School. She was named all-state twice last season and is a two-time All-Greater Houston selection. After earning honorable mention all-district as a freshman and being named to the all-state tournament team, Tyler earned first team all-district the next two years. She was a 2008 Under-Armour All-American and tied her school’s record with seven home runs in 2009. Tyler plays travel ball for the Impact Gold.

“Taran has been coming to our summer camps for years,” Evans said. “She loves to play the game and works very hard to continually improve her game. She is capable of playing any position in the infield and is a heads-up player with tremendous work ethic. There is no one who will out-work Taran. Offensively, she is capable of driving the ball in the gap and has surprising power for someone her size. Taran can make an immediate impact in our program.”

Evans is at the helm of Texas A&M softball for her 14th season. Aggie softball returns 10 letterwinners and welcomes seven newcomers to the 2010 squad.

A&M opens the regular season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., on Feb. 12. For a complete schedule visit AggieAthletics.com.

Softball Signing Class (5)

Name
Cl.
Pos.
B-T
Hometown (High School)
Travel Team

Emily Albus
Fr.
2B/SS/OF
L-R
Brenham, Texas (Brenham)
Impact Gold

Amber Garza
Fr.
3B/UT
L-R
Missouri City, Texas (Elkins)
Missouri City Magic

Nicole Morgan
Fr.
C
R-R
The Woodlands, Texas (College Park)
Impact Gold

Taran Tyler
Fr.
SS/2B/3B
R-R
Katy, Texas (Katy)
Impact Gold

Cassie Tysarczyk
Fr.
1B/OF
L-L
San Antonio, Texas (Smithson Valley)
Impact Gold