VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota head softball coach
Robert Wagner is pleased to announce seven players who have signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Coyotes starting with the 2019-20 academic year. The class includes:
Mia Kraimer, a pitcher/infielder from Lonsdale, Minn.;
Aleesia Sainz, an infielder from Casa Grande, Ariz.;
Macy Schroedermeier, a pitcher/outfielder from Sioux Falls, S.D.;
Holly Fletcher, a pitcher from San Mateo, Calif.;
Makayla Tsagalis, a utility player from Arlington Heights, Ill.;
Jordyn Pender, a catcher/infielder from Phoenix, Ariz.; and
Charis Black, an outfielder from Murrieta, Calif.
"It is an exciting day for our program, and I welcome our 2019 signing class to the University of South Dakota!" said Wagner. "We targeted dynamic, intelligent individuals who are elite athletes and enjoy working hard. They are great teammates and fierce competitors. Each of these young ladies are high achievers in the classroom and on the diamond. We are proud to have the opportunity to make an impact in these new Coyotes' lives, and we are so fortunate to have them join the Pack and our community. We look forward to having our newest Coyotes on campus next fall."
Kraimer is a three-time all-conference, two-time all-metro and team MVP at New Prague High School near her hometown of Lonsdale. She pitched, caught and played infield for coach Anna Borwege and the Trojans. She heads into her senior year this spring with a career average of .438 (71-for-162). In the circle, she is 32-7 for her career with a 1.29 ERA and more than 300 strikeouts.
Kraimer competed for Midwest Speed Club Team, which qualified for PGF Nationals Premier in 2018 and placed 13
th at PGF Nationals Platinum in 2016. She plans to study kinesiology at South Dakota.
Sainz is a three-year starter who has hit .502 (130-for-259) at Casa Grande Union High School with 16 home runs and 108 RBIs. She played mainly the left side of the infield in leading the Cougars to the playoffs in three straight seasons, earning all-section honors as a freshman, all-region as a sophomore and all-conference as a junior. She was team MVP during both the 2016 and 2018 seasons.
In addition to playing for coach Phillip Becerra at Casa Grande Union, Sainz played club ball for Arizona Bombers Gold. She plans to study psychology at South Dakota.
Schroedermeier pitched and played outfield for a Sioux Falls Roosevelt program that won four state championships in five seasons including an undefeated run in 2016. She is a four-year letter winner, a two-time all-state performer and a two-time all-tournament team honoree. She hit .485 (34-for-70) and pitched 49 innings for coach Scott Roth in leading the Rough Riders to the title this past October.
Schroedermeier earned two top-10 national finishes in club ball, placing seventh with Nebraska Fury and ninth with the Sioux Falls Steel. She is a National Honor Society member, appeared on the 4.0 honor roll all four seasons, and also competes on the track and field team for Roosevelt. She plans to study physical therapy at South Dakota.
Fletcher has been a four-year starting pitcher for coach Roger Miller at Aragon High School. In addition to being named team MVP the last two seasons, Fletcher led PAL-Bay Division in strikeouts in 2018 and earned first-team all-conference honors. As a sophomore, she turned in a 1.52 ERA with 55 strikeouts and had 146 punchouts as a junior to go with a 3.45 ERA.
Fletcher also competes in water polo for the Dons. She is on the honor roll, is a GATE Student, and a California Scholarship Federation Member. She has competed at PGF Nationals and ASA/USA Nationals in each of the last two years and was twice a Colorado Sparkler All-Star. She plans to study biology at South Dakota.
Tsagalis will be with family in Vermillion as older brother, Tyler, is a quarterback on the Coyote football team. Makayla is an all-state center fielder for coach Molly Freeman and the Hersey Huskies. Throughout her career there, Tsagalis has hit .551 (147-for-267) with 47 doubles, seven triples and 10 home runs. She has also competed in gymnastics at Hersey.
After leading the Huskies to a tri-championship in the Mid-Suburban East this past spring, Tsagalis made the Greek National Softball Team and competed in Slovakia this past summer. She plans to study psychology at South Dakota.
Pender is a first-team all-region catcher at Arcadia High School where she hit .553 in 34 games this past season with 19 doubles, a pair of triples and 40 RBIs. The average was good for seventh in the region. She was also named an academic all-American 5A student under coach Jason Foster.
Pender competes on the Firecrackers Club Team in Arizona, which finished runner up in the 2017 TCS Colorado Sparker 16U Elite 48 Pool. She competed in the OnDeck Jamboree in 2016 and 2017, and was a member of the USSSA Select Elite Central team in 2016. Pender plans to study business at South Dakota.
Black attends Vista Murrieta High School and runs track for the Broncos, but plays softball for the Athletics Mercado travel organization. She hit .700 at PGF Platinum national tournament in 2017, and .667 in PGF Premier national tournament in 2018. The speedy outfielder can get from home to first in less than three seconds.
Black plans to study kinesiology at South Dakota.
