VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota head softball coach Robert Wagner is pleased to announce that Alecea Mendoza has signed a national letter of intent to compete for the Coyotes during the 2022-23 academic year.
 
Mendoza is a 5-foot-4-inch, left-handed outfielder from East Moline, Illinois. She attended Riverdale High School before competing collegiately at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 101 games and two seasons at Kirkwood, Mendoza hit .380 with 16 home runs, 79 RBIs and 74 runs scored.
 
"We are so excited to bring Alecea into the fold," said Wagner. "She hits for power and average and has played in some big time games over the past two years with tremendous success. She excels in pressure situations. She is an excellent student and will fit in perfectly with our program and this community."
 
Mendoza is coming off a 2022 campaign in which she hit .401 with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs. She slugged .726 with a .478 on-base percentage. Mendoza led the Eagles to a 49-17 record and a third-place finish at the NJCAA Division II World Series in Oxford, Alabama. She hit safely in each of the final six games at the World Series, going 10-for-18 (.556) with a pair of doubles and scored six runs.
 
Mendoza joins a Coyote program that finished 28-25 in 2022 and advanced to the semifinals of the Summit League Tournament. South Dakota returns six starters to its lineup and two of its top three pitchers.