Maize & Blue Adds Five During Early Signing Period
11/9/2022 4:00:00 PM | Softball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team received National Letters of Intent from five student-athletes during the early signing period, head coach Bonnie Tholl announced Wednesday (Nov. 9). The quintet -- outfielder Jenissa Conway, utility Ava Costales, infielder Alexis Dellamonica, pitcher/utility Erin Hoehn and outfielder Ella Stephenson -- will join the Wolverines next fall and make their collegiate debut during the 2023 softball season. The class is rated No. 6 in the nation by Extra Inning Softball.
"I think it's a really diverse class," said Tholl. "We have kids who can do a whole bunch of different things -- kids that run well, pitchers, kids that can hit it over the fence. Kids from different corners of the country from the midwest and west coast. It's a really great blend of pure athleticism, softball IQ and competitiveness. We're excited to have them in our program."
Conway, a native of Olivehurst, Calif., is the nation's No. 17-ranked recruit according to Extra Inning Softball. She helped guide her Maryville High School team to the section championship game last season, when she batted .567 with nine home runs and 23 RBI in 22 games with 25 walks, a 1.166 slugging percentage and a 1.865 OPS. She also .493 with a 1.710 OPS as a sophomore. She plays travel ball with the Sorcerer Fastpitch organization and in 2018, played in the PGF 14U National Championship.
"Jenissa is off the charts athletic," said Tholl. "She'll be one of the most exciting players on our roster in some time. She's a true lefty, plays the outfield and can just make a lot of things happen offensively -- once she gets on base, with her ability to take extra bases as well as her ability to hit the ball over the fence."
Costales, a native of St. Clair Shores, Mich., is the nation's No. 29-ranked recruit according to Extra Inning Softball. She is a First Team All-State honoree for Lakeview High School and a two-time all-region, all-country and all-district selection. She boasts a career average of .494 with a 1.424 OPS, 59 RBI, 49 runs scored and 12 homers over two seasons. Costales plays travel ball with the Turnin'2 organization; last fall, she batted .438 with 10 homers.
"Ava was our last commit to this class and somebody that we watched develop for a while," said Tholl. "She's an incredible athlete and has incredible power. She was actually a Level 6 gymnast at one point before she went fully into softball. She's going to bring some great power to our team. We look for her to continue to develop and be a huge RBI producer in her career at Michigan."
Dellamonica, a native of Queen Creek, Ariz., is the nation's No. 42-ranked recruit according to Extra Inning Softball. She was a First Team all-region honoree for Queen Creek High School after batting .400 with a .479 on-base percentage and eight home runs and 31 RBI last season. She plays travel ball with the Arizona Storm organization and is a PGF All-American; her team took second at PGF Nationals in 2019.
"Our staff noticed Lexi at a young age," said Tholl. "She played both second base and third base for the Arizona Storm team and has played at a high level since she was in junior high. She has great awareness and a great softball IQ. She's just that steady kid that you can put at a middle infield position or a corner position and know that she's consistent and dependable. She's going to have a great career here."
Hoehn, a native of Poseyville, Ind., is the nation's No. 17-ranked recruit according to Extra Inning Softball. She was named the 2022 All-Southwestern Indiana Player of the Year for North Posey High School and is a two-time First Team All-State and All-Pocket Athletic Conference honoree. She tossed five no-hitters last season and boasted a 0.99 ERA with 218 strikeouts. At the plate, she batted .554 with 13 homers -- North Posey's school record -- and 48 RBI. She plays travel ball with the Lady Dukes Lamar squad.
"Erin is a terrific utility player but will spend a majority of her time competing in the circle," said Tholl. "When you look at her in the circle, even though she is only 5-6, she looks 5-10 -- that's the kind of presence she has. She commands in the circle and she does the same thing at the plate. We think she is going to be a force for us."
Stephenson, a native of Algonac, Mich., is the nation's No. 19-ranked recruit according to Extra Inning Softball. She is a two-time First Team All-State player for Algonac High School after boasting a .632 batting average with a 1.973 OPS, 17 homers and 64 RBI as a junior last season. Off the field, she is also a four-year varsity letterwinner in both volleyball and basketball. She plays travel with the Turnin'2 organization, along with Costales, and batted .541 with a 1.594 OPS, 11 homers and 43 RBI last summer.
"Ella is another Michigan kid and comes from a great athletic family with two older brothers who play college baseball and a father who played college baseball," said Tholl. "You can tell she's a kid who spent a lot of time at the ballpark growing up. As an outfielder, she gets as good of reads as anyone I've seen since Kelly Christner. She's somebody who can roam the outfield really well. She will also produce offensively. She has very good awareness defensively, but I think her offensive game is even a notch above."
