BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana softball head coach Michelle Gardner has announced that four high school seniors have signed their National Letters of Intent to play for IU. Sydney Hester, Gabriella Jenkins, Katie Lacefield and Bella Norton are all set to join the Hoosiers next year.
"I am so excited about this class coming in," said Gardner. "These players are versatile, they are dynamic and they can play multiple positions. In addition, they're great young women who will continue to grow our program both on and off the field."
Sydney Hester, Outfield Bettendorf, Iowa | Pleasant Valley High School Sydney HesterAn outfielder from Bettendorf, Iowa, Hester has earned three varsity letters from Pleasant Valley High School. Hester helped lead her team to a conference championship in 2015 while earning Second Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-Metro honors. Her team also won the conference in 2014 on the way to a sixth place finish in the state tournament.
Off the field, the left-handed hitter has excelled academically, earning the Academic Excellence Award the last three years, while also being named to the Conference All-Academic Team and being a member of National Honors Society.
Hester, who was also a member of the basketball team at Pleasant Valley for three seasons, plays her travelball with Extreme Havoc.
The daughter of Greg and Denise, Hester has an older sister, Taylor, and a younger brother, Jack.
Gabriella Jenkins, Infield/Utility Floyds Knobs, Ind. | Floyd Central High School
A native of Floyds Knobs, Ind., Jenkins is a three-time letterwinner from Floyd Central High School, where the Highlanders have posted back-to-back top-five finishes in the IHSAA State tournament while earning Sectional and Regional titles.
During her junior season, the left-handed batter was the IHSAA leader in RBI with 56 on the year with a .475 average. Among her accolades, she was named First Team All-State,Gabbi JenkinsAll-Conference and earned a MaxPreps/NFCA Player of the Week honor. Jenkins posted a .446 average her sophomore year while being named First Team All-State and All-Conference.
Jenkins' travelball experience includes an eighth place finish in the Triple Crown Nationals with Indiana Magic Gold 16U team and a ninth place spot in the Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) Nationals with the Indiana Diamonds 14U squad.
The daughter of Dennis and Jolie, Jenkins has one older brother, Devin.
Katie Lacefield, Infield Columbia, Ill. | Incarnate Word Academy
An infielder from Columbia, Ill., Lacefield is a four-time letterwinner and team MVP for Incarnate Word Academy. Lacefield guided her team to back-to-back district championships as a team captain in 2014 and 2015, in addition to a 2015 sectional championship. Katie LacefieldThe left-handed hitter has a career average of .527, having never hit below .400 in her four seasons at Incarnate Word. In addition, she struck out just three times in 249 plate appearances. During her senior season, Lacefield hit .678, good enough for third in the St. Louis Metro area, with 35 runs and 40 hits, including five home runs and 18 doubles, which led the area.
A member of the St. Louis Chaos travellball team, Lacefield and her teammates finished 17th out of 181 teams in the ASA Nationals in 2015.
In addition to her softball accomplishments, Lacefield is also a four-time All-Conference selection on the basketball team where she has led Incarnate Word to three consecutive state championships.
The daughter of Bill and Robin, Lacefield has one brother, Andrew, and two sisters, Audrey and Sam.
Bella Norton, Catcher McLean, Va. | McLean High School
Norton is a three-time letterwinner from McLean, Va., where she has helped McLean High School to a 2013 AAA Liberty Regional Semi-final appearance, 2014 Regional Championship and a 2015 Regional Championship Runner-Up finish.
Norton is listed as the No. 1 Catcher in the 2016 class by Scout Softball, in addition to being named to Flo Softball's Top 100 National Softball Players list. Her junior season saw her post a .514 batting average with, 38 hits, five home runs and 38 RBI on her way to being named First Team All-Conference, All-Region, All-State, All-Metropolitan and Team MVP.
In 2014, Norton registered a .486 average with 35 hits, four home runs and 32 RBI while earning First-Team All-Conference, All-Region, All-State and MVP, while also earning Honorable Mention All-Metropolitan accolades. In her freshman campaign, the righty hit .383 with 23 hits, four home runs and 19 RBI.Bella Norton
Additionally, Norton plays for Newtown Rock Gold 18U team and has led the team to numerous championship appearances, as well as qualifying for PGF Nationals for four consecutive seasons, the only team in the northeast region to do so.
Norton is the daughter of Michael and Lamya and has five siblings – Alexis, Gabi, Gigi, Nick and Michael.
