Softball | November 25, 2020
AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken, in conjunction with head softball coach
Jaclin Poole, is pleased to announce the addition of five student-athletes for the upcoming 2022 season.
Payton Baker, Courtney Leisner, Tara McGee, Lakyn Phillips and Mallory Shaver will continue their athletic and academic careers at USC Aiken beginning in the fall of 2021.
"While each signing class brings a certain level of excitement, but with this being my first class of Pacers it makes it something very special," Poole said. "These five student-athletes each have skill sets that will benefit this program and I am excited to see how they develop over the course of their collegiate careers. It's always a great day to be a Pacer."
Baker, a 5-4 pitcher from Denver, N.C., attends East Lincoln H.S. The two-time all-conference honoree sported a 1.86 ERA as a sophomore and a 1.87 ERA as a junior. Baker limited the opposition to a .205 batting average her sophomore campaign and a mere .164 average as a junior.
"Payton has tons of experience throwing against extremely talented hitters, we are very excited to see her bring that with her to the circle next season," Poole stated.
Leisner, a 5-3 infielder/outfielder is a native of Glen Burnie, Md. The North County H.S. attendee is a four-year starter and a three-year captain. She is a four-time scholar-athlete award winner and is a member of the National Honor Society.
"Courtney is an extremely versatile player and her energy is outright contagious," Poole said. "She is a fun one to watch play and gives everything she has to the game."
McGee is a 5-7 catcher from Jacksonville Beach, Fla. The Ponte Vedra H.S. product carded a .365 batting average as a sophomore and a .370 average her junior season. McGee held a .485 on-base percentage during her sophomore season and sported a .420 on-base percentage as a junior. McGee ranked 293 overall in her class nationally and was 98
th for catchers. She is a member of the National Honors Society and English Honors Society as well as the American Sign Language Honors Society.
"Tara has developed into an extremely talented catcher with a hot bat as well," Poole stated. "I know she will continue to evolve and develop behind the plate. Her softball IQ will benefit the program tremendously."
Phillips is a 5-4 pitcher from Lexington, S.C. She attends Pelion H.S. and picked up all-region accolades as a sophomore. Phillips batted .422 as a sophomore and upped it to .455 as a junior. In the circle, she struck out 126 batters as a sophomore and had 40 strikeouts in a shortened junior campaign. Phillips is a member of the National Honor Society. She guided her 2017 team to the Diamond Classic World Series title and also helped her squad to the Elite80 Showtime Showcase and Great Smokey Showcase championships.
"Lakyn is a stoic presence on the mound and her ability to keep tempo and control of the game will be particularly useful for us," Poole said.
Shaver is a 5-6 infielder from Mint Hill, N.C. The Independence H.S. product earned all-state honors as a sophomore. That season, she batted .479, slugged .788 and drove in 25 runs while scoring 29 times. Through four games in a shortened junior campaign, Shaver tallied a .467 batting average, slugged .800 and held a .556 on-base percentage.
"Mallory is an absolute workhorse and her ability to take advice and apply it to real game situations is such a valuable asset for this program," Poole stated.
