Nov. 17, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan today announced the signing of five future Wildcats from the Class of 2011 to National Letters of Intent. Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North), Kelly Quinn (Northbrook, Ill./Northbrook), Jessica Smith (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon), Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) and Jordan Wheeler (Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos) comprise the group that will matriculate to Northwestern in the fall of 2007.
The quintet boasts a trio of left-handed hitters, speed, power and one of the most highly-rated pitching prospects in the country. Smith and Wheeler hail from the softball hot-bed of Southern California, while Batts, Quinn and Thompson are Midwest products. Batts and Quinn give the Wildcats two more Chicagoland players on the roster.
Batts set the DuPage County single-season home run record last year with 16 round-trippers and was named the DuPage Valley Conference Player of the Year. A first-team All-State selection by the Chicago Tribune, Batts is a gifted athlete who also lettered four years in basketball, two years in cross country and two years in volleyball.
"Michelle will continue Northwestern's great tradition of left-handed power hitters," Drohan said. "She has been a dominant hitter in the state of Illinois, and we have no doubt she will make the same impact on the collegiate level."
Quinn has excellent bat control, leading her high school with batting averages of .509 and .485 the past two seasons. She has been named to both Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times Players to Watch lists, and is a national top-100 prospect as ranked by rivals.com.
"Kelly is a true triple threat at the plate who has a great combination of speed and power," Drohan said. "She is very bright and is an exceptional student of the game. We are looking forward to Kelly roaming the outfield at Drysdale Field."
Rated one of the top-5 pitchers in the class of 2011 by the West Coast Softball Report, Smith twice has been named Pitcher of the Year in The Next Level club organization. Throwing a ball that already has been clocked at 68 mph, Smith possesses strikeout ability at the collegiate level.
"Jessie is a competitive, hard-working power pitcher who can break the ball on all planes," Drohan said. "She has a lot of raw talent and has only begun to tap her potential, and we feel she really will develop and excel in our program."
Thompson is an incredible athlete, boasting speed and a huge vertical. She was named to the Detroit News All-Metro team and Top-20 Players list after hitting a whopping .638 (30-of-47) with 36 runs, 35 RBIs, nine home runs and 19 steals in 19 games as a junior.
"Robin's athleticism and instincts for the game really set her apart," Drohan said. "The speed at which she plays the game is very impressive and we are excited to work her into our system."
Wheeler is a first-team All-CIF selection, and placed second at the 2006 ASA Nationals in Oklahoma City with the Worth Firecrackers Gold. An excellent athlete, she has been named both offensive and defensive player of the year on her high school squad.
"Jordan came on campus and everyone involved knew it was a great fit for her and for us," Drohan said. "She has great versatility defensively and will bring speed and tremendous bat control from the left side of the plate. Jordan's championship experience certainly will prepare her for Northwestern's style of softball."
Following are complete bios for the signees in the Northwestern class of 2011:
Michelle Batts
Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North
IF 5-8
High School: Earned Chicago Tribune first-team All-State honors as a junior after setting the DuPage Country single-season home run record with 16 ... Named 2006 DuPage Valley Conference Player of the Year ... Also named Chicago Sun-Times and Daily Herald first-team All-Area in 2006 ... Three-time All-DuPage Valley Conference and Academic All-Conference selection ... Named to the Chicago Tribune Top-25 and Chicago Sun-Times Top-100 Players to Watch list prior to her sophomore season ... In May of 2005, hit a home run more than 300 feet in a game against St. Charles East ... High school has won its conference title the last three years ... Played club with the Illinois Rockers, Wasco Diamonds and Thunder ... Diamonds won the 2005 ASA Metro championship and the USSSA "A" Illinois State Championship .... Thunder finished third at the ASA Regional Championship and participated in the ASA Nationals ... Also played four years of basketball and two years of cross country and volleyball ... National Honor Society member ... Also named Academic All-Conference for basketball and cross country ... Played four years in the band.
Personal: Born Michelle Raenetta Batts on 9/15/89 ... Daughter of Michael and Maggie Batts ... Brother Michael played football at Northern Illinois ... Chose Northwestern over Illinois, DePaul, Loyola and North Carolina ... Plans to be a pre-med major.
Kelly Quinn
Northbrook, Ill./Northbrook
OF 5-6
High School: Ranked in Rivals.com's top-100 prospects in the class of 2007 ... Chicago Tribune Top-50 Players to Watch ... Two-time Chicago Sun-Times All-Area selection and a Sun-Times Preseason top-100 selection ... Two-time Pioneer Press All-Area honoree ... Two-time All-Central Suburban League North selection ... Named varsity team offensive MVP as a freshman in 2004 ... Batted .509 with a team-best 62 hits and 52 runs scored in 2005, reaching base in every game ... Led team with a .485 average in 2006, also pacing the team in hits, runs, double, triples and home runs ... Had a 35-game hitting streak spanning the 2005-06 seasons ... Northbrook won the 2006 conference title with an undefeated record ... Played club with the Illinois Chill 18U in 2003 at age 14 and with the Chill Gold from 2004-06, coached by her father Gerald Quinn ... Led the Gold team in runs in all three seasons ... 2007 National Merit Semifinalist ... Scored a perfect 36 on the ACT ... National Honor Society member ... 2004 National Semifinalist in the Biology Olympiad ... 2005 National Semifinalist in the AIME Math Contest ... 2006 Nominee for the NCTE Achievement Awards in writing.
Personal: Born Kelly Eileen Quinn on 1/18/89 ... Daughter of Gerald and Joanna Quinn ... Chose Northwestern over Iowa, Wisconsin, South Florida and Princeton ... Plans to major in engineering.
Jessica Smith
Encinitas, Ca./La Costa Canyon
P 5-9
High School: Named one of the top 25 players in San Diego County from 2004-06 in the North County Times and the San Diego Union ... Named All-San Diego County from 2004-06 ... Rated a top-five pitching prospect by West Coast Softball Report in 2006 ... Posted a high school ERA of 1.10 and a record of 46-11 in her first three seasons ... Recorded 330 strikeouts in 342 innings pitched...Threw three one-hit shutouts ... Played in The Next Level club organization for seven years ... Named Pitcher of the Year for 2005 and 2006 in the Next Level Organization ... Club team placed 13th in the 2006 ASA 18U Gold Nationals and 3rd place in the 2004 ASA 14U Nationals ... Club team finished fifth from 2004-06 in the Champions Cup in Irvine, Calif. ... Team finished second in the Palomar League from 2004-06 ... Team finished third in California Division I in 2006 and in the top five from 2004-05 ... Named to the San Diego Union All-Academic Team from 2004-07 ... Made high school honor roll from 2004-07 ... Coached at The Next Level by Chris Facione and pitching coach Bill Corbitt.
Personal: Born Jessica Lynn Smith on 6/12/89 ... Daughter of Denise Baker and Chris Smith ... Chose Northwestern over Arizona State, Tennessee, Oregon, Georgia Tech, UNLV, Cal State-Fullerton, Utah, UC-Santa Barbara and San Diego ... Plans to major in communications or psychology.
Robin Thompson
Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King
IF 5-1
High School: Named team MVP, All-City and All-District ... Selected to the Detroit News All-Metro team and named a Detroit News top-20 player ... Also an All-City selection in volleyball ... High school earned a district championship in 2006 ... Hit .638 (30-of-47) with 35 RBIs, 26 runs, nine home runs, 12 walks, 19 steals and just one strikeout as a junior ... Played two years of club with the Michigan Batbusters ... Finished as the USSSA World Series runner-up with the Batbusters 18u squad ... National Honor Society member and is in the top one percent of the 2007 graduating class at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School.
Personal: Born Robin Ashley-Kailonie Thompson on 2/19/89 ... Daughter of Dana Thompson and Robert Landrum ... Chose Northwestern over Syracuse and Michigan State ... Plans to major in pre-med or business institutions.
Jordan Wheeler
Garden Grove, Calif./Los Alamitos
OF 5-8
High School: First-team All-CIF selection ... Two-time first-team All-Sunset League ... High school advanced to the CIF finals in 2004, the quarterfinals in 2005 and the semifinals in 2006 ... Earned best offensive player honors on the junior varsity as a freshman, earning a promotion to the varsity squad during the season ... Named team's best defensive player in 2005 and best offensive player in 2006 ... Batted .467 with 12 steals as a junior in 2006, leading the Sunset League with 27 runs scored ... Team won the Sunset League title in 2004 and 2005 ... Played club with the Worth Firecrackers Gold and coach Tony Rico ... Took first at the 2006 Colorado Fireworks and second at the 2006 ASA Nationals in Oklahoma City ... Member of the Principal's Honor Roll and the CSFCCA Scholarship Federation ... Scholar athlete.
Personal: Born Jordan Nicole Wheeler on 8/17/89 ... Daughter of Paul and Cherie Wheeler ... Grandfather swam at Ohio State ... Chose Northwestern over Tennessee and Michigan ... Plans to major in education.