Signing Day for Cowboys and Cowgirls
Here is a compulation from the Oklahoma State University Athlete Media Relations Office of signing day activity in two sports at Oklahoma State University.
Cowgirl Soccer
Oklahoma State has inked six high school standouts to its incoming class for 2021.
Four of the Cowgirl signees hail from Texas, while two are from Oklahoma and one from the Kansas prep ranks.
“We’re excited about this class because there are some really talented players,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “We’ve got some very good attacking kids that can score goals, a great goalkeeper and a midfielder and defender. So really we’ve got players that can cover us at all positions. It’s a very athletic group — if you look overall, one of the attributes that stands out is a lot of speed and a lot of athleticism.”
Hannah Chance, F/MF, Broken Arrow, Okla. (Broken Arrow HS/TSC Hurricane ECNL) – Chance stars at Broken Arrow High School as well as Tulsa Soccer Club ECNL.
As a member of TSC, Chance earned All-America and Texas Conference Player of the Year honors during the 2018-19 season, and she played in the ECNL National Selection Game in Phoenix.
A two-time all-state performer at BAHS, Chance led the Tigers to an undefeated season and a Class 6A state championship as the team’s top scorer as a freshman and helped the team to the 6A semifinals as a sophomore.
Chance is listed as a four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com and is No. 127 on the IMG Academy 150 list. She is ranked 42nd nationally at the midfielder position and was also recruited by Texas A&M, Kansas State and Tulsa.
Carmichael on Chance: “Hannah is a really explosive attacking player. She scores goals, she creates chances, she’s very good off the dribble. She has a great ability to go by people and create opportunities, which is a hard thing to coach. She has a chance to come in here and really help our offense.”
Jordan Guy, MF, Houston, Texas (The Kinkaid School/Albion Hurricanes FC) — A standout for Albion Hurricanes at the club level, Guy was also a member of the ODP State and Regional Teams and participated in the id2 National Selection program.
Guy played as a freshman at The Kinkaid School and recorded four goals and seven assists to help lead the team to a conference championship and earn All-South Zone honors.
Guy is a three-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com and is No. 127 on the IMG Academy 150 list. She is also the 42nd-ranked midfielder nationally and was recruited by Texas, TCU, Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma, among others.
Carmichael on Guy: “Jordan is a very technical midfielder who has great vision. She has the ability to play really good longer passes, she strikes a really clean ball, and she’s also a threat to score from distance.”
Logan Heausler, F/MF, Houston, Texas (Clear Lake HS/Albion Hurricanes FC) — A star for Clear Lake High School and Albion Hurricanes at the club level, Heausler was a district MVP and three-time all-region performer at CLHS, where she has posted 51 goals and 21 assists in her career.
Heausler has been a scoring threat throughout her time on the Hurricanes as well, recording 55 goals and 21 assists over the last four years and twice earning all-conference accolades.
Heausler, who was also recruited by Kansas, Auburn, Rice and Mississippi, is a four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com and checked in at No. 82 on the IMG Academy 150 list. She is also the 26th-ranked forward nationally
Carmichael on Heausler: “Logan is really a great athlete who can play numerous positions. We recruited her as a forward, but she can also play midfielder and in the wide areas. That adaptability is going to be a great thing for the program. She’s very fast, very strong, and she strikes a great ball and scores a ton of goals.”
Samiah Phiri, F/MF, Irving, Texas (MacArthur HS/FC Dallas ECNL) — Phiri stars for FC Dallas as the club’s leading scorer and helped lead the team to a third-place finish at the 2019 DA Cup.
Phiri is a four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com and is No. 44 on the IMG Academy 150 list. She is ranked 13th nationally at the forward position
Carmichael on Phiri: “Samiah is an attacking player who is big, strong, powerful, very technical. She has the ability to beat people one v. one, she links play well with other attacking players and she scores a lot of goals at a high level. She has a chance to be special for us.”
Trinity Picklo, D, Mustang, Okla. (HS/OK Texans) — Picklo stars for OK Celtic ECNL at the club level and is also a standout at Mustang High School, where she has twice helped lead that team to a Class 6A state runner-up finish.
Picklo is also a standout in track and field at the prep level, where she has earned all-conference and All-Big City honors and is a two-time state placer in the Class 6A 100-meter hurdles.
Carmichael on Picklo: “Trinity is a kid that has been to our camps, and we’ve seen her a lot being a local player. She’s a tough, aggressive defender, a hard-nosed kid, and we think she can develop into a really good player.”
Evie Vitali, GK, Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley Northwest HS/Sporting Blue Valley SC) — Vitalie is a standout for Sporting Blue Valley Girls Academy at the club level, where she’s helped the team to a record of 56-20-12 over the last four years as a starter on a team that qualified for nationals in 2018 and 2019.
Vitali, who is serving as the SBV team captain this season, ranks second among 2021 goalkeeper recruits on the Academy and ECNL InStat Index. She was also recruited by Texas, Alabama, Texas Tech and TCU.
Carmichael on Vitali: “Evie is a really good goalkeeper, very commanding, has a presence, good with her feet. She definitely allows us to maintain possession when we have the ball by being able to play back to our goalkeeper. She is one of the best goalkeepers in this region in youth soccer.”
Cowgirl Softball
Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski announced today a six-person signing class that Extra Inning Softball ranks as the eighth-best group in the nation. The class includes three players who were ranked as top-25 players nationally and two others listed among the top 75 prospects nationally.
According to the national pundits, pitcher Tatum Clopton from Free State HS in Lawrence, Kan., is the highest-rated prospect in the class, coming in at No. 7 nationally by FloSoftball, No. 10 in Extra Inning Softball’s Elite 100 and No. 11 by Softball America. Speedy infielder Brianna Evans from Red Oak HS in Red Oak, Texas, comes in at No. 11 on Extra Inning Softball’s Elite 100 and in-state utility prospect Tatum Sparks from Shawnee HS is No. 25 nationally by Extra Inning Softball.
Versatile utility prospect Hailey Kastl from nearby Perkins, Okla. (No. 56 by Extra Inning Softball) and powerful catcher Maggie Herdejurgen from Crosby, Texas (No. 65 by Extra Inning Softball) are also nationally-ranked prospects in the class. Kathryn Ogg, who has enjoyed a high level of success, both in the classroom and competing in a variety of sports for Harvey School in Katonah, N.Y., rounds out the group.
“This class has shaped up to be a really solid class that we have been working on for years,” Gajewski said. “It has been rated in the top 10 for two to three years now.
“We have added depth all over the field but most importantly we have added great students and great families that will only make our program better. These families are all in and have agreed to keep climbing, pitch to pitch, to achieve their goals.”
A closer look at the Cowgirl signing class, sorted in alphabetical order:
Tatum Clopton
Pitcher | L/R | 5-10
Lawrence, Kan. | Free State
High School: A high-level recruit who was ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the nation by FloSoftball, No. 10 in the Extra Inning Softball Elite 100 and No. 11 by Softball America … Two-time Gatorade player of the year in Kansas (2019 and 2020) … Earned first-team all-state honors in both 2018 and 2019 and led Free State to class 6A state titles in both of those seasons … Plays travel softball for the DeMarini Aces … Also played volleyball as a freshman … Mother, Sarah Clopton, pitched at the University of Kansas and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 1999.
Personal: Tatum Clopton was born May 21, 2003 … The daughter of Aaron Clopton Sr. and Sarah Clopton … Undecided on a major.
Brianna Evans
Utility | L/R | 5-3
Red Oak, Texas | Red Oak
Pronounced: bree-AWN-uh
High School: A multi-talented performer who ranks among the top prospects in the nation thanks in part to her outstanding speed and athleticism … Ranked No. 11 in the Extra Inning Softball Elite 100 … Batted .663 and scored 55 runs during her 2020 summer softball season … District MVP and team MVP in 2019 … 2019 Ellis County player of the year … District newcomer of the year and team offensive player of the year in 2018 … Also competed in powerlifting, basketball and track and field.
Personal: Brianna Evans was born May 8, 2003 … The daughter of Leroy and Minerva Evans … Plans to major in applied exercise science.
Maggie Herdejurgen
Catcher | R/R | 5-6
Crosby, Texas | Crosby
Pronounced: her-dee-A-gun
High School: Power-hitting prospect who slots in at No. 65 in the Extra Inning Softball class of 2021 national rankings … First-team all-state selection as a sophomore who missed her junior season to injury … According to MaxPreps, she batted .468 with 13 home runs, 44 runs batted in and a 1.700 OPS as a freshman, then .453 with 13 home runs, 54 RBI and a 1.585 OPS as a sophomore … Two-time first-team all-district selection … Three-time member of the academic all-district team … District 21-5A newcomer of the year as a freshman … Hit a home run in her first high school at-bat … Also played volleyball.
Personal: Maggie Herdejurgen was born March 18, 2003 … The daughter of Josh and Ree Herdejurgen … Began playing softball at age five and has been catching since age seven … Undecided on a major.
Hailey Kastl
Utility | L/R | 5-5
Perkins, Okla. | Perkins
Pronounced like castle
High School: Decorated local talent who attended high school about 15 minutes away from Oklahoma State’s campus … A national-level prospect ranked No. 56 in Extra Inning Softball’s Elite 100 … All-state selection as a senior in 2020 … Tulsa 7 Conference offensive player of the year as a junior and again as a senior who was also the district 4A-1 offensive player of the year those same two seasons … Class 3-4A middle infielder all-region first team … Earned first-team all-area as a junior … As a sophomore in 2018, was named first-team all-district at third base to go with first-team all-conference and first-team all-area recognition … First-team all-conference and first-team all-district as a third baseman during her freshman year … Class 4A state semifinalist in 2017 … Also played basketball and ran track and field … Also plays slow pitch softball and is a cheerleader.
Personal: Hailey Kastl was born June 12, 2003 … The daughter of Jared Szlichta and Lori Kastl … Plans to major in athletic training.
Kathryn Ogg
Pitcher/First Base | R/R | 5-8
Katonah, N.Y. | Harvey
High School: A high achiever both on the field and in the classroom who brings outstanding intangibles and leadership qualities as well … Has a .649 high school batting average … Three-year varsity softball captain … Received a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award … 2019 all-league selection … Played travel ball for the regionally ranked NY Nighthawks Elite and the nationally ranked RI Thunder Gold … Played for the 16u Hungarian national team, where she competed in the 2019 16u European Championships and recorded the most strikeouts in the tournament (34 strikeouts in 22 innings) … A two-year captain on the varsity basketball team who led the squad in rebounds and minutes played … Also played volleyball … Selected as the Harvey HS female athlete of the winter term in 2020 … Has 11 varsity letters … Brother currently plays baseball at Arizona State … Father is a hall of fame athlete at the United States Coast Guard Academy, where he played football and baseball.
Personal: Kathryn Ogg was born February 13, 2003 … The daughter of Alexander and Maria Ogg … Plans to major in either education or business.
Tatum Sparks
Utility | R/R | 5-5
Shawnee, Okla. | Shawnee
High School: A national-level prospect who attended high school about an hour south of Stillwater … Extra Inning Softball ranked her as the nation’s No. 25 prospect … Hit .538 with 14 home runs and 53 RBI in the 2020 Class 6A season … Had a 1.220 slugging percentage during the 2020 season … 2020 large east all-state selection … District 6A-3 offensive player of the year and was a first-team all-region honoree in 2020 … District 6A-3 first-team shortstop her junior year … District 5A-3 offensive player of the year in her sophomore year … District 5A-3 first-team utility player as a freshman … Also played basketball … Member of the National Honor Society.
Personal: Tatum Sparks was born August 12, 2002 … The daughter of Jay and Holly Sparks … Undecided on a major.
Oklahoma State Signing Lists (by sport)
Oklahoma State Soccer
Name Pos. Ht. Hometown (High School/Club)
Hannah Chance F/MF 5-8 Broken Arrow, Okla. (Broken Arrow HS/TSC Hurricane ECNL)
Jordan Guy MF 5-4 Houston, Texas (The Kinkaid School/Albion Hurricanes FC)
Logan Heausler F/MF 5-8 Houston, Texas (Clear Lake HS/Albion Hurricanes FC)
Samiah Phiri F/MF 5-8 Irving, Texas (MacArthur HS/FC Dallas ECNL)
Trinity Picklo D 5-8 Mustang, Okla. (Mustang HS/OK Texans)
Evie Vitali GK 5-9 Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley NW HS/Sporting Blue Valley SC)
Oklahoma State Softball
Name Pos. Bats/Throws Height Hometown/HS
Tatum Clopton Pitcher L/R 5-10 Lawrence, Kan./Free State
Brianna Evans Utility L/R 5-3 Red Oak, Texas/Red Oak
Maggie Herdejurgen Catcher R/R 5-6 Crosby, Texas/Crosby
Hailey Kastl Utility L/R 5-5 Perkins, Okla./Perkins
Kathryn Ogg P/1B R/R 5-8 Katonah, N.Y./Harvey
Tatum Sparks Utility R/R 5-5 Shawnee, Okla./Shawnee