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Nov. 17, 2011

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Five talented high school seniors have signed national letters of intent during the early signing period to play softball at Western Washington University beginning next fall. Making that announcement was Viking head coach Amy Suiter.

The quintet includes outfielder Lauren Bennett from Tustin, Calif.; second baseman/pitcher Emma Blauser from Federal Way, catcher/outfielder Taylor Clark from Tacoma, outfielder/first baseman Alexie Levin from Everett and first baseman/outfielder Jordan Walley from Maple Valley.

Bennett was a first-team all-Pacific Coast League selection and team MVP as a junior at Beckman High School, helping the Patriots to a third straight quarterfinal finish at the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs. She hit .429 with six home runs and 32 runs batted in. Bennett also was a first-team all-league pick as a sophomore and a second-team choice as a freshman.

Blauser was a second-team Tacoma News Tribune all-Area and all-South Puget Sound League choice as a junior at Todd Beamer High School. She also was named to the Federal City Mirror all-City team for the second straight year, finishing with a .405 batting average, four home runs, .716 slugging percentage, 17 stolen bases and 21 RBI.

Clark batted .475 with eight home runs and 28 RBI as a junior at Wilson High School. That earned her first-team TNT all-Area and Narrows League MVP honors. Levin was a first-team Everett Herald all-Area pick as a junior at Everett High School, helping the Seagulls place sixth at the Class 3A state playoffs. She set nine school records in hitting, batting .360 and having nine home runs.

Walley was first-team all-South Puget Sound League North Division choice as junior at Tahoma High School. She helped the Bears tie for the league title and place seventh at the Class 4A state tournament, batting .575 and hitting a league and school-record eight home runs.

Lauren Bennett, Outfield, B-R, T-R, Freshman, 5-3, 18, 12/29/93, Tustin, CA

HIGH SCHOOL: First-team all-Pacific Coast League selection as junior at Beckman High School ... Helped Patriots to quarterfinals of California Interscholastic Federation playoffs for third straight year ... Team MVP ... Hit .429 batting average with six home runs and 32 runs batted in .... First-team all-league pick and team Offensive Player of the Year as sophomore ... Second-team all-league and team Rookie of the Year as freshman ... Started and lettered three years ... Three-time school Scholar-Athlete ... Played on Irvine Sting 18 Gold club team that won California ASA state title and reached ASA National Tournament.

PERSONAL: Plans to major in communications/speech therapy ... Her sister, Kindra, played softball at University of North Dakota.

Emma Blauser, Second Base/Pitcher, B-R, T-R, Freshman, 5-6, 18, 5/28/94, Federal Way, WA

HIGH SCHOOL: Second-team Tacoma News Tribune all-Area and second-team all-South Puget Sound League South Division choice as junior at Todd Beamer High School ... Also Federal Way Mirror all-City pick for second straight year ... Hit .405 with four home runs, .716 slugging percentage, 17 stolen bases and 21 runs batted in ... Committed just one error (.923 fielding average) and had 3.26 earned run average with 100 strikeouts in 131 innings pitched ... Team MVP ... First-team all-league as sophomore ... Inspirational award winner ... Honorable mention all-league and team co-MVP as freshman ... Started and lettered three years ... Also earned letter in diving as freshman ... Pitched three no-hitters for Mosquito Squad club team that reached national tournament in 2010 ... Also went to ASA Western National Tournament in 2009 with Diamond Dusters club team.

PERSONAL: Plans to major in kinesiology ... Her father, Vince, played basketball at Skagit Valley CC.

Taylor Clark, Catcher/Outfield, B-R, T-R, Freshman, 5-4, 18, 1/9/94, Tacoma, WA

HIGH SCHOOL: First-team Tacoma News Tribune all-Area and Narrows League Co-MVP as junior at Wilson High School ... Also Tacoma Weekly all-City pick ... Batted .475, hit eight home runs and drove in 28 runs in helping Rams to league championship ... Also first-team all-league as freshman and sophomore ... Played on league title squad as freshman ... Starter and letter winner three years ... Also earned two letters in soccer ... Played on Washington Ladyhawks Gold club team.

PERSONAL: Plans to major in sports medicine or physical therapy.

Alexie Levin, Outfield/First Base, B-L, T-L, Freshman, 5-7, 18, 6/30/94, Everett, WA

HIGH SCHOOL: First-team Everett Herald all-Area as junior at Everett High School, helping Seagulls win league title, place second at district and finish sixth at Class 3A state championships ... Set nine school records in hitting, batting .360 and having nine home runs ... Team MVP for second straight year ... First-team all-Western Conference North Division choice as sophomore on squad that won league and district titles and placed third at state ... Also first-team all-league as freshman ... Team Rookie of the Year ... Started and lettered three years ... Won three state championship and one Western national title as club team member.

PERSONAL: Plans to major in business.

Jordan Walley, First Base/Outfield, B-L, T-R. Freshman, 6-2, 18, 1/27/94, Maple Valley, WA

HIGH SCHOOL: First-team all-South Puget Sound League North Division choice as junior at Tahoma High School ... Helped Bears tie for league title and place seventh at Class 4A state tournament, batting .575 and hitting league and school-record eight home runs ... First-team all-league as sophomore on squad that tied for conference championship ... Team Silver Slugger award winner as freshman and sophomore ... Played on Washington Cultural Exchange team that traveled to China ... Started and letter three years ... Played on Mosquito Club team that won USSSA state championships in 2010 and 2011.

PERSONAL: Plans to major in biology/chemistry.