Nov. 24, 2010
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State softball team has signed three players to National Letters of Intent, head coach Kathy Van Wyk announced today. The talented newcomers, all from San Diego County who will join SDSU in the fall of 2011, include Kaitlin Connors (La Costa Canyon HS), Fiana Finau (Hilltop HS) and Kayla Jordan (Bonita Vista HS).
"I'm the most excited that the members of this class all come from San Diego," head coach Kathy Van Wyk said. "Our goal of winning a national championship comes closer and closer with great talent like this. It would be amazing if we could do that with a team of mostly San Diegans.
"These three players add tremendous power to our hitting lineup and will bolster our speed as well. Our athleticism gets better and better every year."
A power-hitting catcher and first baseman, Connors plays her club ball for So Cal Breakers out of Oceanside. Connors, a two-time starter at La Costa Canyon HS, earned first-team all-Avocado League honors as a sophomore in 2009. In that season, Connors batted .329 with four home runs, six doubles, 12 runs and 18 RBI.
In 2008 as a freshman, Connors helped the Mavericks to the CIF Division I championship game. She garnered CIF honorable mention accolades and was the team's rookie of the year. Connors, who missed the 2010 season with an injury, has received numerous academic achievements throughout her career, including being named to the San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic team (2009) and the CIF San Diego Section All-Academic Team (2008).
Finau, a power-hitting middle infielder, has excelled with TeamSmith Gold out of La Verne, Calif., for the past few years. A three-time starter at Hilltop HS, Finau has earned all-league honors in each of her three seasons, including first-team accolades in both 2008 (South Bay League) and 2010 (Mesa League).
A second-team CIF Division I performer as a junior in 2010, Finau batted .417 with seven homers, six doubles, three triples, 28 runs and 29 RBI in 31 games, leading the Lancers to a 22-9 record. In 2009, Finau hit .353 with four home runs, 10 doubles, 28 runs and 34 RBI as Hilltop went 24-11. As a freshman in 2008, she batted .452 with five homers, five doubles, nine triples, 27 runs and 38 RBI. In addition, Finau is a perfect 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts over her high school career.
Jordan, meanwhile, comes to The Mesa after excelling for the Power Surge travel ball team and Bonita Vista HS. Jordan has garnered first-team all-Mesa League honors in each of her two high school seasons (2008-09).
A speedy and powerful outfielder with 24 stolen bases over two years, Jordan hit .367 in 2009 to go along with four home runs, nine doubles, four triples, 30 runs and 33 RBI as Bonita Vista went 22-6, including a 10-0 mark in the Mesa League. As a freshman in 2008, Jordan led the Barons to a 17-9 record (9-1 Mesa), while batting .453 with a homer, three doubles, a triple, 37 runs and 10 RBI.
SDSU opens its 2011 schedule at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament in Los Angeles (UCLA), beginning Feb. 11 against North Dakota State.