Nov. 15, 2013
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State softball team has signed three athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach Kathy Van Wyk announced today. The group of three includes Jenavee Peres (Garden Grove, Calif./Garden Grove HS), Taylor Stewart (Bellflower, Calif./Bellflower HS) and Kiera Wright (Corona, Calif./Roosevelt HS).
Peres comes to The Mesa, playing her club ball for the Firecrackers under coach Tony Rico and her prep ball at Garden Grove High School. Peres hit .507 with seven home runs, 37 RBIs and seven doubles in 24 games as a junior last season for GGHS. She also scored 30 runs and was 15-for-15 in stolen base attempts, all while playing catcher, en route to being named to the MaxPreps 2013 California Medium Schools All-State Team. As a junior in 2012, Peres batted .530 with nine homers and 33 RBIs, while adding 28 runs and stealing 15 bases in 17 attempts. Over the past two years, Peres has combined for a .992 slugging percentage and a .579 on-base percentage.
Stewart, meanwhile, plays her club ball with the Strike Force under coach Gabe Guerra and has starred at Bellflower High School. Stewart, who is expected to play first base and in the outfield for the Aztecs, hit a combined .585 with two homers, nine doubles, and 30 RBIs over her freshman and sophomore seasons from 2011-12, while totaling 36 runs. She hit .597 as a freshman and .569 as a sophomore, and even has done some pitcher over her career. Stewart was a multi-time first-team Suburban League selection and a member of the Long Beach Press Telegram Dream Team. Additionally, Stewart was a three-time first-team all-league pick and three-time team MVP while pitching and playing third base at BHS.
Wright, the final member of the outstanding 2014 class, plays her club ball with the California Courage and coach Linny Smith, while excelling at Roosevelt High School. A shortstop, Wright batted .356 last year as a junior with five doubles, two triples, 20 runs and 18 stolen bases (on 18 attempts), culminating with an all-Inland selection by the Riverside Press Enterprise. As a freshman, Wright batted .291 with 16 runs, nine RBIs and eight stolen bases.
SDSU is coming off a 36-20 season in 2013, advancing to the NCAA tournament for a school-record sixth consecutive year and capturing its sixth Mountain West title and second straight league championship. San Diego State kicks off its 2014 campaign at Arizona State's Kajikawa Classic from Feb. 6-8, beginning with games against Appalachian State and Oregon State on Feb. 6. The Aztecs will also face Stanford on the following day, and Cal Poly and Seattle on Feb. 8.