Softball Signs Five For Fall Class Of 2017
November 09, 2016 | Softball
SEATTLE, WASH. -- Coach Tarr and the University of Washington Softball program announced the signing of five talented student-athletes who will join the team in the fall of 2017. The athletics department received national letters of intent from Morgan Allen, Noelle Hee, Emma Helm, Nawai Kaupe and Gabbie Plain.
"The 2017 signing class brings us five young women who are Washington type players," said Tarr. "They embody the character traits our program was founded on- discipline, toughness, versatility and intelligence. They fit our system and will develop under our coaching staff and our veteran players. Gabbie (Plain) brings Junior National Team playing experience to our pitching staff, has the pitch balance and pitching repertoire to compete both in the Pac 12 conference and at the national level. Emma (Helm), Morgan (Allen) and Noelle (Hee) each bring versatility and power to our lineup. Emma is a left-handed power bat, Morgan and Noelle both bring us power and RBI potential from the right side. Nawai (Kaupe) is a tooled shortstop from Maui, with a plus arm. She has the potential to compete right away in our middle infield. She does the things the great middle infielders can do, she makes plays that are difficult to teach. We are proud of this signing class and we look forward to helping develop them into the best softball players and people that they can be in the next five years."
Morgan Allen
Monroe, Wash.
Catcher/Utility
Sundodgers 18U
Allen comes to Montlake from Monroe, Wash. She is the daughter of Troy and Shana Allen. For the last three years, Allen has played for the Sundodgers 18U team under coach Shawna Wright, a 2013 Husky Softball alumna. A talented athlete, she attended Monroe High School where she played basketball as a point guard in addition to softball. In her softball career she earned Newcomer of the Year as a freshman at Monroe, Defensive Player of the Year and was team captain at Monroe High School. As a freshman she was given All WESCO 4A Conference Second Team Catcher and All WESCO 4A Conference First Team honors as a freshman and junior. She currently holds the Monroe High School all-time records for hits in a season, RBI's in a season and doubles in a season.
"I wanted to stay in the Pacific Northwest," said Allen. "And I wanted to play on a team of girls who wanted to win a National Championship as much as I do."
Noelle Hee
Orange, Calif.
First Base
Corona Angels 18U Gold
Hee is the daughter of Hiram and Amy Hee and joins Washington from Orange, Calif. She has spent the last three years playing for Orange Lutheran High School and Corona Angels 18U Gold under Marty Tyson. She has earned four letters playing for OLHS as a first baseman and catcher and was a consistent starter for all three years. She has earned the Trinity League MVP awarded, Third Team All-Orange County and Second Team All-Orange County honors. In her high school career she was the Orange Lutheran Best Offensive Player all three years. The right handed batter has a .398 batting average, a .580 slugging percentage and a .982 fielding percentage.
"I decided to attend the University of Washington because I knew it was the best fit for me both academically and athletically," said Hee. "When looking at schools, I knew I wanted to not only compete at the highest level athletically, but also academically. The University of Washington is all of that and even more. It has a beautiful campus, prestigious academics and a fantastic coaching staff that will push us to be the best we can be."
Emma Helm
Lynwood, Wash.
Catcher/First Base
Washington Majestics
Helm hails from Lynwood, Wash. and is the daughter of Brad and Heidi Helm. She is a catcher for Meadowdale High School as well as Washington Majestics where she has played under Washington assistant coach Lance Glasoe and Ron Balmer for two years. Helm is also a two-time letter winner for basketball at MHS. For the last three years she was given First Team All-WESCO Catcher honors in addition to the Seattle Times Star Times Catcher in 2016 and the 2016 Herald Softball Player of the Year. In here high school career she has hit 26 home runs.
"I decided to attend the University of Washington because it is all I could ever want in a school," said Helm. "Since playing softball has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, it was a no brainer to decide to attend the school where I can get a great education and still play softball. The program is very familiar to me and I love all the goals that are constantly being worked toward. I can't wait to be in an environment where the people around me support me in everything I do and want to achieve the same goals."
Nawai Kaupe
Wailuki, Hawaii
Infield
Hawai'i Pearls Maui
Kaupe will join Washington from Wailuku, Hawaii. She is the daughter of Bernard "Napa" and Joy Kaupe. In the last four years Kaupe has played for three clubs Hawai'i Pearls Maui (1), Guava Jam (2) and Hawaiian Style (1). Her most current coach is Lei Nakamura with the Hawaii Pearls. Kaupe is a star softball player on the island with several honors and recognitions to show it: Hawaii All-State Honorable Mention (x2), Hershey's North American Softball Throw Title, Maui Interscholastic League Division I All-Star: First Team Shortstop (x2). As a well-rounded student-athlete, Kaupe has also won titles in track and field and volleyball.
"The University of Washington has an incredible medicine program," said Kaupe. "And medicine is something I want to pursue. The UW has a breathtaking campus and Coach Tarr is a beautiful person inside and out."
Gabbie Plain
Sydney, Australia
Pitcher
Australian U19 Women's Squad (Green Team)
Gabbie Plain will be be joining the Huskies from all the way in Sydney, Australia. A member of the Australian U19 Women's Squad, Plain is a lights out pitcher with great speed and consistency. The right-handed pitcher will be a great addition to the Huskies' pitching lineup. Last year at the 2015 WBSC Junior Women's World Championship, Plain allowed just two hits and no earned runs in her time in the circle for the Placement Championship. While playing for the Harrington Park Scorpions at Softball Macarthur, she was part of the first Macarthur team to win a U17 State Championship Title.
For continued coverage and immediate updates on Husky Softball, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter at @uwsoftball, on Facebook at Washington Husky Softball and on gohuskies.com.
"The 2017 signing class brings us five young women who are Washington type players," said Tarr. "They embody the character traits our program was founded on- discipline, toughness, versatility and intelligence. They fit our system and will develop under our coaching staff and our veteran players. Gabbie (Plain) brings Junior National Team playing experience to our pitching staff, has the pitch balance and pitching repertoire to compete both in the Pac 12 conference and at the national level. Emma (Helm), Morgan (Allen) and Noelle (Hee) each bring versatility and power to our lineup. Emma is a left-handed power bat, Morgan and Noelle both bring us power and RBI potential from the right side. Nawai (Kaupe) is a tooled shortstop from Maui, with a plus arm. She has the potential to compete right away in our middle infield. She does the things the great middle infielders can do, she makes plays that are difficult to teach. We are proud of this signing class and we look forward to helping develop them into the best softball players and people that they can be in the next five years."
Morgan Allen
Monroe, Wash.
Catcher/Utility
Sundodgers 18U
Allen comes to Montlake from Monroe, Wash. She is the daughter of Troy and Shana Allen. For the last three years, Allen has played for the Sundodgers 18U team under coach Shawna Wright, a 2013 Husky Softball alumna. A talented athlete, she attended Monroe High School where she played basketball as a point guard in addition to softball. In her softball career she earned Newcomer of the Year as a freshman at Monroe, Defensive Player of the Year and was team captain at Monroe High School. As a freshman she was given All WESCO 4A Conference Second Team Catcher and All WESCO 4A Conference First Team honors as a freshman and junior. She currently holds the Monroe High School all-time records for hits in a season, RBI's in a season and doubles in a season.
"I wanted to stay in the Pacific Northwest," said Allen. "And I wanted to play on a team of girls who wanted to win a National Championship as much as I do."
Noelle Hee
Orange, Calif.
First Base
Corona Angels 18U Gold
Hee is the daughter of Hiram and Amy Hee and joins Washington from Orange, Calif. She has spent the last three years playing for Orange Lutheran High School and Corona Angels 18U Gold under Marty Tyson. She has earned four letters playing for OLHS as a first baseman and catcher and was a consistent starter for all three years. She has earned the Trinity League MVP awarded, Third Team All-Orange County and Second Team All-Orange County honors. In her high school career she was the Orange Lutheran Best Offensive Player all three years. The right handed batter has a .398 batting average, a .580 slugging percentage and a .982 fielding percentage.
"I decided to attend the University of Washington because I knew it was the best fit for me both academically and athletically," said Hee. "When looking at schools, I knew I wanted to not only compete at the highest level athletically, but also academically. The University of Washington is all of that and even more. It has a beautiful campus, prestigious academics and a fantastic coaching staff that will push us to be the best we can be."
Emma Helm
Lynwood, Wash.
Catcher/First Base
Washington Majestics
Helm hails from Lynwood, Wash. and is the daughter of Brad and Heidi Helm. She is a catcher for Meadowdale High School as well as Washington Majestics where she has played under Washington assistant coach Lance Glasoe and Ron Balmer for two years. Helm is also a two-time letter winner for basketball at MHS. For the last three years she was given First Team All-WESCO Catcher honors in addition to the Seattle Times Star Times Catcher in 2016 and the 2016 Herald Softball Player of the Year. In here high school career she has hit 26 home runs.
"I decided to attend the University of Washington because it is all I could ever want in a school," said Helm. "Since playing softball has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, it was a no brainer to decide to attend the school where I can get a great education and still play softball. The program is very familiar to me and I love all the goals that are constantly being worked toward. I can't wait to be in an environment where the people around me support me in everything I do and want to achieve the same goals."
Nawai Kaupe
Wailuki, Hawaii
Infield
Hawai'i Pearls Maui
Kaupe will join Washington from Wailuku, Hawaii. She is the daughter of Bernard "Napa" and Joy Kaupe. In the last four years Kaupe has played for three clubs Hawai'i Pearls Maui (1), Guava Jam (2) and Hawaiian Style (1). Her most current coach is Lei Nakamura with the Hawaii Pearls. Kaupe is a star softball player on the island with several honors and recognitions to show it: Hawaii All-State Honorable Mention (x2), Hershey's North American Softball Throw Title, Maui Interscholastic League Division I All-Star: First Team Shortstop (x2). As a well-rounded student-athlete, Kaupe has also won titles in track and field and volleyball.
"The University of Washington has an incredible medicine program," said Kaupe. "And medicine is something I want to pursue. The UW has a breathtaking campus and Coach Tarr is a beautiful person inside and out."
Gabbie Plain
Sydney, Australia
Pitcher
Australian U19 Women's Squad (Green Team)
Gabbie Plain will be be joining the Huskies from all the way in Sydney, Australia. A member of the Australian U19 Women's Squad, Plain is a lights out pitcher with great speed and consistency. The right-handed pitcher will be a great addition to the Huskies' pitching lineup. Last year at the 2015 WBSC Junior Women's World Championship, Plain allowed just two hits and no earned runs in her time in the circle for the Placement Championship. While playing for the Harrington Park Scorpions at Softball Macarthur, she was part of the first Macarthur team to win a U17 State Championship Title.
For continued coverage and immediate updates on Husky Softball, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter at @uwsoftball, on Facebook at Washington Husky Softball and on gohuskies.com.
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