Washington Signs Four In Top Recruiting Class
November 16, 2018 | Softball
SEATTLE - The Washington Huskies signed four players in this year's recruiting class, including the nation's number one recruit, adding to the 2020 roster a crop of talented players around the diamond. Kelley Lynch, Jadelyn Allchin, Hannah Dardano, and Brooke Nelson will all join the Huskies for the 2020 season. All four of those players are ranked in the nation's top 50 recruits, led by the nation's top-ranked recruit in Lynch. Allchin, ranked 4th, is also among the top five recruits in the country, while Nelson is ranked 22nd and Dardano is ranked 44th.
Washington's recruiting class is once again ranked as one of the top in the country, with the Huskies one of three schools with multiple top ten recruits and the only school with two ranked in the top five. The Huskies' class was ranked third in the country by FloSoftball. Washington has had its recruiting classes ranked in the nation's top 25 five times in the last six years, including three times in the nation's top ten.
"Everyone in this class brings not only softball talent but academic commitment. They're truly great Huskies in every sense of the word," said Heather Tarr. "We might be way up here in the Pacific Northwest but it doesn't matter where you come from: it's what you're about and what this program is about. This class is another building block for our program to continue to grow."
The nation's top recruit out of Georgia, Kelley Lynch begins her college career with impressive accolades under her belt. Lynch won the PGF national championship this year and has led East Coweta High School to back-to-back state championships, including an undefeated season during which Lynch pitched to a 0.45 ERA and hit .454. Lynch was invited to USA Softball's Junior Women's National Team Selection Trials this year, joining her new teammate Allchin in that regard. This last season, Lynch was named Georgia's Gatorade Player of the Year and earned Extra Inning Softball's National Player of the Year award. Lynch is the first top-ranked recruit Washington has signed since three-time All-American Danielle Lawrie in 2006.
Tarr was excited about Lynch's two-way abilities, highlighting the success of former Huskies like Kaitlin Inglesby and Danielle Lawrie that contributed in the circle and at the plate. "We expect that Kelley can come in right away and make a name for herself in our program," said Tarr. "When it's all said and done, she will have a tremendous story to tell. We are grateful our paths crossed and that she is now a Husky."
Jadelyn Allchin comes to Washington after three straight years hitting over .400 in her high school career, with an OPS over 1.200 each of the last two seasons. That has helped Allchin earn All-Southern California honors multiple times. As a junior in 2018, Allchin smacked 21 extra-base hits in 28 games, included double-digit doubles. She was named to the All-Area First Team by the Los Angeles Times and was invited to USA Softball's Junior Women's National Team Selection Trials. In club ball, Allchin earned a second-place finish at PGF Nationals.
"We think Allchin is the top outfielder in this class," said Tarr. "She has a plus arm, plus power at the plate, plus speed... she has plenty of tools to work with."
A member of the California Breeze club team, Hannah Dardano carried a batting average over .400 in club ball. In high school play for Oak Ridge, she hit .516 as a junior with a .584 OBP. In 21 games as a junior, Dardano scored 25 runs and drove in 21 more: through three years of high school play, Dardano has 65 runs scored and 53 RBI in only 68 games.
Tarr praised Dardano's makeup, saying that "she is a great athlete, she hits for power, and is just an overall great person. We've had a lot of success with Northern California products like Hannah and she's going to contribute in every way, not just on the field."
Brooke Nelson joins Washington's stellar pitching staff from Bonney Lake, Washington, where she was named both the Gatorade Player of the Year and the News Tribune All-Area Player of the Year while leading Bonney Lake High School to a state title. She struck out 24 consecutive batters during one game of her high school career, becoming just the second player in the nation's history to do so in high school softball. In all, Nelson had a 0.79 ERA as a junior and did not allow a run to score in league play all season. At the plate, Nelson has just as dangerous, hitting .756 with 45 runs and 46 RBI. She is the only player in the history of U.S. high school softball to hit 20+ home runs in a season and strike out 20+ batters in a single game in that same season.
"Nelson is a great athlete and has experienced a significant amount of growth this past year," said Tarr. "She has proven herself as one of the top pitchers in the class and is arguably one of the best players to ever come out of the state of Washington."
Washington's 2019 season will begin in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Friday, February 8. The home season for Washington will begin with the annual Husky Classic. That tournament begins on Friday, March 8.
Make sure to follow Husky Softball on Twitter with the username @UWSoftball and on Instagram at uwsoftball.
Washington's recruiting class is once again ranked as one of the top in the country, with the Huskies one of three schools with multiple top ten recruits and the only school with two ranked in the top five. The Huskies' class was ranked third in the country by FloSoftball. Washington has had its recruiting classes ranked in the nation's top 25 five times in the last six years, including three times in the nation's top ten.
"Everyone in this class brings not only softball talent but academic commitment. They're truly great Huskies in every sense of the word," said Heather Tarr. "We might be way up here in the Pacific Northwest but it doesn't matter where you come from: it's what you're about and what this program is about. This class is another building block for our program to continue to grow."
The nation's top recruit out of Georgia, Kelley Lynch begins her college career with impressive accolades under her belt. Lynch won the PGF national championship this year and has led East Coweta High School to back-to-back state championships, including an undefeated season during which Lynch pitched to a 0.45 ERA and hit .454. Lynch was invited to USA Softball's Junior Women's National Team Selection Trials this year, joining her new teammate Allchin in that regard. This last season, Lynch was named Georgia's Gatorade Player of the Year and earned Extra Inning Softball's National Player of the Year award. Lynch is the first top-ranked recruit Washington has signed since three-time All-American Danielle Lawrie in 2006.
Tarr was excited about Lynch's two-way abilities, highlighting the success of former Huskies like Kaitlin Inglesby and Danielle Lawrie that contributed in the circle and at the plate. "We expect that Kelley can come in right away and make a name for herself in our program," said Tarr. "When it's all said and done, she will have a tremendous story to tell. We are grateful our paths crossed and that she is now a Husky."
Jadelyn Allchin comes to Washington after three straight years hitting over .400 in her high school career, with an OPS over 1.200 each of the last two seasons. That has helped Allchin earn All-Southern California honors multiple times. As a junior in 2018, Allchin smacked 21 extra-base hits in 28 games, included double-digit doubles. She was named to the All-Area First Team by the Los Angeles Times and was invited to USA Softball's Junior Women's National Team Selection Trials. In club ball, Allchin earned a second-place finish at PGF Nationals.
"We think Allchin is the top outfielder in this class," said Tarr. "She has a plus arm, plus power at the plate, plus speed... she has plenty of tools to work with."
A member of the California Breeze club team, Hannah Dardano carried a batting average over .400 in club ball. In high school play for Oak Ridge, she hit .516 as a junior with a .584 OBP. In 21 games as a junior, Dardano scored 25 runs and drove in 21 more: through three years of high school play, Dardano has 65 runs scored and 53 RBI in only 68 games.
Tarr praised Dardano's makeup, saying that "she is a great athlete, she hits for power, and is just an overall great person. We've had a lot of success with Northern California products like Hannah and she's going to contribute in every way, not just on the field."
Brooke Nelson joins Washington's stellar pitching staff from Bonney Lake, Washington, where she was named both the Gatorade Player of the Year and the News Tribune All-Area Player of the Year while leading Bonney Lake High School to a state title. She struck out 24 consecutive batters during one game of her high school career, becoming just the second player in the nation's history to do so in high school softball. In all, Nelson had a 0.79 ERA as a junior and did not allow a run to score in league play all season. At the plate, Nelson has just as dangerous, hitting .756 with 45 runs and 46 RBI. She is the only player in the history of U.S. high school softball to hit 20+ home runs in a season and strike out 20+ batters in a single game in that same season.
"Nelson is a great athlete and has experienced a significant amount of growth this past year," said Tarr. "She has proven herself as one of the top pitchers in the class and is arguably one of the best players to ever come out of the state of Washington."
Washington's 2019 season will begin in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Friday, February 8. The home season for Washington will begin with the annual Husky Classic. That tournament begins on Friday, March 8.
Make sure to follow Husky Softball on Twitter with the username @UWSoftball and on Instagram at uwsoftball.
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