Jan. 21, 2009
CHICAGO - Loyola University Chicago has signed a pair of local standouts to National Letter of Intent, head softball coach Yvette Healy announced. The Ramblers will welcome Brooke Andresen (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) and Lauren Gonzalez (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) to the fold for the 2010 season.
An outfielder at Downers Grove South, Andresen is one of the top hitters in the state and as a junior, batted .514 with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 49 RBIs. In a remarkable six-game stretch last spring, the all-state selection had four home runs, including two grand slams, and drove in 20 runs. As a sophomore, Andresen hit .397 with 50 hits and 30 RBIs as Downers Grove South finished fourth in the IHSA State Tournament. As a freshman, she helped her team to a runner-up finish in the state tourney.
"I am thrilled to welcome Brooke to the Rambler softball family," Healy said. "Loyola always focuses on recruiting the best student-athletes in the Chicagoland area and Brooke is undoubtedly one of the premier softball prospects in the Midwest, with tremendous offensive ability from the left side of the plate. With her work ethic, mental toughness and athleticism, she could break every offensive record at Loyola from batting average to slugging percentage. Brooke is an elite, program-changing player who will make an immediate impact. Her intellectual aptitude earned her an academic scholarship in addition to her athletic scholarship at Loyola."
Gonzalez is a highly regarded catcher from Oak Park River Forest High School, where she batted .348 and earned all-area and all-conference accolades as a sophomore in 2007. A high school teammate of current Loyola freshman pitcher Seana Stillson, Gonzalez is also a standout field hockey player and has helped OPRF to a pair of second-place finishes in the state tournament. In 2008, she was named Goalkeeper of the Year.
"Lauren fits the Rambler softball mold perfectly as an outstanding and versatile student-athlete, earning both academic and athletic scholarships at Loyola," Healy said. "She has tremendous leadership, as evidenced by her success leading teams to the IHSA State Tournaments for both softball and field hockey. She is an intimidating force at the plate, with the ability to hit for average and put the ball over the fence in clutch situations. We are thrilled to have her join the Rambler Softball family."
Loyola opens the 2009 season on Feb. 20 when it faces Pittsburgh and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Islander Invitational in Corpus Christi, Texas.
