CHICAGO – Loyola Chicago softball announced the signing of two student-athletes, Kate Davies and Lydia Hammond from the class of 2026 to join the Ramblers next season. Davies and Hammond are both Illinois natives and are multi-sport athletes in high school.
Kate Davies | Infielder | Grayslake, Ill. | Grayslake Central
Davies is a talented infielder out of Grayslake, Ill. and a standout on her high school softball team. The 5-foot-8 right-handed first baseman posted a .439 batting average and a 1.554 OPS as a junior with 11 home runs and 34 RBI. Davies has earned multiple athletic accolades, including All-State, All-Area and NLCC All-Conference honors in 2024 and 2025. Off the field, she excels in the classroom as a National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction and National Honor Society member, maintaining the highest honor roll every semester. Davies also plays tennis and basketball, and competes at the club level for Wisconsin Lightning Fastpitch.
Abbott on Davies: "Kate brings power and presence to the box and is a steady, confident defender at first base and behind the plate. What truly separates her is her loyalty, love for Loyola, and the way she pours into her teammates. She plays for the name on the front of her jersey and does it with pride every single day. She brings a team-first mentality and is the kind of leader who will lift the whole program. We can't wait to get her in Maroon and Gold."
Lydia Hammond | Pitcher | Bradley, Ill. | Bradley Bourbonnais Community
Loyola adds Hammond, a dynamic right-handed pitcher and left-handed hitter who has been a force in the circle throughout her high school career. She's compiled an impressive 1.30 ERA, 0.855 WHIP and 262 strikeouts over 188 innings, setting a single-season record for K's in 2025. Her standout season earned her All-Conference, All-Area First Team and All-State honors. Hammond, who is also a volleyball player, is a dedicated student-athlete as a member of the National Honor Society and has maintained high honor roll status all four years. She plays club softball for Illinois Chill Gold.
Abbott on Hammond: "Lydia is a fierce competitor who has gotten better with every year we've watched her. She is a two-way pitcher whose presence, work ethic, and fire set the tone. Her teammates feed off her competitiveness, and she's proven she can handle big moments and thrives in pressure situations. Add in her academic excellence and commitment to serving others, and she embodies exactly what Loyola softball is about. We're fired up to add her winning mindset to our program."
